Rajadamnern or Lumpinee: the fight evening for a stag group

Rajadamnern vs Lumpinee: which Muay Thai stadium is best for a stag group?

Rajadamnern is best for most groups, because it fights every evening, it's central, and the ringside seats put the boys right under the ropes.

Both are the real thing: Thai fighters, full cards, and a crowd that bets on every round.

For a stag group, the choice comes down to the day you land and how far you want to drive after it.

Bangkok has two great stadiums, and they suit different evenings.

Rajadamnern Stadium is the old one, in the old city, with fights every day of the week and a light show projected across the ceiling.

Lumpinee Stadium is the army's stadium, moved out to Ram Inthra Road in the north of the city, and on Fridays it's the home of ONE Friday Fights.

Arriving midweek? Rajadamnern. Landing on a Friday and want the big broadcast card? Lumpinee.

Tell us the day you land, and we pick the stadium.

• Where

  Rajadamnern:

  Old city, Ratchadamnoen

  Lumpinee:

  Ram Inthra Road, north Bangkok

• Fights

  Rajadamnern:

  Every day

  Lumpinee:

  ONE Friday Fights every Friday

• Ringside

  Rajadamnern:

  ฿2,500 a seat (stadium price)

  Lumpinee:

  Top category listed at ฿3,400

• Ringside for 12

  Rajadamnern:

  ฿30,000

  Lumpinee:

  about ฿40,800

• Beer

  Rajadamnern:

  Sold inside, served to your seat

  Lumpinee:

  Check the card

• Best for

  Rajadamnern:

  Your first evening, any day

  Lumpinee:

  A Friday arrival

What do Rajadamnern ringside tickets cost?

Rajadamnern ringside tickets are ฿2,500 a seat, the stadium's own published price, so ringside for a group of twelve is ฿30,000.

Rajadamnern's own ticket page lists every seat price, so these are the stadium's figures, not ours.

Rajadamnern publishes every price itself.

Third Class is ฿1,000, Second Class is ฿1,500, Club Class is ฿1,800, Ringside is ฿2,500 and the Presidential Box is ฿3,500.

Ringside sections wrap almost the whole ring. You hear the gloves land, the corners shouting, and the bell that starts every round.

Club Class sits higher, at eye level with the ring, with food and drink counters behind you.

Second Class is where the Thai fans bet on every round with hand signals, and it's the loudest part of the stadium.

At Lumpinee Stadium, ONE Friday Fights seats are listed by category: CAT 1 at ฿3,400, CAT 2 at ฿2,400 and CAT 3 from about ฿1,000, with a few VIP seats held back for each card.

CAT 1 is Lumpinee's closest category to the ring, so it's the one a group books.

The failure here is the tout at the gate. You pay more, and twelve of you end up split across the back rows.

We stop that by holding the seats for the whole group, together, before the card sells out.

Is ringside worth it for a bachelor party? Yes: it puts the group close enough to feel every kick.

Up in the stands, it's a sports match. At ringside, it's the loudest evening of the trip.

You see the fighters walk out, the ritual dance before the first bell, and the sweat coming off the ropes.

The groom gets the photo nobody forgets: the ring lit up behind him and the crowd on its feet.

Club Class is the smart swap if the budget's tight. It's cheaper, and the view is level with the ring.

For the full show, book ringside, all together, all in one row.

Send us your number, and we hold the block.

When are the fights, and what should a stag group wear?

Rajadamnern fights every day of the week, with seating opening about an hour before the first bout, and Lumpinee's ONE Friday Fights starts at 6:30pm every Friday.

The stadium's etiquette guide says there's no strict dress code, only respectful clothing, and calls the Wai Kru before each bout a solemn ritual.

At Rajadamnern, arrive at 6pm for a 7pm start, so the group is seated for the walk-outs.

Saturday is the Rajadamnern World Series, the biggest card of the week, and some sections include free-flow beer.

At Lumpinee Stadium, the gates open at 5:30pm on Friday for a 6:30pm start, with a long card of Muay Thai, kickboxing and MMA.

Lumpinee is a long drive north from Sukhumvit, so leave early and keep the van waiting.

Bars can't sell alcohol on election days and the main Buddhist holidays, and that applies inside the stadiums too, so we check your dates against them.

What should you wear? There's no strict dress code at Rajadamnern, but the stadium suggests smart casual for ringside: a collared shirt, long trousers or dark jeans, and closed shoes.

The stadium is air-conditioned, so bring a light layer.

Skip the beachwear and the slogans. Ringside is the front row, and the cameras are pointed at it.

