Loei nightlife
In short
Loei nightlife is a night market, a craft-beer pub and live music, plus Chiang Khan's Mekong walking street nearby.
Loei is the cold, quiet corner of Isaan. A craft beer in town, a night on Chiang Khan's walking street, and the mountains for the morning. Come back in June for the ghosts.
It's small and local: Loei town has a nightly food market and a handful of bars, including a brewpub with its own beers on tap and a pub with live music and quizzes.
Loei is a province, not a city. Loei town is the base, with the airport and the bars. Chiang Khan, on the Mekong, is about an hour's drive north, and Dan Sai, the festival town, is to the west.
Here's an evening in town, one in Chiang Khan, and the festival in June.
5pm · Loei town
The night market by the pond
AIPhoto: Jim Holmes/AusAID, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The night market is on the edge of Kut Pong Pond, close to Kut Pong Park in town, every evening from 5pm, winding down after about 9pm.
It's a small, local market with Thai-only menus, though ordering is easy. It's the cheapest dinner in Loei and the place to start the evening before the bars.
Eat at the pond at 6pm, point at what looks good, and go to the brewpub after. Bring small notes.
Tanner- Loei night market · Kut Pong Pond, every evening from 5pm
8pm · Loei town
A craft beer in town
AIPhoto: AI-generated image
The bars in town are small and close together: Outlaw Brewing on Ruam Chit Road is a brewpub with its own beers on tap plus local bottles, and Saloon Loei on Ruam Pattana is a pub with live music, quizzes, a pool table and a long drinks list.
For a slower night, Route69 @Loei is a riverside spot with cold beers and burgers. It's a town for a few rounds and a band, not a club.
Tanner holds a table near the band at Saloon Loei, and the bar bills it.
Start with a flight of beers at Outlaw Brewing, finish with the band at Saloon Loei. Both are a short ride from the night market.
Tanner- Outlaw Brewing · Ruam Chit Road, own beers on tap
- Saloon Loei · Ruam Pattana, live music and quizzes
- Route69 @Loei · riverside, cold beers
Next evening · Chiang Khan
Chiang Khan's walking street
AIPhoto: Nawit science, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Chiang Khan's walking street is the best evening in Loei: our Chiang Khan nightlife guide covers it in full, with Chai Khong Road by the Mekong closed to cars every evening from about 4pm or 5pm to 10pm, a 1,200-metre night market of wooden houses, street food and musicians.
Chiang Khan also has sunset boat trips on the Mekong, bar-hopping on the walking street after dark, and the dawn alms walk on the same street.
Sleep in a teak house on Chai Khong Road, take the sunset boat, walk the street, and be up at 6am for the monks.
Tanner- Chai Khong Road · Chiang Khan walking street, every evening
- The Mekong · sunset boat trips
June · Dan Sai
Dan Sai's ghost festival
Photo: E.D.W., via Wikimedia Commons
Phi Ta Khon is a three-day masked ghost festival in Dan Sai, held in June or early July, with the big parade on the middle day. The 2027 dates aren't out yet; see our Phi Ta Khon festival guide.
The dates are set each year by the town's spirit medium, so they're confirmed only a month or two ahead. Dan Sai's Phra That Sri Song Rak pagoda, almost 500 years old, asks visitors not to wear red.
Between festivals, the Dan Sai Local Museum inside Wat Phon Chai shows the masks, open daily from 8am to 5pm, the Tourism Authority of Thailand says (checked November 2026).
Book Dan Sai rooms the day the dates come out. It's free, loud by the evening, and the rice whiskey flows.
Tanner- Dan Sai · Phi Ta Khon, June or early July
- Phra That Sri Song Rak · no red clothing
Every place on this page (8)
- Loei night market
- Outlaw Brewing
- Saloon Loei
- Route69 @Loei
- Chai Khong Road
- The Mekong
- Dan Sai
- Phra That Sri Song Rak
What's on in Loei
Tonight in Loei, the night market by Kut Pong Pond opens at 5pm, the bars in town play from early evening, and Chiang Khan's walking street runs every evening; the big draws are the cool mountains and, in June or early July, Phi Ta Khon.
See the Thailand party calendar for every date.
Every evening from 5pm
- What:
- Night market
- Where:
- Kut Pong Pond, Loei town
Evenings
- What:
- Live music and quizzes
- Where:
- Saloon Loei
Every evening
- What:
- Walking street
- Where:
- Chai Khong Road, Chiang Khan
November to January
- What:
- Cold season, frost on the pines
- Where:
- Phu Ruea
June or early July 2027
- What:
- Phi Ta Khon (dates set each year)
- Where:
- Dan Sai
Cool season, or festival week?
November to February is the best time for Loei, the cool season with misty mornings, and Phu Ruea gets cold from November to January, with frost on the pines. Pack a jacket for the evenings.
June or early July is the other big time, for Phi Ta Khon in Dan Sai. Phu Kradueng National Park closes from June to September.
Check the Buddhist holy days before you pick dates. On those days ordinary bars, restaurants and shops stop selling alcohol; licensed entertainment venues and hotels are exempt, under the Office of the Prime Minister's notice on days alcohol may not be sold (signed 7 May 2025; checked November 2026).
