On this page6 sections
At a glance
- Licensed entertainment venues
- Open until 04:00Source 1
- New Year’s Eve
- Until 06:00Source 2
- Shops and other bars: alcohol sales
- 11:00 to midnight, since 29 May 2026Source 3
- In force since
- 15 December 2023, with no end dateSource 1
Sources for these facts (3)
Sources: 1Royal Thai Government Gazette: Ministerial Regulation No. 3 (B.E. 2566) on entertainment venue hours, checked 2 Oct 2026 2Government Public Relations Department (NBT): the 04:00 regulation and New Year’s Eve 06:00, checked 2 Oct 2026 3Royal Thai Government Gazette: Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee notice on sale hours (2026), checked 2 Oct 2026
The rule
Thailand sets the hours of entertainment venues (sathan borikan: places licensed under the Entertainment Place Act, such as dance venues and venues with music or shows that stay open after midnight) by ministerial regulation. Since 15 December 2023, Regulation No. 3 lets those venues stay open until 04:00 in Chonburi province, which includes Pattaya, in Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui, and inside licensed hotels anywhere in Thailand (NBT, 15 December 2023). On the night before 1 January, entertainment venues nationwide may stay open until 06:00. The rule is about licensed entertainment venues, not every bar: a bar or restaurant without that licence stops selling alcohol at midnight. Sales in hotels licensed under the Hotel Act are exempt from the 11:00-to-midnight sale hours, by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee’s 2026 notice in the Royal Gazette; it sets no other hour for them, and we don’t add one. The Pattaya News reported in June 2026 that parts of Jomtien are not formal entertainment zones and keep late hours only on a temporary footing, so 04:00 is not a given there. See Jomtien.
| Place | Latest | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed entertainment venue, such as a club | 04:00 | Ministerial Regulation No. 3 (2023) |
| The same, New Year’s Eve | 06:00 | The same regulation |
| Hotel bar | Exempt from the 11:00–midnight sale hours (licensed hotels) | Thailand.go.th, 31 May 2026 |
| Bar or restaurant without that licence | Alcohol sales 11:00–24:00 | Notice of 29 May 2026 |
| Shops, 7-Eleven | Alcohol sales 11:00–24:00 | Notice of 29 May 2026 |
In practice
The big clubs, such as Republic, run to 04:00. Many bars close earlier by choice: most rooftop bars close between 21:00 and 01:00, and ZAMA at 03:00. For what is still open late, see after hours.
In June 2026 Pattaya’s nightlife operators asked the incoming mayor to push closing to 06:00. That is a request, not a rule; nothing has changed (checked 1 October 2026).
Days without alcohol
On the five Buddhist ban days, shops and ordinary bars may not sell alcohol; licensed entertainment venues, licensed hotels, international airports, similar venues in designated tourist zones and designated special events are exempt. See alcohol hours and ban days.
Questions
What time do bars close in Pattaya?
Licensed entertainment venues, such as clubs, may stay open until 04:00 (06:00 on New Year’s Eve). Bars and shops without that licence may sell alcohol only from 11:00 to midnight. Parts of Jomtien are not formal entertainment zones (The Pattaya News, June 2026), so 04:00 is not a given there. Checked 2 October 2026.
Has Pattaya moved to 06:00 closing?
No. Operators asked for it in June 2026; the rule is still 04:00 (checked 1 October 2026).
What time do clubs close on New Year’s Eve in Pattaya?
06:00. On the night before 1 January, licensed entertainment venues may stay open two hours past the usual 04:00 (checked 2 October 2026).
What is still open after midnight?
The licensed clubs and late bars, and some rooftops and sports bars until 01:00 to 03:00, by their own published hours. The list is on after hours.
