Some people struggle to stay awake until the clock strikes 12, others can’t be put to bed for love nor money. Well, it’s good news for the latter as the authorities have announced that venues will be permitted to stay open until 6am on Jan 1. 

 

The Interior Ministry announced earlier this week that venues around the city will be permitted to remain open after midnight on New Year’s Eve to 6am on New Year’s Day.

 

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, for better or worse the godfather of Thailand’s current weed decriminalization, has already signed the new regulation permitting the hours.

 

This news comes just as pubs and bars in three designated popular entertainment zones are being permitted to remain open until 4am starting this Friday. 

 

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said that the three designated zones are Silom and Patpong area, known for their gogo bars and gay clubs; RCA and New Petchburi road, famous for mainstream EDM clubs like Onyx, Route 66, and Spaceplus; and Ratchadapisek, home to numerous bars and nightclubs. These new hours do not apply to other nightlife areas in Bangkok.

 

Other areas included in the new 4am opening hours scheme include Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Koh Samui.

 

Both the New Year’s hours and the extended hours for the designated nightlife zones have both been put forward as a way of promoting tourism in Bangkok.