Bangkok Entertainment

Love it or hate it, buzzing, sweaty, exotic Bangkok is a city that really is larger than life. For some, the frenetic pace, heat, traffic and lack of personal space can be overpowering, but for many others, the sheer dynamism is intoxicating. As the sun lurches towards the horizon in the west and the sweat cools, this city of royalty and religion comes alive with palpable decadence. Music and dazzling neon advertise a haze of trendy bars and nightclubs as well as the notorious ‘girlie joints’.

Nightlife

Bangkok’s nightlife is notorious, although recent social order campaigns have put a bit of a clamp on things. In particular, almost all restaurants, bars and clubs are now forced to close before 01:00. One of Bangkok’s main party districts is Silom, home not only to perhaps the world’s most famous go-go bar strip of Patpong, but plenty of more legitimate establishments catering to all tastes. Concept CM2 is a huge disco and bar in the basement of the Novotel Hotel on Siam Square, and continues to be very popular, particularly on Thursdays, its retro night.

The amazing light and sound system and ostentatious Art Deco-style interior of Narcissus on Soi 23 Sukhumvit Road attracts the smart set keen on house, trance and techno. The outrageous Bed Supperclub at 26 Soi 11 Sukhumvit Road has beds decorating this all-white, cylinder shaped club, where you can chill before entering the Bed Bar to listen to house, hip hop and bhangra. Just down the road, the hangout for trendies is the Q Bar, 34 Soi 11 Sukhumvit Road, which also imports top international DJs. Both clubs offer a range of music from house to hip-hop.

Ad-Makers at Soi Lang Suan has live bands that play folk, pop and hard rock; the Saxophone Pub at Victory Monument has great acoustics, a lively atmosphere and a variety of live music including funk, jazz, blues and ska. Spasso at the Grand Hyatt Erawan is an ideal place to dance to the sounds of top international acts playing retro and popular music. The Bamboo Bar at the Oriental Hotel is an intimate, refined club with an excellent reputation for its guest jazz bands. Radio City, Patpong Soi 1, is a great live music venue with bands playing old rock music.

Theatre and music

For something a little more cultural, Bangkok features some excellent examples of traditional Thai dance and drama. Known as khon, these performances involve masked actors portraying heroes, heroines, monkeys and demons. Two of the best places to see khon are the National Theatre and the Chaloem Krung Royal Theatre. In addition, there are many dinner theatres catering largely to tourists, where admission covers dinner and a show. Sala Rim Nam, run by the Oriental Hotel, features one of the more extravagant settings of any dinner theatre.

Others worth visiting are Baan Thai and Maneeya Lotus Room. Lakhon kae bon, a khon variant, can be seen free of charge at the Erawan Shrine and Lak Mueang. The Bangkok Playhouse serves as a regular venue for contemporary Thai theatre and performance arts. There are also at least two big tourist-friendly transvestite cabaret shows worth seeing: Calypso Cabaret at the Asia Hotel, which is the most famous and possibly the best; and Mambo Cabaret on Sukhumvit Road, a newcomer already packing the tourists in.

Festivals

There is never a dull moment in Bangkok, and as you’d expect, there are numerous festivals and events that give the city its unique flavour.

• Songkran Festival involves dousing everyone around you in water as a symbol of cleansing and purification at the start of the Thai New Year. Songkran is celebrated nation-wide with great gusto, and equally enthusiastically in the capital. The fun-filled festival is held for about three days, with most people taking to the baking hot streets for a merry, wet free-for-all. The best places to experience the festivities are on the square in front of the Grand Palace; the Wisutkasat, where a Miss Songkran beauty pageant is held; and Khao San Road, where jovial water-throwing reaches new heights in battles between locals and tourists.
• Thailand International Swan Boat Races sees the racing of oriental swan boats, which has become an international sport, with more than 20 teams including England, Australia and the United States participating in the annual world championships, held in November in Bangkok, on the Chao Phraya River.
• Bangkok International Festival of Dance and Music is held annually in Bangkok, and some of the world’s top performance artists come to engage in a musical and dance extravaganza. The festival was initiated in 1999 as part of the celebrations to commemorate the King’s 72nd birthday. This event embraces international and local Thai talent and promotes a vast range of cultures and styles, from flamenco to ballet, jazz, rock and opera.