During the 2000s, one of the highlights of the Bangkok night life was the Suan Lum Night Bazaar.
This night market was not your average night market. It opened in 2001 right across from Bangkok’s Lumpini Park.
From the time it opened, it was a breath of fresh air from the usual line-up of night markets. While a large part of the market was outdoors, some of the vendors were located in a mall-type building. It had live entertainment, fine dining, a beer garden, a Ferris wheel, and even a traditional Thai puppet theater that performed the Ramakien for live audiences every night. To put it midly, it was one awesome night market!
Unfortunately for Suan Lum, it was ordered closed by the property owners in 2007 when they decided to renovate the property (which subsequently became the home of the new Neon Fest Night Market). Large parts of the market managed to stay open for another several years until they were shut down sometime around late 2010. That closure left Suan Lum Night Bazaar in a state of limbo for a few years.
At the end of 2015, Suan Lum Night Bazaar officially reopened its doors (amid much fanfare and anticipation) at a new location along Bangkok’s Ratchadaphisek Road and is bigger and better than ever! In addition to most of the previous offerings, the new Suan Lum also offers the Bazaar Hotel, which is an 800-room hotel, a fitness center and gym, magic shows, and even a water park! And of course, there are many vendors to choose from selling clothes, handicrafts, artwork, and much, much more.
The main night bazaar opens its doors at 4 pm and stays open until midnight.
Night Market Location:
Links:
- http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/12/23/happy-shopping-suan-lum-night-bazaar-reopens-tonight (Article from Coconuts Bangkok about the new Suan Lum Night Bazaar.)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suan_Lum_Night_Bazaar (Wikipedia entry about the old Suan Lum Night Bazaar and its history.)
(Image copyright: edwin.11. Used via Flickr per CC Attribution 2.0 Generic license.)
