Sights in Pattaya

Gay attractions in Pattaya revolve less around museums and more about an entertainment culture that is closely tied to the city's queer history. The clearest example is the large cabaret theatres. For over three decades, the Tiffany's Show has been one of Pattaya's most famous attractions and takes place in a theater with around a thousand seats, the Alcazar is only a few steps away. Several times a day, both houses show elaborate revue programs with transgender artists and male dancers, opulently costumed and with a lot of stage technology. The shows are aimed at a wide range of tourists, but are deeply rooted in the local drag and ladyboy tradition.

If you want to understand the queer side of the city, you can hardly avoid the three trendy districts. Boyztown is considered the nucleus of gay Pattaya. With its remaining bars, Sunee Plaza tells of a time when it was home to one of Thailand's largest gay bar clusters, and the younger Jomtien Complex shows where the scene has shifted today. A separate place is Dongtan Beach in the south, which is marked as a gay beach with rainbow flags and functions as a social meeting place during the day. These stops combine well into a walk that reveals more about gay Pattaya than any classic postcard view.