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The Best Places in Bangkok to Countdown The New Year

Any Christmas festivities occurring at the end of the year in Bangkok are usually just the beginning of any Thai celebrations around this period.

In Thailand, it is more likely the New Year’s Eve celebrations are where the real fireworks go down, party-wise that is, in both the capital as well as nationwide.

Bangkok end-of-year-celebrations can be many things – from toned-down, relaxing affairs – to full-on ‘raising the vibration’.

Put more simply, there might be quite a few different ways to see the new year in in Bangkok. ‘Up to you’, to coin Thai a phrase.

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To many, Bangkok is best known for having somewhere to go pretty much every night of the year. The now standard and classic nightlife options tend to involve some kind of view, which means opting for either rooftop bars or restaurants.

Otherwise, maybe it’s watching fireworks with friends, or hitting a club in a trendy corner of the city.  

We have done a piece previously on The Best Bangkok Clubs HERE, but for those who like to boogie in the new year, the clubs in Khao San Road, RCA and on Sukhumvit bring in international DJs to spin records till the early hours of the new year’s morning.

And if you’d rather avoid the full-on party vibe altogether, many local restaurants and bars will have their own plans for this annual event.

In fact, as there are so many interesting and varied places in to visit, especially at this time of the year, we’ve tried to put together a fairly short and concise guide featuring just some of the popular New Year’s Eve options that Bangkok has to offer. 

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At least one of the places in our list will provide memorable experiences, and give a real insight into how people in Bangkok celebrate the last day of the year!

So whether you’re travelling with family, friends, or you are even on a solo venture, you’ll be glad that you got to witness the New Year’s countdown in the Thai capital at any of these highly-rated venues.

Rooftop restaurant and bars

Bangkok rooftop restaurants and bars provide a dining experience with a view like no other.

Anything past the 8^th floor in the city can always provide some kind of interesting or scenic view in certain areas; however, for a really magnificent scan of the cityscape, it’s the higher the better more often than not.

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If you fancy spending a nice, quiet New Year’s Eve with the ones you value most, then rooftop restaurants and bars are a popular choice for places to spend a New Year’s Eve in Bangkok.

Or if you would rather ‘up the vibe’ and go for something more of a bar atmosphere with drinks and music, again the higher bars with views will be some of the top choices to heighten the party mood.

Lebua State Tower Sky Bar 

The Sky Bar at this now landmark Bangkok destination stands at almost 250 metres above sea level. Needless to say, it does instigate some pretty impressive views of the Thai capital from its city-centre location near the business district of Silom.

SkyBar image sourced from creativecommons.org

This particular rooftop bar has also undoubtedly, in recent years, become one of the items on many travellers’ ‘must-do’ lists due to a variety of factors.

There is a wide range of cocktail choices – some of which give a nod in the direction of some of the contributory factors in the rise of the Skybar profile globally. Dinner at Sirocco may also be worth consideration. This is the place to enjoy scenic dinner views at one of the world’s highest rooftop restaurants.

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The thing to bear in mind with this venue is that yes, it does get crowded and loud, especially on weekends, and may feel a bit claustrophobic to some due to the limited seating arrangements. There is also the fact that the majority of people come to the Sky Bar to take photos of sunset and night time Bangkok skylines.

Address: 63rd Floor, Lebua at State Tower, 1055 Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok, 10500, Thailand

Hours: Daily from 4pm to 1am

Tel: +66 (0)2 624 9555

King Power Mahanakorn Building

This is another one of the highest buildings in Bangkok (at more than 300 metres) that might be the ideal place to celebrate New Year’s Eve from.

‘Mahanakhon’ actually translates as ‘great metropolis’ which is named after part of the the full and very extensive name of Bangkok city.

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This modern and innovate-looking, pixel-shaped Bangkok landmark was apparently based around the concept of the city reflecting ambition and dynamism.

The amazing, 78^th floor, rooftop view from another iconic Bangkok building is the perfect backdrop for anyone interested in a night of glitz and glamour. It comes resplendent of birds-eye perspectives of the many fireworks decorating the Bangkok sky around midnight.

The King Power Mahanakorn has its own observation deck known as the ‘Mahanakorn Skywalk’ , one of the best and highest views in town for Instagrammers – or at least for those brave enough to try it! 

Address: 114 Narathiwas Road, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok

Shopping Malls

 Asiatique The Riverfront

Still a relatively recent one for sure, but here’s another landmark in Bangkok you might visit around the time of New Year.

Basically a large, open, mall/market situated alongside Bangkok’s famous Chao Phraya River. Asiatique actually holds various events and promotions all year long, and this certainly includes both Christmas and the New Year – with the latter being the biggest event held here.

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Here you will find both local and otherwise people gathering for the inimitable countdown accompanied by the customary performance and firework displays. It is fair to say that Asiatique is one of the most popular places to ring in the New Year in Bangkok.

There is a lively night market, shows, restaurants, live music, Thai celebrity appearances, and probably much more before the eventual fireworks when the clock strikes midnight – which all make Asiatique a great place to countdown the new year in Bangkok.

The best way to get there is via boat from Saphan Taksin Pier (near the BTS of the same name). 

Address: 2194 Charoenkrung Road, Wat Phraya Krai, Bang Kho Laem, Bangkok 10120, Thailand

Central World

Yep — another one of the most famous and popular choices during the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Bangkok – this time at the city’s most central mall complex. The location is right in the heart of an area in Bangkok known as Chitlom, which also happens to be home to many malls, and has direct BTS access.

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The CentralWorld mega-shopping complex in Bangkok has pretty much everything from brand-name clothing boutiques, the latest high-tech gadgetry, bookshops, designer furniture, local and imported groceries, banks, beauty salons, top-level restaurants, etc., etc., — and even an ice-skating rink.

So it’s a big place that you could easily spend all day in – let alone consider its New Year’s Eve countdown. This is in fact one of the largest of the many large malls in Thailand.

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CentralWorld hosts an annual event which morphs into a vibrant street countdown party outside the shopping mall. Here you can enjoy fireworks and large crowds if that’s your thang, often with close to 100,000 people gathering after evening time. 

There is a beer garden, along with snack vendors and live entertainment like DJs and bands, and this is probably the easiest venue on this list to find as the BTS Skytrain (Siam station) runs right past it.

Address: 999/9 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Hours: Daily from 10 am to 10pm

Tel: +66 (0)2 640 7000

Beer Gardens

And finally…

If you feel that you’ve hit a point on New Year’s Eve in Bangkok, when you have simply had enough of walking, crowds, lifts, or just think that now is that time when nothing better than an ice-cold tower of Thai beer would suffice…then you are in the right place.

November and December are usually the months that the Thai Beer Garden concept starts ti incorporate itself into the festivities surrounding these months.

In fact not really any kind of garden at all, these little places have usually popped up all across the city on various rooftops, and outside the majority of the shopping malls in the city by New Year’s Eve countdown time.

So why not opt for this straightforward option and cut out the tracking around the city seeking out a suitable spot.

Just remember to get there early — and if you want to be more certain of finding a seat, then head to one of the less central malls like Union Mall that are smaller -scale in terms of any new year lights or celebrations when compared to some where like CentralWorld.

At least you might find a cold beer at least to toast the New Year in with in Bangkok!