Sin City is staring down the worst Pattaya low season since the coronavirus pandemic as Donald Trump and Israel’s disastrous war on Iran strangles tourism and the world’s energy market.
With Trump’s rambling, unhinged 19 minutes of televised lies showed April 2, there’s no apparent end to the poorly planned “excursion” into Iran that has all but closed off the Strait of Hormuz and the world’s largest oil tap with it.
With tens of thousands of flights canceled, airfares skyrocketing and tourists scared off, Pattaya nightlife operators are already cutting back and bracing for the worst.
Walking Street from March 25-30 looks as empty as it does in July, the heart of Pattaya low season. The traffic on gridlock on Soi Buakhao a month ago has turned into light congestion. Hotels in March returned to low-season pricing and even the biggest go-go bars are half empty.
One manager of a large Walking Street go-go said only Saturdays are truly busy with Fridays being passable. Other nights? He just waved his hand around around his empty bar around 11 p.m. March 25. Pattaya low season has begun.
An owner of a smaller go-go bar said he has stopped all spending on outside services and likely will lay off staff in April. Both the Identi go-go bar and Akira Club have closed. And the Pin-Up Group has put its newly acquired Eden go-go up for sale as Pattaya low season starts.
Pattaya only had a two-week high season, said one popular Walking Street go-go manager. And low season is about to get a whole lot worse.
Songkran to Worsen Pattaya Low Season Bar Trade
Besides the Iran war, Pattaya bar owners are staring down Pattaya’s hellish 10 days of Songkran. While the Thai New Year is observed officially only two days – April 18-19 – in Pattaya, Jomtien and Naklua, the water will start flying as early as April 10.
While a recent (pre-war) poll on the Dave the Rave Twitter channel found that more than 15% of respondents planned to fly to Thailand for Songkran and another 27% planned to “splash and enjoy” it, bar owners say the 10-day water festival is a washout for their business. Girls disappear. Tourists are too wet to go bar-hopping and non-revelers are too afraid to go out.
For those planning to splash and enjoy, Pattaya City Hall will stage an April 17-19 beachfront festival featuring free concerts, DJs, live football screenings and cultural activities spread up and down the beach.
Major Thai acts including Tattoo Colour, Jeff Satur, F.HERO, PROXIE, Joey Boy, Maiyarap, Indigo and Joey Phuwasit are scheduled to perform. Pattaya officials are also adding traditional Songkran elements, including sand pagoda building, Buddha water-pouring ceremonies, traditional games and regional cultural stalls.
Amidst Crisis, Bars Reopen, Get Bought
Amidst predicts of the worst Pattaya low season, the Mamasan go-go bar on Walking Street reopened in March after months of hanging a “for sale” sign outside. The group behind the bar operates several mamasans, but the only profitable one has been on Soi LK. Word is the bar reopened as they couldn’t find anyone to take the single-shophouse bar off their hands ahead of Pattaya low season at the asked 8 million baht.
And, on Soi Diamond, the failed Milk a-Go-Go next to Super Le Pub a-Go-Go has been sold to a group behind a Soi Cowboy go-go bar. Minimal work is needed to get the doors open again and the minimal construction needed is in progress with thoughts it could open as a new bar during the Pattaya low season.
The same group also is eyeing two other properties on and around Walking Street as it looks to expand.
The Party to Start a Bit Late
The Party Pattaya, the former Jisoo a-Go-Go on Walking Street Soi 15, won’t open by Songkran or even April as ownership hoped.
Minority owners Alberto “Toto Pattaya” Cervantes said in early March that he hoped to get the doors open on the three-floor entertainment complex by Songkran, but said the imminent birth of his son could delay that.
It turns out Thai bureaucracy had a say in its opening as well. With plans to install a swimming pool on the roof of the shophouse, construction plans to reinforce the building must be submitted to Pattaya City Hall. Approval normally takes 90 days, although, as its Thailand, that process could be sped up to just 30 days with some financial motivation. Once the plans are approved, at least a month of construction work will be required.
The cost of the refit also is an issue. The majority owner, who operates another go-go bar on Walking Street struggling under Pattaya low season slowdown, said last week he “doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on it, and I’ve already spent a lot”.
Go-Go Manager Scores 100 Drinks
Dave Rave News recently wrote about how bar owners and managers don’t actually want you to buy them a drink, with some jacking up the prices for said drinks to discourage it. Apparently, some managers do want them.
The aforementioned Alberto Cervantes, who has a large Facebook following on his Toto Pattaya page, said last week that, over two nights, he scored 100 drinks from customers at The Hive on Walking Street.
The manager drink at The Hive is 250 baht, more than the 200-220 baht charges for lady drinks. Of that, he gets 100 baht. So, if Toto Pattaya isn’t fibbing, he made 100,000 baht in drink commissions over two nights. Not bad for Pattaya low season.
Showtime at Dragon
Ever since Angelwitch Pattaya was demolished (to make way for Akira Club), Pattaya has lacked any real showbar or, for that matter, any real shows. Shark Go-Go Club has a entertaining pole-dancing show twice nightly, but its hardly the choreographed excellence of Bangkok showbars like Spanky’s in Nana Plaza.
Dragon a-Go-Go on Walking Street isn’t the next Angelwitch, but it is putting real thought and effort into its hourly shows as Pattaya low season starts. Playing on the hour from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. (with a bonus show at 12:30 a.m.), the shows are choreographed, well-practiced and have performers outfitted in unique costumes dancing to music with lighting synchronized. The best show on Walking Street.
