Live music venues in Chiang Mai

Posted by Northerner on May 6th, 2011 filed in Attractions

There are quite a few bars and restaurants in Chiang Mai where visitors can take in live music performances with styles ranging from Thai folk to the latest Western rock and pop. There are three bars on the right bank of the River Ping which offer live music as well as several close to the east side of the moat. A number of the restaurants and lobbies in the bigger hotels also have solo musicians or duos who play unobtrusive background music.

The Riverside Bar & Restaurant is the most famous of Chiang Mai’s establishments for live music. The original bar on the riverside and the newer one across the road offer music every evening of the week between 19:00 and 01:00. After 21:30 alternating bands play a mix of contemporary Thai and Western songs.

The Good View and the Brasserie are a short walk up the road from the Riverside and have bands most evenings. The Inter Cafe on Thapae Road is just before Thapae Gate and features nightly renditions of covers of Western pop and heavy rock classics by two highly-professional bands. Nimmanhaemin Road is close to Chiang Mai University and has several large bars where groups mostly play Thai pop and rock, but with the occasional Western cover.