The nightlife in Bangkok, the capital city of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, has traditionally had a reputation for rowdiness, but in 2011 it was reported that the city's crime rate had decreased.Thai PM: Crime rate in Bangkok down 20% as promised
at Thailand News On weekdays, most of Bangkok's nightlife takes places in the

Red Light Districts A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particu ...

Soi Cowboy Soi Cowboy ( th, ซอยคาวบอย, , ) is a short (150 meter long) street in Bangkok, Thailand, with some 40, mostly go-go bars. It caters mainly to tourists and expatriates. Soi Cowboy contains one of the three largest groups of fo ...

and

Nana Plaza Nana Plaza (formerly Nana Entertainment Plaza) is an entertainment complex and red-light district in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally built as a shopping center, Nana Plaza occupies a three-story commercial building in the Khlong Toei District of B ...

. Most venues outside of those areas are only open on weekends.

Khaosan Road Khaosan Road or Khao San Road ( th, ถนนข้าวสาร, , ) is a short ( long) street in central Bangkok, Thailand constructed in 1892 during the reign of Rama V. It is in the Bang Lamphu area of Phra Nakhon District about north o ...

is another popular nightlife spot in Bangkok with mostly young backpackers roaming the streets.

Overview

The city's nightlife is the subject of the song ''

One Night in Bangkok "One Night in Bangkok" is a song from the concept album and subsequent musical ''Chess (musical)#Original album, Chess'' by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus. British actor and singer Murray Head raps the verses, while the chorus i ...

'' performed by

Murray Head Murray Seafield St George Head (born 5 March 1946) is an English actor and singer. Head has appeared in a number of films, including a starring role as the character Bob Elkin in the Oscar-nominated 1971 film ''Sunday Bloody Sunday''. As a mus ...

which includes the line: "One night in Bangkok can make a hard man humble". While the choruses extol

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

's reputation and exciting atmosphere in the song, the American in the music video would denounce the city, including its

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particu ...

, " muddy old river" and "

reclining Buddha A reclining Buddha is an image that represents Buddha lying down and is a major iconographic theme in Buddhist art. It represents the historical Buddha during his last illness, about to enter the parinirvana. He is lying on his right side, his he ...

". Bangkok is also well known for their

massage parlor A massage parlor (American English) or massage parlour (Canadian/British English) is a place where massage services are provided for a fee. In the 19th century, the term began to be used in English as a euphemism for a brothel. Context In 1894 ...

s and the popular ''Eden Club''; which offers "professional sexual services". One of the few rules of the Eden Club is to take two ladies that are equally skilled in pleasuring each other as the male client. Men can find

sexual Sex is the biological distinction of an organism between male and female. Sex or SEX may also refer to: Biology and behaviour *Animal sexual behaviour **Copulation (zoology) **Human sexual activity **Non-penetrative sex, or sexual outercourse ** ...

companionship amongst the local

prostitutes Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

has also been discovered to be one of the safest and relaxed cities in the world. Their nightlife ranges from live music in

jazz club A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music, although some jazz clubs primarily focus on the study and/or promotion of jazz-music. Jazz clubs are usually a type of nightclub or bar, which is license ...

s to world-class

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

s. The once sleazy image of Bangkok at night has been virtually eradicated in the past 30 years. Bangkok is the only place in the world with

pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

taxi cabs that cater towards the

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

tourists and residents. Even unescorted

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...

can enjoy Bangkok safely and without any problems. Drug violations are often handed out more severe penalties than in the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and state (polity), states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

and

statutory rape In common law jurisdictions, statutory rape is nonforcible sexual activity in which one of the individuals is below the age of consent (the age required to legally consent to the behavior). Although it usually refers to adults engaging in sexual ...

is completely frowned upon. The price of domestic beer in Bangkok ranges from $1.58 USD to $3.80 USD while the cost of imported beer ranges from $3.17 USD to $7.92 USD. The price of taxi service for a 1-kilometer drive ranges from $0.16 USD to $0.32 USD. Due to the lower prices for alcoholic beverages as opposed to the major cities of North America and Europe, the majority of the customers are the local students who are attending university. The Lamsalee sub-district caters more to the local crowds than international tourists; with their dance clubs catering towards their regular stream of customers. Tourists are more likely to head towards the

Si Lom Si Lom Road (also written as Silom, th, สีลม, ) is a major street in the Thai capital Bangkok, best known for its commercial neighbourhood, which, along with the nearby and roughly parallel Sathon Road, forms one of the city's main busi ...

sub-district (with Soi 2 being more for the young adult crowd with nightclubs playing

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...

and Soi 4 being more easy-going with a variety of restaurants and places to drink alcohol).

Ladyboy shows

Thailand is famous for its racy nightlife entertainment and amongst the madness is a thriving cabaret scene. Every night tourists pack into the various venues for an entertaining show that is full of laughs, music and dance. In Thailand the top shows include Calypso Cabaret, Simon Phuket, Tiffany's and popular newcomers Playhouse Theater. Thailand is one of the most well-recognized centers of transgender and transvestite performance artists in the world. They are known as either ''

kathoey ''Kathoey'' or ''katoey'' ( th, กะเทย; ) is an identity used by some people in Thailand, whose identities in English may be best described as transgender women in some cases, or effeminate gay men in other cases. Transgender wom ...

s'' or "ladyboys." In fact, it is the most cost-effective place to acquire

sex reassignment surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...

along with having the highest standards of surgeons trained in performing operations of this kind. Most of these performers already had

breast implant A breast implant is a prosthesis used to change the size, shape, and contour of a person's breast. In reconstructive plastic surgery, breast implants can be placed to restore a natural looking breast following a mastectomy, to correct congenital ...

s and typically perform before completely transitioning into womanhood by undergoing surgery on their genitals. All sorts of feminine legends are celebrated here from

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

divas to legendary female

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

artists and even

mythical creatures A legendary creature (also mythical or mythological creature) is a type of fictional entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), but may be featured in historical account ...

s from Thailand's glorious past. These transgender people are accepted even in rural Thailand. However, their genders are not legally recognized and

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

rates amongst ladyboy show performers are higher than the national average.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nightlife In Bangkok Culture of Bangkok Nightlife

Overview

Ladyboy shows

See also

References