Buying alcohol in Thailand

There are special rules related to Alcohol in Thailand

• Special time period when you can not buy alcohol in grocery store, convenience store or liquor stores
• anytime between 2pm - 5pm, or between midnight -11am
• on Buddha Day: it's according to the Thai calendar, so date changes every year. in 2019 it will be on May 12th
• around Election Day. Reinforcement on this day is more strict than Buddha Day. The ban often (but not always) starts at 6 PM the day before the election and ends at midnight, or the very end of the day of the Election. The next election day will fall in Feb 2019

• You can drink in bars and restaurants during the restricted hours, but not on Buddha Day (however some bars may secretly bend the rule for tourists)
• There is no open container rules like in the States, aka you can drink almost everywhere except for:
• temples or places of worship
• public parks
• gas stations or gas station shops
• hospitals and pharmacies
• public offices
• education institutions