Phuketwan UPDATE
WHISKY and Moonlight (Long Lao Sang Chan) will open on Phuket on Janauary 29 with free concerts on February 5, 12 and 19, with February 12 designated as the grand opening. Manager Vitoon Janboonkeaw said the venue will open 4pm-2am, with room for an audience of 3000 and Thai, Chinese and European food available from 150 baht up. The contract for the venue is for five years. Big concerts will be held two or three times a month, Khun Vitoon said.
Original Report
THE PHUKET BREWERY closed on Christmas Eve . . . ending a bold attempt to give Phuket its first large entertainment venue.
But the story doesn't finish there. On January 29, the ship-shaped but never quite ship-shape venue reopens as Long Lao Sang Chan, one of a chain of well-regarded entertainment venues throughout Thailand.
The Brewery, which opened in November 2008, probably had the worst of the economic downturn to contend with in the following 13 months.
As a trail-blazer, the venue did attract some of the biggest headline bands in Thailand. But other nights? It was always difficult to win a large enough audience to cover the costs of such a big venue.
Now the boutique brewery, attached to a huge stage and an auditorium capable of comfortably seating 1850 on two levels, will be rented to the Long Lao Sang Chan group.
The ''Whisky and Moonlight'' brand already has five nightlife venues in Thailand, four in Bangkok and one in Nakorn Sri Thammarat.
Thai folk-rock of the Carabao kind is the specialty.
It was hoped that the Phuket Brewery would eventually grow to the point where international acts with an expat audience could be attracted to perform on the island.
It certainly had a perfect central location, opposite Tesco Lotus on the bypass road, with a huge car park and indoor and outdoor dining, as well as rooms for private parties.
The opening night attracted 300 of Phuket's most prominent citizens.
Because of the harsh economic times, the dream of international expat acts remained unfulfilled. But it isn't dead yet.
The boutique brewery itself, which produced several varieties sold only at the on-site venue, is to continue. The brewery rocks on.
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What is your experience with this Venue, Guys?
I visited 2 weeks after opening and took a seat on the roadside terrasse.
The table and chair was very dusty, staff couldn't speak any english, no snacks available, price for one small glass as I remember around 90.- and tasted as they forget to clean the pipes after Installation of the brewery.
I was in a bad mood, it's true....
Posted by Richi on January 4, 2010 11:35