Live music bars in
Chiang Mai
Where to sit and hear a band on any night of the week, in San Pa Khoi on the east bank of the Ping. Free entry, two kilometres out from Tha Phae Gate.
Updated 2026-05-24 · Part of the San Pa Khoi guide
If you want live music every night in Chiang Mai rather than only at weekends, San Pa Khoi has LATE NIGHT TALKING MUSIC BAR: three sets a night, Pop, Rock and Acoustic, a different line-up every evening, open 18:00 to midnight, free to walk into. A bar built around bands, not a club.
A live music bar, not a club
Every night
Most bars here book bands for Friday and Saturday. This one has a full line-up seven nights a week, and the acts change every evening.
You can still talk
Downstairs runs on songs people sing along to. No DJ, no EDM, and a volume that leaves room for a conversation. Upstairs is quieter again.
Free to walk in
No cover charge on any night. You pay for what you order. Weekends fill up, so book a table on LINE if you are coming Friday or Saturday.
How a night runs
Three sets, starting around 20:00 and running close to midnight, each with its own mood. The room changes through the evening. Bands rotate nightly and play Thai and international songs across Pop, Rock, Acoustic and Indie. If you would rather sing along than dance to electronic music, this is the right room.
Acoustic warm-up
The night opens gently, acoustic and easy pop. The best window for talking, and the natural time to arrive if you have just eaten nearby.
Full band, pop and rock
The peak of the evening. Thai and international pop-rock everyone knows, the room at its fullest, and the most fun of the three.
Slow songs, closing out
It winds down on slower songs. Stay to closing at midnight if you want to. Check the weekly schedule to see who is on which night.
Bands who play here
The whole week →24/7
WHO CALLS
You Know Me
Reaching San Pa Khoi
From Tha Phae and the Old City
The bar is at 332 Charoen Mueang Road on the east bank of the Ping, about 2 km from Tha Phae Gate, five to eight minutes by car. From inside the moat, cross Nawarat bridge to the Wat Ket side; it takes about the same.
From Nimman and elsewhere
Around 15 minutes from Nimman, roughly 4 km. Grab and Bolt both drop at the door on Charoen Mueang Road. If you arrived by train, it is walkable from Chiang Mai station.
Parking
This is an old quarter and the streets are narrow. On Friday and Saturday street parking gets tight, so leave time or take a car in. Easier than driving yourself at the weekend.
Eat first, nearby
There is plenty to eat within walking distance: northern laab, khao soi, pasta, BBQ. Finish dinner and walk over. Our dinner picks are here.
San Pa Khoi against the rest
Chiang Mai has several districts with live music and they are not interchangeable. If you are still deciding where to head, here is roughly what each is like.
San Pa Khoi & Charoen Mueang
The old quarter on the east bank of the Ping, about 2 km out from Tha Phae Gate. Quieter than the party districts, and the right side of town if you want live music you can still talk over. This is where LATE NIGHT TALKING MUSIC BAR is.
Nimmanhaemin
The hip district, and where bars and live rooms cluster most densely. Busy, crowded, good if that is what you came for. The trade-off is harder parking and higher prices. About 15 minutes from San Pa Khoi.
Along the Ping
Riverside, good views, and plenty of places with music alongside dinner. But most are restaurants with a band rather than live music bars, which is a different night out.
Come and hear a band tonight
LATE NIGHT TALKING MUSIC BAR, San Pa Khoi. Three sets a night, Pop · Rock · Acoustic, open 18:00 – 00:00, free entry. East of the Ping, 2 km from Tha Phae Gate.