When the sun goes down, Phuket comes alive – but there’s more on the island than just the wild partying of Patong. Here are a few other Phuket nightlife suggestions
Phuket Beer Bars And Go Go Bars
Phuket is one of Thailand’s nightlife hubs rivaling even Pattaya for no-holds barred raucous, booming, thumping, neon-lit partying into the wee hours. Patong Beach, particularly around Bangla Road, has literally hundreds of beer bars, go go bars and late night discotheques. This is not to the taste of all, but it is absolutely packed every night so they are obviously providing something large sections of the public want. To some it will be a shock to see semi-naked girls dancing suggestively around poles on platforms open to the street. They might also be shocked by being accosted by unusually tall looking women who are, or were, in fact, men.
Generally beer bars and go go bars are easy to avoid – Patong is beer bar central, particularly around Bangla Road, and you will find beer bars on most of Phuket’s other beaches too, but there are plenty of quiet spots as well. Go Go Bars are restricted pretty much to Patong Beach, but they are behind closed doors. Touts will try and drag you into these places on many of the sub-sois off Bangla Road. If it is not your cup of tea just ignore them.
Phuket Live Music
Patong Beach is the place for live music. They generally play cover tunes ranging from 60s classic to hip hop. Some bands are better than others and the big concentration of venues is around Bangla Road and all the bars are open on to the street as are the tunes emanating from within.
Phuket Transvestite Cabaret
Transvestite cabarets are a big pull in Phuket, the two major ones being Simon Cabaret on Patong Beach and Aphrodite Cabaret near Phuket Town. The lady-boy cabaret has become a feature of the mainstream tourist entertainment industry across Thailand and Phuket is the premier choice for the viewing of mildly burly feminine entertainment. The performers shimmy, mime and frolic to an array of musical classics presented in flurries of sequins and feathers.
Fantasea Phuket
Billing itself as the ‘Ultimate Nighttime Theme park’, this extravaganza of a show on Kamala Beach includes dancing elephants, acrobats, trapeze artists, and much more, all woven into extravagant story liness based on exotic myth and employing a caste of hundreds. It is the island’s biggest show by far. It is all set in a theme park offering all kind of games, shopping galore, a Similian Adventure Centre a palace of Elephants, plus a host of restaurants. It is one of Phuket’s biggest night time draws. You don’t really have to understand the story lines in truth…. They are just an excuse to see all the variations of ‘spectacular’ that Fantasea has dreamed up. You can book tickets online for the Fantasea Show and Dinner with Viator, which includes pickup from and return to your hotel
Phuket Muay Thai Boxing
This the national sport of Thailand and the fighters don’t play games, using elbows and knees as much as punches and kicks to defeat their opponent. You can view bouts of this swift and merciless sport at Bangla Stadium behind the Jung Ceylon shopping complex at the end of Bangla Road on Patong Beach. There are also various gyms around the island where you can learn this martial art. A few recommended places are Tiger Muay Thai, Phuket Top Team and Rawai Muay Thai
Phuket Pubs
There are number of Irish pubs around Phuket, but far nicer is the giant and utterly surreal English pub The Green Man. Situated near Rawai in the south of the island it is an extraordinary place – an authentic looking mock-Tudor mansion that looks like it has been beamed straight in from Surrey. It has the usual English pub fare, the quiz nights and the darts and everything else that Brits hold dear.
Things To Do On Phuket
There are plenty of things to do in Phuket, both on and off the beach, including stunning views, health treatments, and the annual Vegetarian Festival.
