Once Akira Closed, Pattaya’s Keyboard Warriors Suddenly Claim They Loved It, Blame Indians

Akira closed on Walking Street Soi 15 this month just four months after its relaunch, but judging by the reaction online, the nightclub had far more fans in the comments section than at the front door.

In a post after Akira closed on the Dave the Rave Facebook page, the comments section quickly filled with people calling Akira “excellent,” “beautiful” and “one of the best clubs” in Pattaya.

The problem, of course, is that liking a club online and actually supporting it on a regular basis are two very different things, especially when many of those online fans seem stuck in Pattaya’s past.

Reactions after Akira closed quickly turned into another round of laments about the loss of “old Pattaya,” and complaints about rising prices, bottle service, Indian clubs and the feeling that Walking Street is not what it used to be. The irony is that before Akira closed, it was never trying to be Old Pattaya.

Facebook commenter Ayu Nayak pushed back on the anti-Indian remarks, saying farangs, not Indians were responsible for the fact Akira closed. He argued that Indian clubs survive because Indian customers support them.

“If you want (more) western clubs then go to support western clubs,” he said. “If club has a lot of customers, then it will not close.”

Akira was a modern nightclub concept. It reopened Dec. 15 after a six-month shutdown with upgraded lighting, VIP tables, aerial performers, saxophone, bongos, bottle shows and a full calendar of themed nights. Majority owner Gerry Cronin said the goal was to create a room where customers felt part of the action instead of standing around watching DJs.

For a few weeks, it looked like Walking Street had another serious nightclub on its hands. Then the crowds faded and Akira closed.

“That’s a shame. The boys behind the club are decent guys. Definitely a tough climate these days to be dealing with,” wrote Jason Wheatley, who ironically managed an “old Pattaya” Walking Street go-go bar.

Stuck in the Past

From its grand opening in June 2024, Akira was all new concept built around DJs, bottle service and a more upscale room than many Pattaya venues nearby.

That concept failed to catch fire and Akira closed the first time in June 2025, then spent six months dark while the owners reworked the concept. Cronin later described the closure as a full reset rather than a simple renovation.

Akira 2.0 reopened Dec. 15 with a brighter layout, a more open dance floor and a stronger focus on regular entertainers. Instead of relying mainly on guest DJs, the new version leaned into aerial performers, saxophone, bongos, dancers, bottle presentations and themed weekends designed to give customer a reason to come back regularly.

Cronin said the goal was to make Akira feel more interactive and immersive than the first version, creating a room where customers felt part of the action rather than simply watching from the edges.

After Akira closed, Facebook commenters blamed its demise on Indians. Others blamed expensive flights, weaker spending or a nightlife scene they said now caters more to quick selfies and short visits than people staying in one club all night.

Marc Lillie wrote that Walking Street “will never be the same as 15 years ago,” while Vidar Furis argued that nothing in Pattaya would ever be as fun again as it was before the coronavirus pandemic.

That nostalgia showed up again and again.

Michael Humphries wrote that Akira would only have worked if it had operated more like the now-defunct Marine Disco, which he described as “the one and only true nightclub in Pattaya.” He complained that modern clubs rely too heavily on table service and bottle sales and said customers should still be able to walk up to the bar and order drinks themselves.

Others made similar complaints without naming Marine directly. Some said Walking Street has become too focused on expensive bottle packages and not enough on the kind of casual, free-flowing nightlife Pattaya was once known for.

Richard Spotify said the fact Akira closed was “very sad,” adding that he thought “Akira was excellent.” Ramneek Singh Jimmy described it as a “beautiful place” with “amazing music and great ambience,” while Michael Oliver Braun said the club had “a great vibe.”

Jason Altotronic put it more simply: “that was a good club.”

Maybe it was. But being a good club and being a profitable club on Walking Street in 2026 are two different things.

Is Akira Closed Because of Location? That Depends

Some Facebook commenters blamed the Soi 15 location for the fact Akira closed.

While some like Richard Spotify suggested the area may not have worked for Akira, others disputed that idea. Two long-time expats who have worked with other Pattaya clubs argued that the issue was not the location itself but the way Akira was marketed.

One pointed to go-go bar Shark Club’s earlier success in the same soi and said the owners “didn’t know the marketing and who they were.” Another pointed out that Cronin’s Sapphire Club sits directly across the street from Akira.

Sapphire, he said is “world-renowned and the best a-go-go in Pattaya. How could that soi be the problem? It’s only the top half of (Soi 15) that’s dead.”

Akira For Sale at Steep Price

Cronin confirmed that Akira closed is now for sale. The price tag is not for the faint of heart.

Akira was built inside the shell of the former Angelwitch Pattaya go-go bar, a huge, beautiful amphitheater in the round. Everything was demolished except the exterior walls. Any buyer would be paying for all that new construction, as well as the improvements that went into the venue for its Akira 1.0 and 2.0 iterations.

The price? 70 million baht, according to numerous Walking Street bar owners and managers, although one claimed it was for sale for 50 million baht.