Songkran starts in three weeks, marking the end of high season. The slow slide into low season has started already – except at Nana Plaza – but Soi Cowboy will get one last hurrah April 13-15 with the Neon Alley’s patio bars opening during the daytime, many with cheap beers.
Confirmed opening for Songkran are Baccara, Suzie Wong, Bad Beach, Rainbow and The Dollhouse. Likely to open: Vicky’s Secret, Hot Lips and, when it opens for business, the new Supernova.
The Songkran water will be a nice change from the sewage water that polluted Soi Cowboy last year.
More Nana Plaza Upgrades Before Songkran
Unlike Soi Cowboy, when something looks, smells or sounds bad in Nana Plaza, it gets fixed. The latest example is playing out at Nana’s front door this weekend as the Plaza’s owners repave the entry-way before Songkran.
While Nana’s courtyard is nicely paved with tiles, the entrance between Stumble Inn and the new Cheeky beers bars has long been a bit uneven. No more. On Friday, half the entrance was opened with flat black tiles. On Saturday the other side was prepped and today the final tiling was set to be finished.
Meanwhile, on Cowboy, it’s more like the surface of the moon with uneven pavement, extra layers of concrete poured to block the Sewer Cowboy and areas that still flood when it rains.
Slow Times, Except at Nana
Nana Plaza also continues to set itself apart from Cowboy and Patpong by the sheer crazy numbers of people enjoying themselves in the pleasure palace before Songkran. Friday was simply nutty.
Billboard, on Tuesday night, was a site to behold. It really is amazing how magnetic the top-floor bar is. While everywhere else except Spanky’s was off to a slow start, Billboard was already packed. It’s 100+ attractive ladies – many of whom posed this week for Digital a-Go-Go – are a big reason why, as is are the music, visuals and reasonable prices.
Meanwhile, on Soi Cowboy Saturday, Hot Lips, Shark, Bad Beach and even Long Gun were struggling before Songkran. Crazy House was crazy as ever, of course, and Vicky’s Secret had a big crowd in the front bar and on the patio, which will be really popular on Songkran.
Patpong, meanwhile, has had an even-tougher time this month with one owner saying the first week of March was an utter disaster. But both Radio City and Pink Panther have noticeably recovered before Songkran, with both hopping after midnight on Thursday.
Shark Ups the Ante
On Cowboy, Shark Go-Go Club is hands-down the best-fitted bar on the Neon Alley, copying the design from its market-leading sister bar in Pattaya. But it’s seldomly packed like Billboard is. Girls are one reason. Ownership has admitted that getting dancers is getting harder and harder and a two-floor club like Shark needs a lot of them. How do you get more ladies, especially with Songkran coming? Pay them more.
During and after Covid, the only way bars could get ladies to work was by upping the long-standard commission paid on lady drinks. Prior to the coronavirus, girls earned 50 or 60 baht a drink. But near the end of the pandemic, Twister and the Rainbows started offering girls 100 baht a drink and everyone else was forced to follow suit or lose their dancers.
The result of the 100-baht lady drink commission was increases in the price of both lady and customer drinks. For customers, with rare exceptions, spirits now cost at least 180 baht now with many places now charging 200 or even 220 baht for a Jack & Coke. And lady drinks are now 200-260 baht.
Shark, needing more girls before Songkran, has now upped the ante, paying many girls 120 baht a drink in commission. It’s no surprise then that the price of a lady drink has gone up to 240 baht at Shark Soi Cowboy.
Bada Bing Lives!
A know-it-all “boy” on Twitter this past week posted another piece of AI-written slop meant to be an obituary for Bada Bing, claiming it was closed forever, even though he doesn’t know the owner or has spoken to him. When Bada Bing replied that the post was complete bullshit, the “boy” followed his normal playbook: Delete the post and block the account pointing out he’s an idiot.
In fact, the owner of Bada Bing on Thursday confirmed that reopening of Patpong’s best and favorite go-go bar is just around the corner (but after Songkran). Nearly all of the major renovation is done and once the electrics are sorted, it will be party time again.
Manager-Go-Round
Speaking of Radio City, the professional Muay Thai fighter who took up late-night managing duties there last month stepped down before Songkran. He wasn’t fired but realized that working until 4 a.m. when he has a small child and a boxing career didn’t really work, no matter how much money he was making.
And, down the road at Nana Plaza, two managers have left their posts on short notice. Ferdia, or Friday as he was known for those who couldn’t pronounce his name, is out at Spanky’s and yet another brave fellow who was willing to walk through that revolving door is now in training. And other foreign-owned go-go in Nana has let its manager go for reasons we can’t discuss here.
Lace Lounge 2nd Anniversary
Still at Nana, Lace Lounge, the Plaza’s cozy, late-night chill spot, will celebrate its second anniversary March 27. Lace always opens (and stays open) late, so the festivities don’t begin until 10 p.m. but mothership Tycoon downstairs opens at 8 with the plaza’s best happy hour, so you can start your night there.
Pattaya Updates
- LePub a-Go-Go on Soi Diamond this week became “Super Le Pub a-Go-Go” with the addition of the dancers from Identi, which has closed temporarily for some upgrades. Le Pub opens at 4 p.m. but the dancers don’t hit the stage until 8 p.m.
- Soi 6 is shuffling its bar lineup again before Songkran with BTS (yes, another Korean theme) replacing The Hot Spot, and the opening of Spinners. Meanwhile, Toy Box, which has gotten a refresh, is reopening.
- Songkran starts even earlier and last longer in Pattaya. A good place to avoid April 11-19.
