Night Markets in Phuket: Which One Is Open Which Evening

Start with the day, not the market. Sunday belongs to Phuket Town: Lard Yai on Thalang Road runs from 16:00 to 22:00, and Naka Weekend Market is open the same evening until 23:00. Thursday to Saturday adds two creative markets in town, Chillva and Indy. On the west coast the rhythm is different — Kamala on Monday and Friday, Karon's temple fair on Tuesday and Friday, Bang Tao on Monday and Wednesday.

Five markets work every day. Banzaan in Patong opens earliest, at 07:00, because downstairs it's a fresh-produce market. Bangla Night Market closes last, at 02:00, where Bangla Road begins. Kata, Rawai and Malin Plaza in south Patong cover the hours in between.

Staying in Kata on a Tuesday? Then you have Karon's temple market just up the coast and the daily Kata market on your own street. Check the table before you set off and you won't drive out to an empty car park.

Lard Yai — the Sunday Walking Street — runs along Thalang Road in the Old Town on Sundays from 16:00 to 22:00. Expect street food, Thai dishes, desserts and designer clothing, with live music, jazz bands and DJs along the way. Our card lists free parking by the Thai Hua Museum.

Naka Weekend Market, near Central Phuket, is the big one for Saturday and Sunday, open 16:00–23:00. People come for vintage and customised clothes, then stay for grilled food, seafood and desserts. Stalls take QR codes and cash, and parking at Central Phuket is free.

Chillva is a container market in Samkong, near the Ferris wheel, open Thursday to Saturday from 17:00 to 23:00, with DJ sets, stand-up and film screenings around pop-up boutiques and fusion food. Phuket Indy Night Market sits by Limelight Avenue on the same three nights, 17:00–22:30. It leans towards handmade jewellery, home-made sweets and specialty coffee, and Saturday brings an open mic.

Patong has three, and they couldn't be more different. Banzaan Fresh Market, opposite Jungceylon, trades from 07:00 to 22:00: produce, seafood and sushi downstairs, an air-conditioned food court with a children's corner above. You can even buy ingredients below and have them cooked upstairs. On Friday and Saturday evenings pop-up bars with live covers set up over the food court.

Malin Plaza, in the south of Patong near The Marina hotel, opens at 15:00 and runs to 23:00 every day. It's street food at its simplest — grilled seafood and coconut ice cream at modest prices — with live covers in the evening.

Bangla Night Market starts where Bangla Road begins and keeps going from 18:00 to 02:00. Here it's cocktails and gastro tapas rather than fruit stalls, and after midnight the DJ sets from the clubs make it very loud. Parking along Beach Road is paid, so a taxi app is the easier way in.

Kamala Market sets up on the road beside Kamala temple on Mondays and Fridays only, 16:00–22:00. It's a family market — street food, fruit, Thai curries, beachwear and rides for children — and the most relaxed of the west-coast set. Bring cash; only some stalls take QR payments.

Karon Temple Market fills the grounds of Wat Suwan Khiri on Patak Road on Tuesdays and Fridays, 16:00–22:00. Home-style Thai food, desserts and fruit come with traditional music and dance. Stalls take QR, but small notes still help.

Kata Night Food Market, on Kata Road next to Kata Night Plaza, cooks every night from 17:00 to 22:00: wok noodles, tom yum, fried squid and Thai desserts, with acoustic music in the background. Our card lists card payment here.

Bang Tao Night Market, near Boat Avenue in Cherng Talay, opens on Mondays and Wednesdays from 17:00 to 22:00. It's the polished one of the group: farm and organic produce, premium desserts and DJ sets drifting over from Boat Avenue.

Rawai Seafood Market by the pier is where to go for a seafood dinner without restaurant mark-ups. You buy fish and seafood from the fishermen along the pier, then take it to one of the restaurants opposite and tell the cook how you want it done, so you pay for the cooking rather than a mark-up on the catch. It's open every day from 16:00 to 22:00, and the bars beside it stay open until 23:00.

Monday to Thursday is quiet. From Friday to Sunday the market fills with locals and tourists, peaking from 18:00 to 20:00 at weekends, so come on a weekday or after 20:00 if you'd rather skip the crush. Acoustic covers start around 19:00. Car parking is tight; a scooter or a taxi is easier.

Taxi apps such as Bolt and InDrive pick up easily at all of these markets, according to our cards. If you're crossing the island, think in kilometres: by road, Patong is 15 km from Phuket Town, Kata and Rawai 20 km, Kamala and Bang Tao 25 km. That matters most on Sunday, when the walking street draws people from every beach.

How you pay depends on the market. Our cards list card payment at Banzaan, Malin Plaza, Bangla, Kata, Bang Tao, Rawai, Chillva and Indy. Kamala, Karon, Naka and Lard Yai run on cash and QR codes, and at Kamala only some stalls take QR. Carry small notes anyway, and expect most markets to wind down around 22:00 — Bangla and Malin Plaza are the ones that keep going later.