Surat Thani nightlife
In short
The Surat Thani night market, San Chao, runs daily from about 4pm to 10pm in old Ban Don.
Nobody flies to Surat Thani for the clubs. But if you're here for a night before the boat, eat at the market, have two drinks, and be fresh for the island.
5pm · San Chao market
5pm, San Chao market
Start with food at San Chao market, in the old Ban Don streets near the river, every day from about 4pm to 10pm. It's one of the city's best evening food streets, with Southern Thai street food, desserts and drinks.
It's named after the Chinese shrine next to it. Eat here before anything else: it's cheap, it's local, and it closes early.
Order more than you think. The market is the best meal you'll have in town, and the club doesn't feed you.
Tanner- San Chao market · daily, about 4pm to 10pm
- Old Ban Don · the streets around it
8pm · Tapi riverfront
8pm, a drink by the Tapi River
The easiest drink in town is by the Tapi River, a short walk from the market, where the local bars and restaurants face the water.
Don't expect a strip. The town is local, quiet and mostly Thai, and that's the charm of one evening here.
Alcohol is on sale from 11am to midnight, and most places in town close by 2am.
One drink by the river, then move. If the group wants a proper dance, the club is the only call in town.
Tanner- Tapi riverfront · local bars by the water
9pm · Lunar Club
9pm, Lunar Club
AIPhoto: AI-generated image
Lunar Club is the loud end of the evening, on Amphoe Road in town, with EDM and a light show from 8pm.
It's a young, mostly Thai crowd, and the music is EDM and Thai pop remixes. Go after the market and before the boat.
Tanner holds a table at Lunar and the club bills it, so the bottles come to you and the group has a base.
Treat Lunar as the warm-up for the islands, not the main event. Two hours, then the boat or bed.
Tanner- Lunar Club · Amphoe Road, from 8pm
After Surat Thani: Samui, Phangan or Khao Sok
From here, the party is across the water: Koh Samui for beach clubs and villas, Koh Phangan for the moon parties, and Koh Tao for the dive days.
- Koh Samui nightlife: ARKbar, Soi Green Mango and the west-coast sunset.
- Koh Phangan nightlife: the Full Moon, the Half Moon and the jungle.
- Koh Tao nightlife: Sairee Beach and the fire shows.
Ask Tanner which island to start on.
Every evening, about 4pm to 10pm
Night market
San Chao, Old Ban Don
Every evening from 8pm
Club
Lunar Club, Amphoe Road
Most evenings, 11pm
Night boat
Ban Don pier
Early night, early boat
Most places close by 2am, so the last stop is the hotel, all of you together, with the ferry in the morning.
The road to Don Sak is no place for a scooter after a drink. The cars are matched to your plan: a luxury van for up to 4, a party van for up to 10, or a coach for 20 and more.
Want a bodyguard at the door? Ask Tanner.
Tanner's offer
Your night before the boat, planned
Dinner at San Chao · a drink by the river · your table at Lunar Club · a car to Don Sak in the morning, and the boat to your island. Plan it with Tanner, and he books everything from the station to the villa.
Plan it with Tanner →Every place on this page (4)
- San Chao market
- Old Ban Don
- Tapi riverfront
- Lunar Club
Is Surat Thani good for a night out?
It's good for one relaxed evening, not a big one: a night market, local bars and one EDM club, with the real party an island away.
Surat Thani town is a stopover, not the trip. Locals still call the town district Ban Don, after the old river port.
My stopover evening: food first, the river second, the club third, and the boat or bed last.
Stay near the market, and the evening is on foot.
On in Surat Thani this week
Tonight in Surat Thani, San Chao market runs from about 4pm, Lunar Club opens at 8pm, and the night boat leaves at 11pm; the season's big dates are on the islands.
See the Thailand party calendar for every date.
Every evening, about 4pm to 10pm
- What:
- San Chao night market
- Where:
- Old Ban Don
Every evening from 8pm
- What:
- Lunar Club
- Where:
- Amphoe Road
Most evenings, 11pm
- What:
- Night boat to Koh Phangan
- Where:
- Ban Don pier
24 November, 24 December and 31 December 2026
- What:
- Full Moon Party
- Where:
- Haad Rin, Koh Phangan
Tuesday 24 November 2026
- What:
- Loy Krathong
- Where:
- Nationwide
Should you take the night boat?
The Surat Thani night boat pier is Ban Don pier, in the middle of town, and the slow boat to Koh Phangan leaves at 11pm and reaches Thong Sala at about 5am, with a mattress on deck for the night.
The night boat's schedule changes, so check the week you travel; the main ferries to Samui and Phangan leave from Don Sak pier, about 70 kilometres east of town.
It's also a dry ride: since 12 May 2026, drinking is banned at public piers and on public passenger boats, under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee's notice (checked November 2026).
For a group, the night boat is a story, not a plan: a bed in town and a car to Don Sak in the morning gets you to the island fresh.
Ask Tanner to book the bed and the morning car instead.
Which night should you stay over?
Friday and Saturday are the evenings to be here, when Lunar Club is busiest; for the islands beyond, the Gulf is driest from January to April and good through August, and wettest from October to December.
Lunar's dance floor fills on weekend nights. Time the stopover to the island, not the town: arrive the day before a Full Moon and you're on Haad Rin the next night.
Check the Buddhist holy days before you pick dates: on those five days, ordinary bars and restaurants stop selling alcohol, while licensed entertainment venues and hotels are exempt, under the Office of the Prime Minister's 2025 notice (checked November 2026).
