Peter Finucane Posted September 18, 2004 Report Share Posted September 18, 2004 Closing hours call NIGHTSPOT ZONING Operators of entertainment venues and nightspots have been asked to observe closing time rules after a ministerial regulation on opening and closing hours was announced in the Royal Gazette on Sept 16. Under the regulation, nightclubs in designated zones are allowed to open at 9pm and stay open until 2 am. Nightclubs outside the zones are allowed to open at 9 pm and close at midnight. Massage parlours inside the zones are allowed to open at 12am and close at midnight while those outside the zone are allowed to operate between 6 pm to midnight. Karaoke bars and discotheques can open from 6 pm and close at 1 am for those in the zones and at midnight for those outside the zones. Entertainment venues which sell food and liquor with music shows are allowed to open at 6 pm and close at 1 am for all those inside and outside the zones. Source: Bangkok Post dead tree edition (Sept 18, Page 3) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 18, 2004 Report Share Posted September 18, 2004 I assume by 12am they mean noon, which is usually rendered 12 P.m. Midnight is usually rendered 12 aa.m. Technically, there's no such thing as 12 a.m. OR p.m. Noon is BETWEEN a.m. and p.m., but not part of either. The same with midnight. The CORRECT rendering is 12 noon and 12 midnight. Go tell that to most people, though. (Can you get a fel for how worried I am about the nightlife?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCgringo Posted September 18, 2004 Report Share Posted September 18, 2004 if I read this right , bars in non zoned areas can be opened 3 hours a night ! How do they make any $$$$ in 3 hours ? Is the 9pm opening the law before this ruling ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 18, 2004 Report Share Posted September 18, 2004 Can we get a copy of the info posted and a little preview? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Finucane Posted September 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2004 SOURCE: The Nation Zoning directive spells end of late-night drinking Published on Sept 18, 2004 Deputy Interior Minister Pracha Maleenont yesterday vowed to strictly enforce closing times of night entertainment venues now that the new entertainment zoning law has taken effect. The Interior Ministry directive designating zones for entertainment venues in Bangkok and the rest of the country took effect on Thursday. The directive also prescribes the closing times of entertainment places in and outside the zones. Pracha said the directive designated zones for entertainment places in Bangkok and 49 other provinces, while banning the opening of new entertainment venues in the 26 remaining provinces. The three designated zones in Bangkok are Silom (including Patpong), Ratchadapisek (including Royal City Avenue) and New Phetchaburi roads. New entertainment venues will be allowed to open only in designated zones. Pracha warned that the authorities would check on venues more frequently to ensure that they comply with the closing times now that the directive had taken effect. Sujarit Pajchimnan, director-general of the Local Administration Department, said the directive defined entertainment venues into five categories, as follows: Nightclubs and bars inside the zones are allowed to open from 9pm to 2am, while those outside can stay open from 9pm to midnight. Lounges and teahouses both inside and outside the zones are allowed to open for two periods, from 11am to 2pm and from 6pm to midnight. Modern massage parlours in the zones are allowed to open from 12 noon to midnight, while those outside the zones can open from 6pm to midnight. Pubs, discotheques, cafes, restaurants with live bands and cabarets in the zones are allowed to open from 6pm to 1am, while those outside the zones can open from 6pm to midnight. Restaurants with live music both inside and outside the zones are allowed to open from 6pm to 1am. A ministry source said it might designate restaurants that offer recorded music as a new category of entertainment venue, but officials are still considering appropriate opening and closing times for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun_Kong Posted September 18, 2004 Report Share Posted September 18, 2004 Nightclubs and bars inside the zones are allowed to open from 9pm to 2am, while those outside can stay open from 9pm to midnight. Does this mean that places such as the go-go's in Nanaplaza can only be open between 9 PM and midnight? How about a place like Golden Beer Bar? "Modern Massage": does this mean anything except "traditional" Thai massage? What's a "lounge"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jxxxl Posted September 18, 2004 Report Share Posted September 18, 2004 If they do go ahead with this, I think the first places to shut down will be clubs like QBar. No one will go to Qbar as early as 9:00 or 10:00 and if it closes at 12:00, no one will go there at 11:00. These big clubs (I can think of a lot of MUCH bigger ones) are very expensive to operate too. I could see the gogo bars in Nana and Cowboy doing reasonable business between 9:00 and 12:00 becuase punters will be trying to maximize their sanuk between those hours. Lets wait and see. I would hate to be one of the guys who invested a big chunk of money in a nightclub. I really feel sorry for those guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCgringo Posted September 18, 2004 Report Share Posted September 18, 2004 to me the midnight closing is bad , but only being able to be open 3 hours is very bad, if this goes by the letter of the law , is there going to be a line waiting to get a drink at 9pm in front of the most popular Go-Gos ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jxxxl Posted September 18, 2004 Report Share Posted September 18, 2004 From my own experience, my prime hours at gogos are between 9:00 and 12:00. After that, I usually go home if I have a BF, or go to a club/disco if I'm still hunting or looking to have some fun. Are the gogo's very busy after midnight? This is a serious question as, I said, I'm not often in gogos after 12:00. I do agree and these places can't survive long being open only 3 hours. Also, is there any rational in making the opening time later? I can see the rational in early closing, but not late opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitney Posted September 18, 2004 Report Share Posted September 18, 2004 Three hours for any business to stay open will not be in business for long. Maybe the authorities have this in mind and would like to see many nightlife businesses fade away. It is a long way to travel to be so limited in the number of hours you will be able to go and check out all that is going on. I'm speaking from a tourist viewpoint. Maybe Thailand needs to build more shopping malls that are open 24 hours to accommodate the girls and partygoers who have no place to go after midnight :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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