Cabaret admission, Patong
An hour-long mimed costume revue by a kathoey cast in a Patong theatre. Admission only; collect the ticket at the theatre before the start. Child rates exist.
Straight answer first
Is the Simon Cabaret in Phuket worth it, and what kind of show is it?
In a few lines. Yes, provided you want one glittering, light-hearted hour on a Patong evening and you know what you are buying. This is a mimed costume revue: a cast of kathoey performers moves through a run of show numbers, from Thai classical pieces to Western pop, while the songs play from recordings. The spectacle is in the feathers, the sequins and the speed of the set changes, not in live singing. Tickets are also sold at the door, so booking mainly secures your session and spares you the queue to buy. Cameras stay away during the show; photos with the cast afterwards cost a small fee.
It is
What it is
An hour-long revue in a theatre in Patong, the resort town on Phuket's west coast. Each number brings its own costume and painted backdrop, and the performers lip-sync and dance to recorded tracks, as cabaret and drag shows commonly do. You collect your ticket at the theatre before the start, take your seat and watch; when the show ends, the cast is available for photos, each for a small fee.
It isn't
What it isn't
It isn't a concert: nobody sings live, and that is the form rather than a shortcut. Nor is it a dinner show; the ticket stops at admission, and the ride there is yours to arrange. It isn't a long night either. The curtain falls after roughly an hour, with dinner, the beach or the bars still ahead of you.
The cabaret hour, at a glance
- Running time
- About one hour.
- Where
- A cabaret theatre in Patong, on Phuket's west coast.
- Cameras
- Not allowed during the show.
- In the ticket
- Admission only; food, drink and transport are extra.
Your hour, step by step
From the ticket desk to the photo line
The booking calendar shows each session's start time. This is how the hour around it usually goes.
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Before
Eat first, or plan to eat after
Meals and drinks sit outside the price. Patong is where Phuket goes out at night, so finding dinner before or after the show takes no effort.
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Arrival
Collect your ticket at the theatre
Arrive a little ahead of the start and swap the voucher on your phone for a ticket at the theatre. Booking ahead means you collect rather than queue to buy.
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Lights down
Phones go away
Photography is strictly prohibited inside the theatre, phones included. The upside is a room watching the stage rather than a screen.
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The hour
Number after number
A sequence of numbers, each with its own costume, backdrop and mood, from Thai classical pieces to Western pop. The performers mime and dance to recorded songs.
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Curtain
Photos with the cast
When the show ends, the performers are available for pictures, and each photo with them carries a small fee. Have a little Thai baht ready.
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After
Patong is still awake
An hour leaves plenty of evening. Bangla Road, Patong's best-known nightlife street, is there if you want to carry on; the beach suits a quieter walk.
The anatomy of a revue
What a Thai cabaret revue is built from
The running order belongs to the theatre and changes, so none of it is promised here. These are the pieces the form itself is made of, as published sources describe them.
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The room
Cabaret: an audience facing a stage
Cabaret is theatrical entertainment made of music, song and dance, watched by an audience that sits rather than dances. The first cabaret in the modern sense, Le Chat Noir, opened in the Montmartre district of Paris in 1881. The word itself goes back to old northern French dialect words for a small room.
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The shape
Revue: numbers without a plot
A revue strings together music and dance, often with sketches, and no plot runs through it. Instead a broad theme ties up a loose chain of acts, swapping between solo turns and the full company. The form's golden years ran from 1916 to 1932, and it was always most famous for its visual spectacle.
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The roots
How Thai drag shows began
Gay clubs and queer spaces began opening in Thailand after homosexual acts were decriminalised in 1956, and that scene led to the first cabaret. The first drag show started after the owner of a gay club saw drag performers from the Philippines in Bangkok, and drag shows took off in Thailand from the mid-1970s.
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The cast
Kathoey performers
Kathoey is the Thai word for people assigned male at birth who present as women or in a feminine way; many Thai trans women call themselves phuying, woman. Kathoeys are more visible in Thai life than trans people in most countries, yet discrimination limits their work, and cabarets are among the places many find jobs.
