General Eelction 23rd Dec Public Holidays and bar closings

The General Election is on Sunday 23rd December which will be a public holiday as is 24th December ( yes Christmas Eve! ) to allow people to travel back from their homes where they have to go to vote ( Shades of Mary and Joseph having to go to Bethlehem ). All government offices, banks, embassy services, and bars will be closed.

ATMs will be working. If you need to cash any travel checks, do it in plenty of time. Presumably the banks at the airports will be open.

IF - and it's a BIG IF - things go as usual - bars will close at midnight on Saturday 22nd and probably re-open OK on Sunday 23rd. On the Monday 24th banks and govt offices will closed and probably Embassies.

After the astonishing situation in Pattaya of the King's Birthday closures by the Police in contravention of the request that they be open by The Palace and after they were open last year on H M's birthday anything can happen
My thoughts are that:

21st and 22nd: buses, planes and trains will be very busy with Thais going home to vote. Expect bars to close early on 22nd.
Stock up with cash to cover the next couple of days. With the Christmas rush ATM's can run out of cash. Small shops and market stalls may close.

23rd Election Day, Banks and Govt Offices closed but shops and restaurants open. Bars should be open as usual in the evening as the polls finish at 5 p.m.

24th Public Holiday, Banks and Govt offices closed and probably Embassies. Transports will be very busy with the Christmas rush and Thais returning to work after voting.

25th Christmas Day is not a holiday in Thailand and things should be open as usual but many Embassies will close.

If anyone has more information on events please advise.

[danny99]

Some restaurateurs of well established places frequented by westerners, in Bangkok, say they will open normal hours this year and pay any fines if any! Last time they say they closed in accordance with the law [no one goes to quality restaurants with no wine available] and other touristic places all stayed open...time will tell but I think many off-street places will be open.



The General Election is on Sunday 23rd December which will be a public holiday as is 24th December ( yes Christmas Eve! ) to allow people to travel back from their homes where they have to go to vote ( Shades of Mary and Joseph having to go to Bethlehem ). All government offices, banks, embassy services, and bars will be closed.

ATMs will be working. If you need to cash any travel checks, do it in plenty of time. Presumably the banks at the airports will be open.

IF - and it's a BIG IF - things go as usual - bars will close at midnight on Saturday 22nd and probably re-open OK on Sunday 23rd. On the Monday 24th banks and govt offices will closed and probably Embassies.

After the astonishing situation in Pattaya of the King's Birthday closures by the Police in contravention of the request that they be open by The Palace and after they were open last year on H M's birthday anything can happen
My thoughts are that:

21st and 22nd: buses, planes and trains will be very busy with Thais going home to vote. Expect bars to close early on 22nd.
Stock up with cash to cover the next couple of days. With the Christmas rush ATM's can run out of cash. Small shops and market stalls may close.

23rd Election Day, Banks and Govt Offices closed but shops and restaurants open. Bars should be open as usual in the evening as the polls finish at 5 p.m.

24th Public Holiday, Banks and Govt offices closed and probably Embassies. Transports will be very busy with the Christmas rush and Thais returning to work after voting.

25th Christmas Day is not a holiday in Thailand and things should be open as usual but many Embassies will close.

If anyone has more information on events please advise.

It's interesting how much attention is being paid to which evening there may or may not be alcohol served. Are there so many of you that cannot let 24 or 48 hours pass without putting alcohol into your veins? I find it fascinating to watch this topic. :drug:

It's interesting how much attention is being paid to which evening there may or may not be alcohol served. Are there so many of you that cannot let 24 or 48 hours pass without putting alcohol into your veins? I find it fascinating to watch this topic. :drug:

Like yourself I find it amazing and also very sad that there are people who feel that maybe 48 hours without being able to purchase alchohol is the equivalent of Armageddon.

It does however demonstrate how empty the lives are of so many visitors to and residents of Pattaya that alchohol is their only escape from the reality of their dull existence.

Tip of the day: If you are really unable to exist without alchohol for a few hours make a visit to the supermarket before any ban begins.

[jinks]

One can always find somewhere in the same manner as during prohibition in the States.......

More tea vicar?
.
http://www.jinkscorp.com/holidays/thai/phuket/images/moreTvicar_jpg.jpg

One can always find somewhere in the same manner as during prohibition in the States.......

More tea vicar?
.
http://www.jinkscorp.com/holidays/thai/phuket/images/moreTvicar_jpg.jpg

I love the rug!