Ask Tanner for a cool-season weekend in the mountains.
Every evening from 5pm
Night market
Kut Pong Pond, Loei town
Every evening
Walking street
Chai Khong Road, Chiang Khan
June or early July (TBC)
Phi Ta Khon
Dan Sai
Loei, Udon Thani or Khon Kaen?
For a big night in Isaan, Udon Thani or Khon Kaen wins; Loei is craft beer, the walking street and the mountains, and Udon is the airport city with the bars.
For the big night, see our Udon Thani nightlife guide; for the student city, our Khon Kaen nightlife guide. Loei is the cool mountains: Chiang Khan, Phu Ruea and Phi Ta Khon.
Ask Tanner to fly you into Udon and drive the loop.
Loei, Udon Thani or Khon Kaen
| Place | Feel |
|---|---|
| Loei | Craft beer and the mountains |
| Udon Thani | The big night, the bars |
| Khon Kaen | The student city |
What does a Loei night cost?
An evening in Loei is one of the cheapest in Thailand: market dinners at street-food prices, and watching Phi Ta Khon is free.
Most of the money goes on the van and the teak house.
The van for your loop is priced before you land.
Night market dinner
- Cost:
- Street-food prices
Phi Ta Khon festival
- Cost:
- Free
Phu Kradueng National Park entry
- Cost:
- Set by the national park, paid at the gate
Cars for the trip
- Cost:
- Luxury van for up to 4 from ฿6,500 for 10 hours; party van for up to 10
How far apart are the towns?
The evening ends early, and the towns are far apart: Chiang Khan is about an hour from Loei town by road, and the mountain roads are dark.
With an hour between the towns, a van that waits is the easy way to do it.
Your driver stays until the last beer, then takes the whole group home.
After Loei: Chiang Khan and Udon Thani
From Loei, the group has three easy moves: up to Chiang Khan, east to Udon Thani, or round the rest of Isaan.
- Chiang Khan nightlife: the walking street on the Mekong.
- Udon Thani nightlife: the big Isaan night out.
- Isaan travel guide: the Mekong towns, Khon Kaen and Ubon.
Chiang Khan is the one not to miss, and Tanner books the teak house on the river.
Where should you stay in Loei?
Loei town is the base for the airport, the night market and the bars. Chiang Khan is the one to sleep in, in a teak house on Chai Khong Road.
Three days? One night in town, two in Chiang Khan. That's Tanner's pick.
Coming for Phi Ta Khon? Dan Sai fills first, so the rooms go the day the dates come out.
Ask Tanner for a teak house on Chai Khong Road.
Loei nightlife in short
- Loei nightlife is a night market, a brewpub and a live-music pub in town, with no clubs.
- The Kut Pong Pond night market runs every evening from 5pm to about 9pm.
- Chiang Khan's Mekong walking street is about an hour north by road.
- November to February is the cool season, with frost on Phu Ruea from November to January.
- Phi Ta Khon in Dan Sai falls in June or early July; the 2027 dates aren't out yet.
- Daily flights from Don Mueang take about an hour and a half.
- From Udon Thani Airport to Loei town is about 2 hours 35 minutes by car (Google Maps, checked November 2026).
Checked November 2026.
Three days in Loei, planned
A flight to Loei · the night market and Outlaw Brewing · a van to Chiang Khan · the sunset boat and the walking street · a cold morning on Phu Ruea · in June or early July, the Phi Ta Khon parade in Dan Sai.
Plan it with Tanner, and he books the teak house, the van and the festival days.
Written by Tanner Altman · Updated 7 November 2026
Questions
Before the drive to Loei
What is Loei known for?
Cool mountains, Chiang Khan's walking street on the Mekong, and Phi Ta Khon, the masked ghost festival in Dan Sai. Phu Ruea and Phu Kradueng are the big national parks.
Is there nightlife in Loei?
A little: a nightly food market, a brewpub and a pub with live music in Loei town, and the walking street in Chiang Khan. There are no clubs; for a big night, go to Udon Thani.
What are the bars in Loei town?
Outlaw Brewing on Ruam Chit Road for its own beers on tap, Saloon Loei on Ruam Pattana for live music and quizzes, and Route69 @Loei by the river for cold beers.
Where is the Loei night market?
On the edge of Kut Pong Pond in Loei town, close to Kut Pong Park. It opens every evening from 5pm and winds down after about 9pm, with local dishes at street-food prices.
Is Loei worth visiting?
Yes, in the cool season or for Phi Ta Khon: Chiang Khan's walking street, the misty mountains and a quiet craft-beer night in town make an easy three-day trip.
When is Phi Ta Khon in 2027?
Not announced yet. It falls in June or early July, and the dates are confirmed a month or two ahead, so ask Tanner to hold Dan Sai rooms the day they're out.
How do you get to Loei from Bangkok?
There are daily flights from Don Mueang to Loei, about an hour and a half, or buses from Mo Chit 2 that take just under 9 hours. A van from Loei airport is the easy way round the province.
Is Loei safe at night?
Yes, with the usual care: use a driver on the dark hill roads, skip the scooter after a drink, and bring a jacket in the cool season. Our driver takes the group home together.
Plan it
Plan it with Tanner
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Sources
Credits: top photo AI-generated image.