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The line
The showgirl tradition
The showgirl is a performer in a theatrical revue, costumed to catch the eye and sometimes working as a chorus girl or a fan dancer. The modern showgirl dates from the music halls and cabarets of Paris in the late 1800s. The Ziegfeld Follies introduced showgirls to the United States in 1907.
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The shine
Sequins: light you can sew
A sequin is a small, shiny, usually disc-shaped ornament. Sewn flat, sequins stay put; stitched at a single point, they dangle, move and catch more light, which is exactly what a turning dancer wants. The name comes from the zecchino, a Venetian ducat coin, by way of French.
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The sound
Mimed to the record
Lip syncing means matching mouth movements to a recorded voice. When the audience knows the performer is miming, it works as a kind of musical pantomime, and it is common in drag shows. Singers also mime to keep tightly choreographed dance numbers sharp, which is the trade a revue like this makes.
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The Thai turn
Classical dance on a cabaret stage
Thai dance divides into classical and folk forms. Classical pieces draw on court traditions such as khon, the masked dance-drama that performs the Ramakien, Thailand's version of the Ramayana. Numbers in Thai dress share the bill here with Western pop, which gives the hour its swings of mood.
Drawn from English Wikipedia's articles on Cabaret, Revue, Drag queen, Kathoey, Showgirl, Sequin, Lip sync, Dance in Thailand and Khon, read November 2026.
Ticket and house rules
What your ticket covers, and the house rules
The whole booking in plain words, so nothing catches you out at the door.
- The show
- Admission to one session of the cabaret revue in Patong, about an hour long.
- Included
- Your admission. That is the whole of it.
- Paid separately
- Food, drinks and transport, plus any photos you have taken with the cast after the show.
- Collecting the ticket
- Arrive a little before your session and collect your ticket at the theatre in exchange for the voucher on your phone.
- Door sales
- The theatre sells tickets at the door too. Booking holds a place in the session you want and spares you the queue to buy.
- Children
- Child rates exist, set by height, and the youngest go free. The calendar shows each rate.
- Cameras
- Photography is not allowed anywhere inside the theatre during the show.
- Access
- The venue is wheelchair accessible.
- Changing your mind
- Cancel 24 hours or more before your session for the full amount back. The ticket also lets you reserve now and pay later.
- Who sells it
- MY Holiday Centre Co., Ltd., a reseller, sells this ticket through GetYourGuide. This guide has no connection with the seller or the theatre.
Two Phuket evenings
The cabaret hour or a sunset dinner cruise
Cabaret in Patong
Coral Island sunset cruise
Time needed
Roughly one hour
Roughly six hours
Starts from
The theatre in Patong
Pickup in Patong, Kata or Karon
What you do
Watch a costume revue
Snorkel, beach time, sail at sunset
Food
Not included
Thai buffet dinner on board
Rain or shine
Indoors, runs regardless
Depends on the sea
Not ideal for
Fans of live singing
Non-swimmers, seasickness
Cancel for free
With 24 hours' notice
With 24 hours' notice
Costume, coast and Patong at night
Patong, Thai costume and the coast at dusk
Cameras are not allowed at the show, so these pictures show its setting and the craft around it: Thai dance costume, sequins up close, and Patong by day and after dark.
Book the show, then fill the days
The cabaret, a sunset cruise, an island day and an elephant visit
The cabaret ticket comes first. Next is the sunset dinner cruise it is most often weighed against, then a Phi Phi island day and an elephant feeding visit for the days around it.
Coral Island catamaran with sunset dinner
About six hours: a van from Patong, Kata or Karon, a catamaran to Coral Island for snorkelling and beach time, then a Thai buffet dinner on board as the sun sets.
Maya Bay, Phi Phi and Bamboo Island by speedboat
About eight hours by speedboat: Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, snorkelling off Phi Phi Le, a buffet lunch on Phi Phi Don and free time on Bamboo Island.
Elephant sanctuary feeding visit
About an hour at a sanctuary in Kathu district: feed the elephants fruit or grass, watch them up close and hear about their care from a guide, then a soft drink.