From this week's Stickman -
For fans of the naughty bars, and especially guys about to fly in, get ready for one hell of a shock to the system. You very well might feel an urge to make an 11th hour change to your holiday plans. Strong rumours have it that bars will be prohibited from selling alcohol and in all likelihood closed on the 13th, 14th and 15th of this month *IN ADDITION* to the election days the following weekend which will definitely see the bars closed, the 22nd until the 24th. On election weekend, there will be no alcohol available from 6 PM on the 22nd, until 6 PM on the 24th. This utter madness would essentially knock out two full weekends of partying in the second busiest month for tourism of the year! And to make matters even worse it has been mooted that there will be heavy-handed enforcement including, get this, jail time for any establishments of any description selling alcohol and 6 MONTHS JAIL TIME FOR ANYONE CAUGHT DRINKING! Tourists' enjoyment is obviously of no major concern to the authorities. To make matters worse still, getting conformation from any authority is impossible and things remain unclear. In typical local style, we won't know for sure until the last minute. As soon as I know one way or the other exactly what days the bars will be open and what days they will be shut, I will put a notice up on the front page of the site. http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/StickMar ... erness.htm (http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/StickMarkII/TheSeriousBusinessofFixingYourBitterness.htm)

[lonelywombat]

It's interesting how much attention is being paid to which evening there may or may not be alcohol served. Are there so many of you that cannot let 24 or 48 hours pass without putting alcohol into your veins? I find it fascinating to watch this topic. :drug:

From my experience when the bars closed there are no boys around, and if that is what you come to LOS for,
one night with the go go boys not available puts a huge dampener on your holiday.

It is easy for the expat to sit at home watch tv as it is just one night.

BTW I usually only have maximum of 3 drinks total as I come to LOS to off a boy not get drunk.

I will often only drink coke. It is the closure of the bars not alcohol

Put your shawl on grannie if you find this thread fascinating, you have probably forgotten why you came to LOS.

It is easy for the expat to sit at home watch tv as it is just one night ... Put your shawl on grannie if you find this thread fascinating, you have probably forgotten why you came to LOS.Well said, lonelywombat

[Doug]

Let's review this thread.

Wowpow provides factual information on changes that may be expected because of the election. He gives no personal opinion.

Next, Danny99 adds to the information and gives the opinion that some places might be open.

Then Macroni21 draws this conclusion from all the data given. "It's interesting how much attention is being paid to which evening there may or may not be alcohol served. Are there so many of you that cannot let 24 or 48 hours pass without putting alcohol into your veins? I find it fascinating to watch this topic."

Am I missing something?

[krobbie]

It would seem so.

The two most accurate posts are almost the last two in the thread so far. :drunken:

lonelywombat nailed the significance I place on this thread (if I were on vacation in Thailand during this time)

Take boys away from me for one or two nights out of my seven to ten and I would be very affected. Especially after flying 20 hours over and not looking forward to the 20 hrs back.

I would want to know in advance and would most likely try to find a boy good enough to keep for the days the bars are closed.

To me, the drinks are just the price we pay for getting to watch the show or take advantage of the casting of the boys for OFF.

The OPEN bars are very important during these few days because thats where this butterfly gets it's nectar......and it not alcohol I suck up.

[paulg]

lonelywombat nailed the significance I place on this thread (if I were on vacation in Thailand during this time)

Take boys away from me for one or two nights out of my seven to ten and I would be very affected. Especially after flying 20 hours over and not looking forward to the 20 hrs back.

I would want to know in advance and would most likely try to find a boy good enough to keep for the days the bars are closed.

To me, the drinks are just the price we pay for getting to watch the show or take advantage of the casting of the boys for OFF.

The OPEN bars are very important during these few days because thats where this butterfly gets it's nectar......and it not alcohol I suck up.

Thank you Doug and all the others . I did not know expats were so bitchy.

[danny99]

For those of us who are visiting Thailand for 5-7 days, and enjoy going to quality restaurants and favourite bars to catch up on old friends, it becomes a waste of time and money to arrive during one of these periods.

That is why we want to know? Christmas time is after all PEAK holiday time for Thailand! If you do not believe that then try to book a quality/value hotel room other than months in advance!

It is almost as bad as going to Bali in the week around Nyepi [the Balinese new year] and find that for one and a half days you cannot leave your hotel room or even turn on a light, TV, etc. Ok if you know in advance and go to witness the wild parade of ogoh-ogoh's the night before [to scare away the evil demons], but to find yourself there unexpectedly; a costly waste of holiday time and money.




It's interesting how much attention is being paid to which evening there may or may not be alcohol served. Are there so many of you that cannot let 24 or 48 hours pass without putting alcohol into your veins? I find it fascinating to watch this topic. :drug:

Bar closures are complete nonsense.
I doubt Farang are eligible to vote & in any case the bars should be permitted to serve soft drinks.

Tourism seems to be a significant part of the Thai economy & to discourage tourists with such dumb rules is just plain incompetence.

J