Ask Tanner to time the stopover for the Full Moon.
How much is a night in Surat Thani?
An evening here costs little: San Chao market is street food at street prices, and the money goes on drinks and a table at Lunar Club.
The table at Lunar is the one real spend.
San Chao market
- Cost:
- Street-food prices, free to walk in
Lunar Club table
- Cost:
- Quoted for your group
Cars for the evening
- Cost:
- Luxury van for up to 4 from ฿6,500 for 10 hours; party van for up to 10
Car to Don Sak pier
- Cost:
- The same van, booked for the morning ferry
A night here, or straight to the islands?
For most groups, straight to the islands wins: Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are where the party is, and Surat Thani is the night in between.
- Arriving late by train or plane: one night in town, the market and Lunar Club, then the morning ferry.
- Arriving by midday: straight to Don Sak and the island the same day.
- Full Moon week: base on Samui, then take the boat to Haad Rin on Koh Phangan.
The sleeper train from Bangkok to Surat Thani takes 9 to 11 hours, and Surat Thani airport is about 27 kilometres west of town.
A night here, or straight to the islands
| When you arrive | The plan |
|---|---|
| Late, by train or plane | A night in town, morning ferry |
| By midday | Don Sak, the island same day |
| Full Moon week | Base on Samui, boat to Haad Rin |
A spare day in Surat Thani
Got a day before the boat? Khao Sok's lake and jungle are the big day out from here, but its trails are closed until 30 November 2026, so plan the jungle day after that. See Surat Thani to Khao Sok.
Heading for the islands instead? The ferries leave from Don Sak, about 70 kilometres east. See Surat Thani to Koh Samui.
Tanner's pick for a group: skip the night boat, sleep in town, and take the car to Don Sak in the morning. Ask Tanner to line up the car and the ferry.
Surat Thani nightlife in short
- What it is: one easy stopover evening before the islands.
- The food: San Chao market in old Ban Don, about 4pm to 10pm.
- The club: Lunar Club on Amphoe Road, EDM from 8pm.
- Closing time: most places by 2am; alcohol on sale 11am to midnight.
- The night boat: Ban Don pier, 11pm to Koh Phangan, no drinking on board.
- The ferries: Don Sak pier, about 70 kilometres east of town.
Checked October 2026. Ask Tanner to plan the stopover.
All the Surat Thani spots in one list
San Chao market (old Ban Don, night market) · Old Ban Don (riverside streets) · Tapi riverfront (local bars) · Lunar Club (Amphoe Road, EDM club) · Ban Don pier (night boat) · Don Sak pier (ferries to the islands) · Surat Thani airport (27 km west of town)
Ask Tanner to book the hotel, the table and the morning car together.
Getting home
Getting home and the door
The driver waits outside Lunar Club, so the group gets back to the hotel together.
Written by Tanner Altman · Updated 7 November 2026
Questions
Good to know before the boat
What is Surat Thani famous for?
Surat Thani is famous as the gateway to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. Most visitors spend one night in town, eat at San Chao market, and take the ferry from Don Sak pier or the night boat from Ban Don pier in the morning or late evening.
What is Surat Thani city nightlife like?
Local and quiet: San Chao night market from about 4pm, a few bars by the Tapi River, and Lunar Club for EDM from 8pm. It's a good stopover evening, not a party town; the parties are on the islands.
Where is the Surat Thani night market?
San Chao market is in the old Ban Don streets of downtown Surat Thani, near the Tapi River and the Chinese shrine it's named after. It opens every day from about 4pm to 10pm, with Southern Thai street food, desserts and drinks.
Is there a nightclub in Surat Thani?
Yes. Lunar Club on Amphoe Road is the town's dance club, playing EDM and Thai pop remixes with a light show from 8pm. The crowd is young and mostly Thai, and it's busiest on Friday and Saturday.
Where is the Surat Thani night boat pier?
The night boat leaves from Ban Don pier in the middle of Surat Thani town, not from Don Sak. The Koh Phangan boat leaves at 11pm and reaches Thong Sala at about 5am, but schedules change, so check the week you travel.
Can you drink on the night boat?
No. Since 12 May 2026, drinking is banned at public piers and on public passenger boats. Private charters are different, so for a group the drinks start on your own boat or on the island.
Which city has the best nightlife in Thailand?
Bangkok has the best nightlife in Thailand, with the most clubs, rooftops and late streets. From Surat Thani, the best party is across the water: the Full Moon on Koh Phangan or Chaweng on Koh Samui.
Is Surat Thani safe at night?
Yes, with the usual care: stay together, buy drinks from the bar, agree taxi fares first, and skip the scooter after a drink. With our cars, a driver waits nearby all night.
Is there anything to do in Surat Thani?
For one evening, yes: San Chao market, a drink by the Tapi River and Lunar Club. With a spare day, go to Khao Sok, whose trails reopen after 30 November 2026.
Plan it
Plan it with Tanner
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Sources
- TAT News: Tourist Police 1155
- Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee: notice on public passenger piers, 2026, in force from 13 May 2026 (Department of Disease Control copy, checked November 2026)
- Office of the Prime Minister: notice on days alcohol may not be sold, 2025 (Department of Disease Control copy, checked November 2026)
- Khaosod English: new alcohol restrictions in 8 places (13 May 2026, background)
- Nation Thailand: Buddhist holiday alcohol rules (July 2026, background)
Credits: top photo AI-generated image.