Culture, Arts & Evening Shows
Things to Do in Siem Reap at Night Beyond Pub Street (2026)
Phare at 8:00 p.m., a $29 dance dinner, night markets open to midnight, a $10 Ferris wheel, herbal cocktails and a spa until 10:00 p.m.: Siem Reap after dark.
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Siem Reap’s night is short by design, and the best evenings are built around one fixed point at 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. rather than a crawl. The town wakes at 4:30 a.m. for the temples, so its shows end by 9:30 p.m., its markets by midnight, and the visitors who enjoy it most are in bed by 10:00 p.m. Pub Street is the exception, and it is the least interesting thing on offer.
Lists of things to do at night lead with Pub Street because it is where the reviews are. They then add the original Angkor Night Market, which a local directory says has not reopened since the pandemic, and the occasional night tour of Angkor Wat, which does not exist. What they leave out is the timing: which shows run on which days, what closes at 8:00 p.m., what stays open until midnight, and how to get home with a driver whose name you know.
Prices, hours and transport times below were checked against operator websites and official sources in October 2026.
Pick One Anchor, Then Fill Around It
A good night in Siem Reap has one booked thing in it. A show, a dinner, a class or a tour, starting between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m., with something unbooked before or after: a market, a drink, a walk by the river, a massage. Trying to stack two shows, or a show and a long dinner, is how a sunrise at the Angkor Wat sunrise spot gets missed.
The anchors divide by time. Early: the Bambu Stage workshop at 4:00 p.m., Angkor Eye before 7:40 p.m., a street-food tour from 5:00 p.m., Phare’s 5:00 p.m. matinee in high season. Middle: the dance dinners at 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., the puppet show at 7:00 p.m., Phare at 8:00 p.m. Late: the bars, the night markets, the massage.
The evening shows pillar compares every show in detail. This guide places them in a night.
The Shows
Six stages, from theater to free dance with dinner, listed by start time, earliest first. Five of them finish by 9:30 p.m.
1. Koulen Restaurant
The honest verdict: a budget buffet show that suits small children. A large hall on Sivatha Boulevard, a 10-minute walk from Pub Street, with a buffet and a dance program sold through resellers at $19 to $22 with two-way transfers in 2026, starting at 6:30 p.m. The limitation: a loud room, an ordinary buffet and tour groups.
2. Bambu Stage
The honest verdict: a 40-seat shadow-puppet theater in a garden. Bamboo Street in Wat Damnak village, a 10-minute walk from the Old Market. The 2026 site lists The Ramayana in shadow puppets from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. at $25 with a cold drink, and a 4:00 p.m. puppet-making workshop at $15. The limitation: it does not publish its days of the week, so confirm before setting out.
3. Kanell
The honest verdict: the dance dinner with a published price. A garden with a Khmer wooden house on 7 Makara Street near Angkor High School, $2 to $3 by tuk-tuk. Guests arrive at 7:00 p.m., and dance and Bokator start at 7:30 p.m. while a set menu is served, $29 for five courses or $36 for seven, plus 7 percent service and drinks. It ends at about 9:00 p.m. The limitation: open-air, so heat and mosquitoes come with it.
4. Temple Balcony
The honest verdict: a free dance program for diners, the lowest cost in this list. The dining floor above Temple Club on Pub Street stages a dance program daily from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., free with food and drink, according to a local directory updated in December 2025. The limitation: it is on Pub Street, the kitchen gets mixed reviews and the club below grows louder by the hour.
5. Phare, the Cambodian Circus
The honest verdict: a one-hour acrobatic theater show with published prices. A one-hour theater piece with acrobatics, live music and a story, under a 330-seat big top on Ring Road near Sok San Road, 10 minutes by tuk-tuk from Pub Street at $3 to $5 each way. Every night at 8:00 p.m., with a 5:00 p.m. matinee on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from November 2026 to March 2027. Adults pay $18, $28 or $38 by section, children 5 to 11 pay $10 to $18. Food stalls and the cafe open at 5:30 p.m. The limitation: no late entry, and Section C fills two days ahead in high season. The Phare guide has the seats and the production calendar.
6. Apsara Theatre
The honest verdict: a late dance dinner in a 1997 timber theater, with no published price. On Street 26 off Wat Bo Road, a five-minute walk across the river from the Old Market, with a Khmer dinner from 7:30 p.m. and the performance at 8:30 p.m., open to non-residents. The price and the performance days are not published. The limitation: a formal tourist format with the latest start in this list, wrong for a night before a sunrise.
The Apsara dance guide compares the dance venues program by program, and the Sbek Thom guide explains the puppets.
Markets, Food and Street Life
The night markets
The Art Center Night Market, on the east bank by the Old Market bridge, opens Monday to Saturday from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m. and closes on Sunday. Phalla Angkor Night Market, off Sivatha Boulevard, opens daily from 4:30 p.m. to midnight. Both sell krama, T-shirts, silver and carvings, with massage chairs and food stalls. The honest verdict: an hour’s walk after dinner, not a destination. The limitation: most of the stock is imported, and the made-in-Siem-Reap item is the painting. The original Angkor Night Market, still the first name in most lists, has not reopened since the pandemic according to a local directory updated in October 2026. The night markets guide sorts out which is which.
