Soi Cowboy (Thai: ซอยคาวบอย, RTGS: Soi Khaoboi, pronounced[sɔ̄ːjkʰāːw.bɔ̄ːj]) is a short (150 meter long) street (soi) in Bangkok, Thailand, with some 40, mostly go-go bars. It caters mainly to tourists and expatriates.[1] Soi Cowboy contains one of the three largest groups of foreign-oriented bars in Bangkok, the other two being Patpong and Soi Nana Tai.[2]
Soi Cowboy entrance on the side of Soi Sukhumvit 21
The first bar opened in Soi Cowboy in the early 1970s, but it was not until 1977 that a second bar opened on the street[2] by T. G. "Cowboy" Edwards, a retired American airman. Edwards got his nickname because he often wore a cowboy hat and the soi was given its name in reference to him by longtime nightlife columnist Bernard Trink. The number of bars grew to 31 by the end of the century, all located on the ground floor.[2]
In popular culture
Actor Hugh Grant visited Soi Cowboy in December 2003, while shooting the movie Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. The Tilac Bar and several Soi Cowboy bar girls are seen in the film. The Sun wrote on 23 December 2003 that Grant was chased by bar girls and had to flee, though this apparently was untrue.[4]
In August 2006, scenes were shot in Soi Cowboy for the film Bangkok Dangerous.[5]
