PATTAYA, Thailand – On October 17th, 2025, a public hearing was held at the Alcazar Theatre on Pattaya Second Road to discuss the rezoning of areas designated for entertainment venues in Banglamung. The meeting, chaired by District Chief Patcharapat Sritanyanon, brought together representatives from government agencies, private sectors, and entertainment business operators.
Patcharapat revealed that the current zoning regulations, established under a Royal Decree on November 1st, 2002, have been in place for over 23 years. These regulations designated specific areas in Pattaya City for entertainment venues, which at that time were suitable for the city’s landscape and business environment. However, Pattaya’s tourism industry has since grown rapidly, with a large increase in nightlife businesses such as bars, massage parlors, live music venues, clubs, and entertainment style shops. The existing zoning boundaries are no longer sufficient, forcing many operators to establish businesses outside the designated areas.
Currently, only 917 entertainment venues are legally registered, while over 900 others operate outside the zoned areas without proper registration, meaning almost half of the cities nightlife venues are technically not currently legally zoned. To address this and support Pattaya’s economic and tourism growth, the district proposed two plans: Plan A, expanding the zoning to cover all of Pattaya City, and Plan B, designating existing unofficial entertainment venues within Pattaya as part of the zoning area, such as large areas in Jomtien like Jomtien Complex or Soi Bongkot 8. The majority of attendees favored Plan B, which focuses on legalizing existing venues under clear regulations.
The District Chief explained that ensuring all entertainment venues are within authorized zones and registered under the Entertainment Places Act of 1966 would improve oversight and ensure operations do not disturb nearby communities. He stated that for those concerned about expansion of zones causing noise and disruption that already hundreds of venues were in these unofficial areas and that in most cases local residents would see no differences as the changes were mostly from a legal and regulation standpoint.
Following the public hearing, the district will prepare an official proposal for submission to the Cabinet for approval.
Reported by Athibodi Booncharee from Pattaya
English Version and Editing by Adam Judd for The Pattaya News
