Chiang Mai Nightlife

The city of Chiang Mai enjoys an atmosphere of a university town, with lots of local young students mixing with foreign NGO workers and tourists to party the night away. The nightlife here is less frenetic than Bangkok and the island resorts, but is very friendly and fun all the same. There are fairly strict restrictions on licensing hours, and many places have to close around midnight, when the late crowd heads for one of the late night discos. The main areas of action are contained within a fairly small radius, so it’s quite easy to go on a bar crawl around the Tapae Gate or Nararat Bridge areas and there is also the statutory street of Go-Go bars, as well as a beer-bar area in the Night Bazaar, some cool VW street bars dotted around, plus the ubiquitous Karaoke Salons.

The Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai is famous worldwide, and is a bustling, colourful and bargain-filled extravaganza. There are handicrafts, textiles, jewelry, clothing and replica antique stalls alongside copy CD’s and fake designer goods, with plenty of places to stop and eat or drink.

Riverside Pub on the banks of the Mae Pig River is a hugely popular dining and party venue, while the nearby Brasserie also offers riverside ambience and doubles as a live music venue featuring popular local singers covering 60s and 70s rock classics. Back in town, The Irish Pub caters mainly for an ex-pat crowd, serving good food, showing live sports on a big screen TV and hosting quiz and Spoken Word evenings.

Rasta Bar is a popular, laid-back outdoor place among a cluster of underground bars off Ratvithi Rd with live music and recorded reggae, good-value drinks and a young crowd. THC Rooftop Bar overlooking the night bazaar and Tapae Gate located above the Hemp Shop has low level seating, loud house music and a young, cool crowd.

On the club scene, Bubbles, located in the basement of the Porn Ping Hotel attracts a mixed crowd of Thais and foreigners and has DJs spinning the latest tunes, while Spicy is a popular after hours destination, full of friendly girls. The Monkey Club on Nimminheimin Road in Chiang Mai's swanky northern suburb also attracts a young, cool, Thai clientele, which means great live acoustic music and of course, great Thai food. In the same area, the Drunken Flower is a popular expat hang out with a rustic charm and occasional parties and live music.

Chiang Mai Nightlife