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Visit any 7-Eleven on a Buddhist holy day and you know the drill. The beer fridge is locked, the cashier shakes their head and a puzzled tourist settles for iced tea. That scene won’t change, but a new rule gives five types of venue a pass.
Published in the Royal Gazette on November 6, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee’s notice applies from November 7. It replaces a Prime Minister’s Office order from May last year and spells out the exemptions.
So where can you still grab a drink? Passenger terminals at international airports, hotels, licensed entertainment venues, similar bars in designated tourist zones and sites hosting large national or global events. Everyone else, from the corner shop to your local som tam spot with a cooler full of Leo, can’t sell on Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asalha Bucha or the start and end of Buddhist Lent.
Exempt businesses must screen customers, keep order and make sure children and young people aren’t served. The paperwork, dated October 9, carries the signature of Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat, who chairs the committee.
It’s the latest in a busy year for Thailand’s drinking laws. This May, the old 2pm-5pm ban went for good, so you can buy booze from 11am to midnight. The government first floated the idea back in early 2025.
Makha Bucha, early next year, is the first real test. Got plans that evening? Book a table at a hotel rooftop bar or stock up the night before.