Are the bars dead?

[hank75]

Not sure if there’s anyone who can report back. Was chatting on Line with one guy yesterday. Despite it being Saturday he and his friends (all bar boys) were heading to Bang Saen for fishing and dinner. Wasn’t a customer sponsored outing. I asked why they weren’t at work. He said bars were so quiet now it wasn’t worth their while to go. 

I read a Pattaya travel forum where inevitably there’s alot of chat about the girl bars and punters are saying the same, very quiet and receiving long distance begging messages from the working girls. Seems to be worse than the usual low season malaise.

[kram987]

I’ve read Sunday is Election Day, so no drinking Saturday night.

[hank75]

Just now, kram987 said:

I’ve read Sunday is Election Day, so no drinking Saturday night.

You are right. I saw the announcement on some FB pages and stupidly forgot about it.

However we actually had the same conversation some days back, that bars were too quiet to bother to go to work so it wasn’t just about Saturday. 

[Patanawet]

Just now, kram987 said:

I’ve read Sunday is Election Day, so no drinking Saturday night.

I knew bout Bangkok but have just been told it is also Pattaya (Chonburi).
Don't panic -- open again at 6.

[Olddaddy]

It's low season 🔈🔉

Despite that , I have been in low season and still had moneyboys want high rates for their services !!!.

It seems it's only the foreign guys ( African) 🇲🇬 who were willing to lower their rates , oh please there's no need to be a cheap Charlie !

 

[hank75]

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

Despite that , I have been in low season and still had moneyboys want high rates for their services !!!

Question is, what do you consider “high rates” though 😆

[Vessey]

My No 2 regular boy, has worked in Toy Boys for the last few years (and elsewhere in Pattaya for many years more). He told me a few weeks ago how he had managed to snag an American customer for a few days. He is almost 30, but a small slim gay Thai boy and still very cute looking.

The customer had wanted a long-time companion, and one of the mamasans at Toy Boys was telling the boys to ask for 3k baht a night, despite the dreadfuly low low-season  upon them.  No 2 told the guy he would go for 2k a night and was duly offed; several other lads teased him for selling himself too cheap.

However, the American ended up keeping him for 10 nights, so No 2 finished with 20k in his pocket while his peers in Toy Boys had struggled to find any customers at all and remained with empty pockets! 

The benefits of experience and a practical approach! 😂 

He will once again have me offing him for three weeks in September!

[Pantherz]

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

It seems it's only the foreign guys ( African) 🇲🇬 who were willing to lower their rates

 

Any stories to tell us about your African explorations?

[jimmie50]

I cannot speak from first hand experience as we have been staying away from Silom on this trip.  Our plan was to visit Banana Bar last night as an end to my birthday celebration, but because of the election and alcohol ban, Soi 4 was dark other than G's.  Cam does keep in touch via text with a couple of his buddies at Hotmale and what you report seems to be what they are telling him.  Several nights in a row there has only been one or two customers at the most.  They haven't even been doing the shows because no customers, and some of the guys are simply not showing up for work because they are not making any money.  I don't know about the other bars/clubs, but I think Cam's information is pretty accurate for Hotmale.  Perhaps Hotmale isn't the best example, as it has other issues (see @macaroni21 posts on his blog regarding this bar / https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2026/05/06/this-bar-makes-me-hot-under-the-collar/)

[bkkmfj2648]

Happy belated Birthday Jim 🎂🍰

[bkkmfj2648]

1 hour ago, jimmie50 said:

Because of the election and alcohol ban, Soi 4 was dark

It could have been worse.  Yesterday was Pattaya City's annual gay pride and Boyztown was darker than Sunee Plaza.

Lights off in Boyztown

Somebody f&#ked up with the planning of one of Pattaya's most important events for the local gay community.

[dellboy]

19 minutes ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

It could have been worse.  Yesterday was Pattaya City's annual gay pride and Boyztown was darker than Sunee Plaza.

Lights off in Boyztown

Somebody f&#ked up with the planning of one of Pattaya's most important events for the local gay community.

what time was this photo taken ????

[bkkmfj2648]

2 minutes ago, dellboy said:

what time was this photo taken ????

Between 8:30pm and 9pm

[dellboy]

thats shocking ! i assumed it to be 4 am ! 

[bkkmfj2648]

4 minutes ago, dellboy said:

thats shocking !

T.i.T = This is Thailand.

