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Here's some good news for your next night out. Time Out has been crowned the world's greatest cities for nightlife in 2026, and Bangkok comes first. The ranking draws on surveys of city-dwellers around the globe, mixed with verdicts from Time Out's worldwide network of after-dark writers.
Up from 13th in 2025, Bangkok has stormed to the top to beat a roll call of long-time party cities to the top, with Berlin, New York City, Melbourne and São Paulo rounding out the top five.
If you ask us, it’s so well deserved. With the boom in nightlife – of all kinds, watch this space – that’s no better moment to head out here than right now.
Clubs such as DUAL and Bar Temp fill up most nights, with line-ups worth grooving, and new rooftop bars keep opening across town. Take ÆTHER, a cocktail bar on the 44th floor of Dusit Central Park, where the drinks come with 360-degree views. Or Sato San, a Japanese-style bar with an Isan twist on the 32nd floor of Moxy Bangkok Ratchaprasong. And then Sala Saneha, a 70-year-old building on Soi Decho in Silom that keeps a wine bar, restaurant, small cinema and bookshop under one roof, run by a team who simply want to 'make cinema romantic again'.
The real reason Bangkok takes the crown, though, comes down to the streets. The party spills from the bar stool onto pavements that stay busy and safe. Walk Soi Nana in Chinatown, a narrow lane home to G.O.D (Genius on Drugs), Tep Bar and Ba Hao, an old shophouse mixing cocktails the Chinese way. Then you have Sing Sing Theater, the red-lanterned cabaret club you might recognise from The White Lotus season three.
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Not that it all revolves around the dancefloor. Late-night dining? Thailand does hospitality as well as anywhere, if you ask me and plenty of others. Its kitchens turn up on every 'best of' list going, whether that means a tasting menu or a plate of late street food, the wok still hissing behind you as you move onto the next spot for a night-cap.
Thonglor and Silom get most of the talk, and Silom in particular runs on queer-led gay bars and clubs where everyone fits right in. The dolls and the sapphics have their spots too. So, if you’re ever here, we hope you enjoy seeing the best side of Bangkok. And with all this day-time heat, it’s no wonder the city comes alive at night.
Now, if that doesn't tempt you out to celebrate with a meal and a drink at one of Bangkok's finest tables or bars, we're not sure what will. Happy night out!
The world's 10 best cities for nightlife in 2026, according to Time Out:
1. Bangkok
2. Berlin
3. New York City
4. Melbourne
5. São Paulo
6. Medellín
7. Johannesburg
8. Brighton
9. Beijing
10. Amsterdam
To find out more about Time Out’s best cities in the world for nightlife, head over here.
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