Bring photo ID. The drinking age in Thailand is 20, and anyone who looks young gets asked.

Outside food and drink stay outside, and bags are screened at the entrance.

Bring cash for extra rounds. Beer is served to your seat, so nobody misses a round queueing at a counter.

Send us your arrival date, and we match the fight to it.

How do you get to Rajadamnern and Lumpinee with a group?

The easiest way to get the group to either stadium is cars matched to your plan, with drivers who wait outside, because taxis split the group and Lumpinee is a long way from the hotels.

Rajadamnern sits on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue in the old city, about 2 km from Sam Yot MRT station.

From Sukhumvit, that's a straight run across town, and the van drops you at the entrance.

Lumpinee Stadium is on Ram Inthra Road in the north of Bangkok, far from the hotel districts.

Getting there on a Friday evening means rush-hour traffic, so the van leaves the hotel early.

Getting back is where groups come apart. Twelve men looking for taxis outside a stadium at 10pm lose half an hour and half the group.

A VIP van with a driver for ten hours is from ฿6,500, and a single transfer is from ฿1,200.

The van waits through the fights, then takes everyone straight on to the club.

Tell us your hotel, and we time the van to the first bout.

How does the fight fit into the rest of the trip?

The fight goes on your first usable evening, and the big party goes on the evening after it.

It's the perfect opener: loud, unforgettable and done early, so the boys still have legs for tomorrow.

After the last bout, one club, then bed. The big one is the next evening.

The same van moves the group from the hotel to the stadium to the club, so nobody gets left behind.

Want to try it yourselves? A private pad session at a Muay Thai gym works best the afternoon after the fight, not the morning after the big party.

On a four- or five-day trip with Pattaya in it, the fight still goes first, in Bangkok, before the coast.

One figure for the group covers the seats, the van and the club, so nobody is splitting a bill outside the stadium at midnight.

Read our Muay Thai guide for the training side, then tell us your dates and we build the weekend around the fight.

What does a fight evening look like, hour by hour?

A fight evening at Rajadamnern runs from about 5:30pm to the end of the card, then one club: the van leaves the hotel, the group is seated by 6pm, and the first bout starts at 7pm.

Arriving an hour early means the group sees the fighters walk out and the Wai Kru before the first bell.

The card builds through the evening, and the main event comes last, when the stadium is at its loudest.

At Lumpinee on a Friday, shift everything earlier: gates at 5:30pm, first bout at 6:30pm, and a longer drive both ways.

After the main event, the van is waiting outside, and the group goes straight on to one club, then bed.

Tell us your hotel and the day, and we time the van to the walk-outs.

1. 5:30pm

   The van leaves the hotel

2. 6pm

   Seated, beers ordered to your seats

3. 7pm

   The first bout, after the Wai Kru

4. Later

   The main event, the stadium at its loudest

5. After

   The van to one club, then bed

What is it like inside a Muay Thai stadium?

Inside a Muay Thai stadium it's loud, ritual and fast: live drums and pipes play through every round, and the crowd bets on every exchange.

Before each bout, the fighters perform the Wai Kru, a slow ritual dance to honour their teachers, and the stadium goes quiet for it.

Then the music starts, and it speeds up as the round heats up.

Up in Second Class, the Thai fans shout odds across the stands with hand signals: the stadium's own guide notes it's one of the few places in Thailand where betting on Muay Thai is legal and public.

First time? Stay seated for the Wai Kru, cheer the good exchanges, and leave the betting to the regulars.

Ringside, you feel the noise more than hear it, and the groom gets the best seat in the row.

Send us the date, and we hold the row.

Rajadamnern or Lumpinee: the short version

Book Rajadamnern ringside for your first evening, unless you land on a Friday and want ONE Friday Fights at Lumpinee.

Rajadamnern fights every day, it's in the old city, and ringside is ฿2,500 a seat, ฿30,000 for twelve.

Lumpinee is the Friday card, a long drive north on Ram Inthra Road, with the top category listed at ฿3,400.

Saturday at Rajadamnern is the biggest card of the week, and some sections pour free-flow beer.

Wear smart casual at ringside, carry photo ID, and bring cash for the rounds served to your seat.

Put the fight on the first usable evening, one club after it, and the big party the evening after.

Book the seats as a block, together, and never from a tout at the gate.

Keep a van waiting outside, so twelve men leave the stadium together and go straight to the club.

If the groom has always wanted to see a real fight, this is the evening that makes the trip.

Tell us the number and the dates, and we hold the seats, the van and the club in one go.