Either the gay pride parade planners did not take into account the scheduled timetable for pre-scheduled upcoming Alcohol Bans due to religious holidays and/or elections,

Or, the Pattaya City municipal authority that granted the parade permits to the gay pride organizers did not inform them.

Or, everyone knew, and said f%#k the gay bars and related gay entertainment businesses.

I guess we will never know.

[floridarob]

9 hours ago, Pantherz said:

Any stories to tell us about your African explorations?

Be careful what you ask for 🥺

[Londoner]

14 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

It could have been worse.  Yesterday was Pattaya City's annual gay pride and Boyztown was darker than Sunee Plaza.

The Jomtien Complex was even darker, predictably. Not that it has been humming with activity since we arrived. One experienced worker , who has been plying his trade successfully for five years plus, told me that this was the leanest period he'd experienced.

[Patanawet]

21 hours ago, Pantherz said:

Any stories to tell us about your African explorations?

Please NO. I haven't had breakfast yet.

[Kiwi306]

It is not just the gay bars which are struggling. Over recent years I have been visiting Thailand at this time of the year. I enjoy having an evening meal in Patpong and I am amazed how few tourists are around at the moment. Last night I had a meal from my usual food stall at about 630pm. Usually the tables would be fully occupied, but virtually all the tables were empty. At 1130pm it was exactly the same. Some of the regular food vendors hadn't turned up and there were even gaps in the market stalls. I have found this to be the same on three occasions now. So the ladies must be feeling it as well.

But there is a ray of hope. I went to the show at Dream Boys last night and there was quite a large turnout, of whom probably 50% were women. There were at least 30 boys in the lineup too.

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, Kiwi306 said:

It is not just the gay bars which are struggling. Over recent years I have been visiting Thailand at this time of the year. I enjoy having an evening meal in Patpong and I am amazed how few tourists are around at the moment. Last night I had a meal from my usual food stall at about 630pm. Usually the tables would be fully occupied, but virtually all the tables were empty. At 1130pm it was exactly the same. Some of the regular food vendors hadn't turned up and there were even gaps in the market stalls. I have found this to be the same on three occasions now. So the ladies must be feeling it as well.

But there is a ray of hope. I went to the show at Dream Boys last night and there was quite a large turnout, of whom probably 50% were women. There were at least 30 boys in the lineup too.

I quietly hope you will check on Big Boys bar and report what changed from our visit there in January

[Kiwi306]

I went there the day after I arrived. Sadly the only thing different is that there is a bigger lineup of boys, but most of them were out of shape and nothing like the photos of muscled boys shown in the poster at the bottom of the stairs. Even our friend Tae seemed to have lost quite a bit of his size. Ironically I was walking past there a few minutes ago (about 11pm) and Arthur greeted me and asked me to come upstairs, but I politely declined.

I had told one of our esteemed forum members about my experience there, but I told him not to let me put him off as I might have struck a bad night, but he shared my impressions of the bar.

It's a shame as Atlas had such potential, and then White Cat, but it looks as if it might be third time unlucky for Arthur.

[vinapu]

21 hours ago, Kiwi306 said:

I had told one of our esteemed forum members about my experience there, but I told him not to let me put him off as I might have struck a bad night, but he shared my impressions of the bar.

 

this confirms what I always say " go and check yourself ", not only we may have bad luck picking day or even timing of our visit given day but quite often two customers looking at the same scene may have completely different impression. Like one of our members commented after seeing me with guy " I would not take him even for free"  exactly mirroring what I thought about his companion, lol 

[Londoner]

One Thailand tourist area that seems to be booming is the north-end of Pattaya Beach Road. We ate in T21 yesterday; the place was heaving and our favourite restaurant, which I'm always raving about, Pon's, was almost full at 1730. Outside, we were unable to find a taxi and had to walk to Big C to get one back to the hotel. 

I'm coming to the sad conclusion that it may not be tourists who are in short supply so much as tourists like us. 

 

[vaughn]

every year since i've been coming to thailand i hear 'this is the worst ever low season' then 'this is the lowest ever high season', even in a packed bar in high season making small talk with a guy the response to 'how is business' is always 'no customer'.

The sky hasn't fallen yet

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, vaughn said:

every year since i've been coming to thailand i hear 'this is the worst ever low season' then 'this is the lowest ever high season', even in a packed bar in high season making small talk with a guy the response to 'how is business' is always 'no customer'.

The sky hasn't fallen yet

it's why I always stick to my mantra that all i need is one bar and one boys in it , as long as said boy meets specifications