BY ELLIE COUSINS
As the streets of Siem Reap, empty and quiet since early 2020, begin to reawaken, the same question sits on the minds of every expat and local living in the tourist capital of Cambodia; will the nightlife in Siem Reap ever revert back to what it once was?
Pub Street, once the very heart and soul of Siem Reap, has sat in darkness since the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic that swept across the globe. Club dancefloors that once held hundreds of tourists, expats, and locals alike, now hold only the memory of a good time, lights plunged into darkness, DJ booths sitting in silence.
It is during this time, when larger and more popular ‘backpacker’ and ‘local’ clubs such as Angkor What? Bar and Cheers Bar have temporarily closed their doors, that smaller bars and businesses have not only been able to survive, but have been thriving. Sok San Road, in recent years, has established its place in Siem Reap as being the go-to spot for a night out, with expats and locals migrating to the smaller bars that have made home there. Bars such as Peace & Love and Drynk Bar draw in customers from all walks of life, quickly turning Sok San Road from an end-of-the-night destination to a nightlife hotspot.
Laughing Hyena, which first opened its doors on Funky Lane in 2019 under the name Marley’s Bar, moved to their new location on Sok San Road mid-pandemic. It is now packed to the brim with loyal customers from dusk until dawn each time their doors open on a Friday and Saturday night. With live music and DJ events taking place almost every week, and a whole host of deals and happy hours, as well as friendly staff that welcome customers with open arms, it’s not hard to see how this expat owned bar was able to survive when so many other places were forced into closure.
Situated in a prime location, surrounded by locally owned shops, only a few doors down from fellow popular small bar Rock Around the Clock, and a short tuk-tuk drive from the city center, Laughing Hyena is paving the way for other small businesses and bars in their take-over of Siem Reap.
Of course, it’s not only Sok San Road that has prospered since the pandemic. With the future of Pub Street in question, space has been made for hotel and hostel bars such as The Funky Village and Villa Manda, and hidden gems like Silk Garden and Long’s Bar to find their groove. More chilled and relaxed bars such as these, with a more easygoing and carefree vibe, have found a loyal fan base, and events such as Christmas movie marathons, live music from popular acts such as Alli G and Kone Khmer, and fire show events have continuously drawn in new customers. With little else to do in Siem Reap post pandemic, it is these events that keep people coming back time and time again.
It could be argued, however, that the very reason for such an increase in popularity amongst these smaller bars is due to a lack of anywhere else to go, with lively clubs now few and far between. In a city where the nightlife really is at the epicenter of such a vivid community, it is certainly possible that this is the sole reason for such modest and cozy locations to have made a name for themselves in such a short space of time. With an affinity for small bars, Siem Reap has really found its home in the chilled and relaxed atmosphere that has come with a decrease in tourists and the closure of larger clubs.
Dinesh Raj, a familiar face in bars in Siem Reap, thinks that the reasoning for this is because simply because of the lack of tourists. “In my opinion, the smaller bars have done better than the bigger ones because they were not so dependent on the large number of tourists,” he answered when asked why he thought smaller bars had thrived so much since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The small bars had more expat or local regulars that continued to support them through COVID.”
However, with Temple Club recently reopening for double vaccinated customers, renovations currently taking place at Cheers Bar and whispered promises of a resurgence of tourist favorites X-Bar and Angkor What? Bar, all situated on the infamous Pub Street, one question remains. Will the revival of Siem Reap’s club scene spark the downfall of Sok San Road’s monopoly on Siem Reap’s nightlife? Or will it simply boost the love and loyalty that this community has discovered for smaller and more intimate bars? Only time will tell.