Spanky’s 17th anniversary arrives Wednesday with Nana Plaza’s No. 1 partying as only it knows how: loud, late and without restraint.
Unlike last year, when the Makha Bucha Buddhist holiday clipped the night short – and forced Spanky’s to open three hours earlier – Spanky’s 19th anniversary is a go for all-night madness from 7:30 p.m. on.
Spanky’s (rare) parties are never about beauty pageants or live music, Spanky’s 17th Anniversary will be like every other night – wild, crazy and fun – full send.
New for Spanky’s 17th Anniversary
That’s not to say there’s nothing new this year. Spanky’s 17th Anniversary will be the first with new Gen Z manager Friday, new shows and a refreshed playlist.
Responding to comments that Spanky’s shows were getting tired, bossman Marc launched into an intense burst of prep work. Over three days, he redesigned the show lineup, producing a list of 25 new skits intended to refresh the room without abandoning what has made Spanky’s Nana Plaza’s top showbar.
The new material includes pop-culture nods — including references to Star Wars and Harry Potter — alongside sexier, more visual routines built around glamorous, slinky dresses rather than novelty props alone. The goal was to keep the shows playful while dialing up the polish.
Music, as always at Spanky’s, proved trickier. The bar’s soundtrack has long been part of its identity, blending oldies, novelty tracks, club favorites and newer songs into a mix that works as much for the shows as for the room itself. Updating that playlist without breaking the formula took time.
That kind of tinkering has defined Spanky’s longevity. Since opening nearly two decades ago, the bar has avoided chasing trends wholesale, instead evolving incrementally while keeping its core identity intact.
What Year Is It?
Anyone who knows big boss Marc will understand that remembering exactly what anniversary year it is at Spanky’s is a bit fuzzy.
If recent history was followed – the Dave the Rave archives have anniversary party stories from 2017 (8th), 2019 (10th) and 2020 (11th) – then 2026 is the Spanky’s 17th anniversary, but it could also be the 19th.
Seventeen years marks Spanky’s start in 2009, when Marc purchased the bar from Soi Cowboy Jeff, better known as “The Arab”, the moniker pinned on him by late blogger BaronBonk and popularized by Stickman Bangkok.
An alternate universe has seen Spanky’s celebrate what would be the 19th anniversary, a timeline spawned to 2007, when Spankys – no apostrophe – took over the next door that was the Hog’s Breath Saloon and upgraded its signage to the neon you see today.
Mucking up the canon even more, Spanky’s could actually be celebrating its 23rd anniversary Feb. 11, as the original original Spankys (no apostrophe) opened in the spot that had been the Three Roses Bar, one of Nana Plaza’s original watering holes.
That was a single shophouse bar abutting the current Nana security office, where Spanky’s still stands, although the Hog’s Breath merger doubled the width of the go-go.
No matter what year, day, time zone or headspace you end up in at Spanky’s 17th anniversary, the party is expected to draw a mix of longtime regulars and first-timers, many of whom have heard about Spanky’s reputation for structured shows and insanity.
Write it down for history, because, in the morning, you may not remember what day it is, let alone what year.
