PATTAYA, Thailand – Who remembers the days when Soi Sunee was packed from one end to the other? Soi Sunee in South Pattaya was once one of the city’s best-known LGBTQ nightlife districts, with bars lining the street and foreign visitors filling the area late into the night. At its busiest, bars were packed with customers and workers, with some venues struggling to find enough seats.
Today, the atmosphere is markedly different.
Only a handful of bars remain open, while parts of the soi that once buzzed with activity have become noticeably quiet. Some businesses have closed, others have changed hands or their business models, and the crowds that once filled the street have largely disappeared.
For former workers and longtime visitors, however, Soi Sunee remains rich with memories.
Names such as Casey Dragon, Time Bar, My Guy, K-Boy and K-Oat are still remembered by people who worked or spent time in the area. Many recall walking through the soi and knowing almost every corner, while the area around Tukcom Pattaya was so busy that finding a parking space could be a challenge. Even parking areas behind the buildings were regularly full, reflecting the large numbers of workers and visitors arriving each night.
Another nostalgic memory from that era was the old “tin cinema”, where four films could reportedly be watched for just 20 baht. For many workers and visitors, it was part of everyday life in an earlier Pattaya, when entertainment and living costs were far lower than today. Soi Sunee was not simply a nightlife destination. For many people who worked there, it was also a source of income and opportunity. Some were able to send money home, buy homes, support their families and eventually build new lives beyond the nightlife industry. Others experienced more difficult chapters, with personal problems and struggles becoming part of the history of the area.
The decline of Soi Sunee has also come amid a broader shift in Pattaya’s nightlife industry.
Tourist habits have changed, new entertainment areas have emerged and businesses have increasingly followed the flow of visitors. Some operators have relocated to areas with stronger tourist traffic, including Jomtien Complex, while other parts of the city have developed new identities. The changing visitor mix is also visible across Pattaya. Indian and Middle Eastern tourists have become increasingly prominent in several parts of the city, while businesses have adapted their products, services and entertainment offerings to changing demand. This does not mean the city’s LGBTQ nightlife has disappeared. Rather, it has become more dispersed, with businesses moving toward areas where they believe the current tourist market offers stronger opportunities.
The transformation of Soi Sunee therefore reflects more than the decline of one street. It is part of Pattaya’s continuing evolution from one generation of nightlife and tourism to another. There are also less positive memories associated with the area. Some former visitors have described encounters that made them feel uncomfortable or unsafe, including claims of being approached about illegal drugs. Such accounts are individual experiences and should not be used to characterise everyone who worked or operated businesses in Soi Sunee. What is difficult to dispute is how dramatically the street has changed.
The once-bustling LGBTQ nightlife hub, where finding a seat could be difficult and the surrounding streets were crowded with visitors, now has quieter stretches and far fewer operating venues. For longtime residents and visitors, the change raises a bigger question about Pattaya itself. The city has always reinvented its nightlife districts. Places that once attracted huge crowds eventually lose their dominance when tourists, investment and businesses move elsewhere. Soi Sunee may now be entering another chapter. Whether it can develop a new identity, attract a new generation of visitors or simply remain a reminder of Pattaya’s nightlife past remains to be seen. For those who remember the old days, perhaps the most interesting question is the simplest: Just how busy was Soi Sunee back then?
