Expat entertainment in Krabi

There is a small, but lively expat scene around the tourist areas of Ao Nang, Krabi Town, Ko Lanta and Ko Phi Phi. But other than a local chapter of Skal, the drinking / networking club which meets every month, there is very little in the way of organised activities such as clubs and groups: the expats here are Krabi-style, i.e. very laidback and unwilling to be coerced into doing anything.

The groups that do exist are small and tend to be based around various sports activities – football, yoga or muay thai for example. There are also regular after-school children’s activities such as dance, taekwondo and Kumon where it’s easy to meet fellow parents.

Communities tend to form by nationality, but also by occupation – diving, hotel owners, retirees etc. But Krabi is still small enough that most people each other, by sight at least (this is changing rapidly however, as more and more people move to the area).

It is quite easy to meet people, especially in the handful of bars and restaurants owned by the local expats. Whether you then make friends with them, is of course up to you!

Most nightlife, either at the beach or further away, is in the form of small bars and pubs, some with live music and nearly all with pool tables and board games. There are no real nightclubs or other large entertainment venues for expats in Krabi. See: bars in Krabi.

Sports bars, showing Premiership football, rugby and the Grand Prix, are fairly common. For those who are interested, there are two girly bar “plazas” in Ao Nang, and several local Thai karaoke style places in Krabi Town. For those who are not, they are easy to avoid.

Though there is a multiplex cinema in the Tesco Lotus mall outside of Krabi Town, the offerings are mainly Thai movies and dubbed Hollywood blockbusters (Thai language, no subtitles). For big releases (e.g. Star Wars, The Fast and the Furious), they will usually have a limited run of English, however, so it is worth checking if you like this type of film.

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