Walking Street, Pattaya

Walking Street is an entertainment and red-light district in the city of Pattaya, Thailand.[1] The street is a tourist attraction which draws both foreigners and Thai nationals primarily for its night life. The Walking Street area includes seafood restaurants, live music venues, beer bars, discothèques, sports bars, go-go bars, nightclubs and hotels.[2][3] Also tourists are able to watch a variety of sex shows.

Walking Street, Pattaya
Walking Street
LocationPattaya, Thailand
Coordinates12°55′31.62″N 100°52′16.41″E
FromBeach Road
Other
Known forEntertainment and red-light district

The area is closed to vehicles from 19:00 until 03:00.[4] Car and motorcycle parking is provided at the Bali Hai end. Although the closing time of the bars and clubs is officially 04:00, some stay open later illegally.[5]

Walking Street is in Pattaya city. A large video sign was erected in March 2010 at the Beach Road entrance The street has numerous bars, restaurants and attractions which advertise using bright large neon signs. Pattaya authorities began cracking down on oversized signs in 2015 in an effort to improve accessibility on Walking Street for emergency vehicles.[6]

Prostitution

In addition to a large number of institutions offering sexual entertainment, a significant number of prostitutes, both girls and gay men, work on the street. Although prostitution in Thailand is illegal, there are estimated to be 27,000 prostitutes working in Pattaya, many in Walking Street.[7]

Many of the prostitutes work as bargirls in the bars and clubs along the street. Their clients are often required to pay a bar fine to take them out of the bar.[8]

In 2016, Thailand's first female Minister of Tourism, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, announced that Thailand was "closed to the sex trade" following adverse coverage in foreign media.[9] In Pattaya, the aim was to push prostitution back to beyond Second Street, leaving the areas near the beach a family-friendly tourist area.[10] Although there have been many police raids and crackdowns,[11] the sex trade continues in Walking Street.[10]

  • Walking Street in Pattaya in January 2018
    Walking Street in Pattaya in January 2018
  • The Champion
    The Champion
  • Walking Street during the day
    Walking Street during the day
  • A dancer in the display window of a "Russian" go-go bar, New Year's Eve 2008
    A dancer in the display window of a "Russian" go-go bar, New Year's Eve 2008

References
  1. "Roving candid camera snaps Thailand's Sin City". The Age. 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-05-23. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
  2. "Pattaya Walking Street - Pattaya Night Life". Bangkok.com. 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  3. "Guest Friendly Hotels in Pattaya". guestfriendlyhotelsbangkok.com. 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
  4. "About Walking Street Pattaya". Walking Street Pattaya. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  5. Styllis, George (25 March 2018). "How Thailand's military is putting a stop to Bangkok's famous underground nightlife". The Independent. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  6. "Pattaya Mail". pattayamail.com. 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
  7. Bragg, Taylor (11 January 2018). "Sex tourism in Pattaya: Is the party over?". Asian Correspondent. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  8. Darren C (10 January 2019). "Paying for Bar Girls in Pattaya". www.pattayaunlimited.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  9. Hulme, Kyle (21 November 2017). "A Guide to Pattaya's Red Light District". Culture Trip. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  10. Cook, Peter (5 July 2017). "Police Crackdown On Pattaya Nightlife - Is This The Beginning Of The End?". Pattaya Sanook. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  11. "Pattaya, Thailand: Police crackdown on clubs, bars continues". www.news.com.au. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  • Pattaya travel guide from Wikivoyage
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