More Phuket days and evenings to book
Reaching the theatre
Reaching the theatre, plus the practical bits
Where it is
The theatre is in Patong, the beach town on Phuket's west coast. The meeting point on your booking opens in Google Maps; show that pin to a driver.
From the beach road
From hotels along the Patong beach road you can walk it or hop in a taxi for a few minutes. Leave time to collect your ticket before the start.
From elsewhere on the island
Take a taxi or a car through the Grab app. Phuket's taxis generally work on fixed rates, so settle the price before setting off; motorcycle taxis are common around Patong too.
Timing
Each session's start time is on the calendar and your voucher. Arrive a little early so collecting the ticket is unhurried.
Children
Child rates exist. Whether the hour suits yours depends on how they find loud music, bright light and a dark auditorium.
Access
The venue is wheelchair accessible. For help with seating, message the seller through GetYourGuide before your date.
Plan the night properly
Six guides for a Patong cabaret night
- Start here
Phuket cabaret show: worth it?
What the Patong cabaret revue is, who performs it, how the mimed hour runs, door tickets or booking, the camera ban, the photo fee and who should skip it. Read it before the show → - Compare
Cabaret or sunset dinner cruise?
The Patong cabaret hour against a Coral Island catamaran day that ends with a sunset dinner: time, food, sea, who each one suits, and how to fit the pair into one trip. Read it before the show → - Background
Kathoey performers, explained
Who kathoey are, the words Thai trans women use for themselves, why cabaret stages matter, where Thai drag shows began, and how to be a good audience. Read it before the show → - Getting there
Getting to the Patong cabaret
Reaching the cabaret theatre in Patong from the beach road, Kata, Karon or the airport: walking, taxis, Grab, songthaews, timing and the ride back. Read it before the show → - House rules
Cameras, phones and cast photos
The no-camera rule inside the Patong cabaret, how photos with the cast work after the show, the small fee for each picture and the courtesies that go with it. Read it before the show → - Plan
Three Phuket days with the show
A simple three-day plan around the Patong cabaret: an island day to Phi Phi and Maya Bay, an elephant feeding visit, the sunset cruise and the evening show. Read it before the show →
FAQ
Before you take your seat: common questions
Is the cabaret worth it if I've never seen one?
Yes, if you enjoy costume, colour and big pop moments. It is a one-hour mimed revue, so think of it as a dance-and-design show rather than a concert. If live vocals matter most to you, choose something else.
Do the performers sing live?
No. The performers lip-sync and dance to recorded songs, as cabaret and drag revues commonly do. The craft is in the movement, the timing, the costumes and the staging.
Can I buy tickets at the door?
Yes, the theatre sells tickets at the door too. Booking ahead secures a place in the session you want and spares you the queue to buy; you still collect your ticket at the theatre before the start.
Are cameras or phones allowed during the show?
No. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the theatre, phones included. After the show you can have photos taken with the performers, for a small fee per photo.
How should I talk about the performers?
As you would about any professional cast. Kathoey is the Thai term; many trans women in Thailand call themselves phuying, woman. Ask before taking a picture, pay the photo fee and leave out remarks you would not make to any dancer.
Is it suitable for children?
Children are admitted, child rates exist and the youngest go free. Whether it suits yours depends on how they find an hour of loud music, strong light and quick costume changes in a dark theatre.
Does the ticket include dinner, drinks or transfers?
No. You pay for admission and nothing more. Eat before or after in Patong, and arrange your own ride or walk.
How long does the show run, and at what time?
About an hour. Session start times are on the booking calendar and your voucher; arrive a little early to collect your ticket at the theatre.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Cancel at least 24 hours before your session and the full amount comes back. Paying can also wait: reserve now, settle later.
Is this the theatre's own website?
No. Phuket Cabaret Show Guide is written independently; neither the theatre nor the ticket seller runs it, and it has no affiliation with either. Bookings are made with GetYourGuide, which pays this site a fee when you book through it; your price is the same.