Road 60 and Khmer Pub Street
Where residents go. The Road 60 fairground, east of the Angkor ticket office, is a long strip of food stalls, grilled meat, rides and beer over ice. Khmer Pub Street, northwest of the center, is a run of beer gardens. Both are 10 to 15 minutes by tuk-tuk at $3 to $4. The honest verdict: the most Cambodian evening in town for the price of a bowl of noodles. The limitation: little English, loud music, and some stalls without posted prices, so ask first. The street food guide covers what to order.
Evening street-food tours
Several operators run three- to four-hour tuk-tuk tours of markets and stalls, starting around 5:00 p.m. with hotel pickup. Reseller listings in October 2026 ranged from $25 per person in a shared group to $69 for Lost Plate’s sunset tour with unlimited food and beer at five stops. The honest verdict: worth it on a first night, when the stalls are intimidating. The limitation: the tour shows you where to go, and the second night costs a tenth of the price if you go back alone. The food guide covers the dishes.
The river walk
The Siem Reap River runs through the center, and the paths on both banks are lit and free. Walking north from the Old Market bridges to the Royal Gardens and the Raffles end of town is about 1.2 km, roughly 15 minutes, past the riverside bars and the Art Center Night Market on the east bank. The honest verdict: the best free half hour of the evening, and the natural link between a dinner on the Wat Bo side and a drink on the west bank. The limitation: the path is uneven in places, motorbikes use the riverside roads, and in the rainy season the bank can flood after a storm. The riverside walk guide has the route.
Drinks Away From Pub Street
Listed by distance from Pub Street, nearest first.
Asana Old Wooden House
A wooden Khmer house on Street 7, the alley called The Lane, one block north of Pub Street, open daily from 4:00 p.m. to midnight. Cocktails built on Khmer herbs and rice spirit, and a 90-minute herbal cocktail class daily at 6:00 p.m. for $20, or $18 online. The honest verdict: a cocktail bar in a wooden house, a minute from Pub Street. The limitation: small, and full by 9:00 p.m. in high season.
Miss Wong
A 1920s Shanghai-style cocktail bar on Street 26, on the Wat Bo side, open Tuesday to Sunday from 5:00 p.m. to midnight, with cocktails around $7. The honest verdict: a cocktail bar on the Wat Bo side. The limitation: closed on Mondays, and it has moved, so older guides send people to The Lane where it no longer is.
Elephant Bar and Scribe Bar
The Elephant Bar at Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, on Vithei Charles de Gaulle by the Royal Gardens, has a 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. happy hour and a pianist from Tuesday to Sunday at 9:30 p.m., with a smart-casual dress code. Scribe Bar at FCC Angkor on the riverside opens from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. The honest verdict: two bars in colonial-era buildings. The limitation: cocktails cost two to three times the Pub Street price. The best bars guide and the rooftop bars guide go further.
Quiet Nights
Angkor Eye
The observation wheel opens daily from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m., with last admission at 7:40 p.m. Non-resident tickets start at $10, and the operator does not publish a child price. The honest verdict: a cheap 20 minutes at dusk, best with children. The limitation: the view is of the town and the treeline, and the temples are too far to pick out at night.
A massage
Lemongrass Garden at 105B Sivatha Boulevard opens daily from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. A 60-minute Khmer or foot massage costs $18, or $20 with oil, and children’s 60-minute treatments are $10. Street-level shops nearby charge $7 to $12. The honest verdict: a massage until 10:00 p.m. at a listed price. The limitation: the cheap shops vary a lot, so look at the room before you sit down.
A film
Legend Cinema at Heritage Walk, the mall on National Road 6, has five screens showing current releases, mostly in English with Khmer subtitles, inside a mall open from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Ticket prices for this branch are not published online. The honest verdict: an option for teenagers on a fourth night or a rainy evening. The limitation: nothing about it is Cambodian.
Pub Street, Briefly
Pub Street has two shifts. From 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. it is a restaurant street with $0.50 to $1 happy-hour beer. From about 10:00 p.m. it becomes a party street, with most bars running until 2:00 a.m. or later at weekends. The honest verdict: a 20-minute walk end to end on one night is enough for most visitors. The Pub Street guide is written for people who would rather not.
Getting Home
A tuk-tuk across town costs $2 to $3, and a ride from the center to Ring Road or the Road 60 fairground $3 to $5. PassApp and Grab quote a fixed fare and show the driver’s name and plate, which matters after 10:00 p.m. The UK Foreign Office reports assaults on lone women in the Pub Street area by men posing as motorbike taxi drivers, and bag snatching from passing motorbikes, so book through an app and carry bags on the side away from the road. For shows outside the center, agree a round trip with waiting before you leave: $6 to $8 to Phare. The getting around guide has the fares, and the Siem Reap scams guide covers the evening tricks.
By Situation
You have one night
Phare at 8:00 p.m., a walk through the Art Center Night Market on the way back, and a nightcap at Miss Wong if it is not a Monday.
You are traveling with children
Angkor Eye at 6:00 p.m., then Phare’s matinee or the Bambu Stage workshop and puppets. Koulen if the children want a buffet. Home by 9:00 p.m.
You have a sunrise tomorrow
An early anchor: Phare’s 5:00 p.m. matinee, Kanell at 7:30 p.m., or a 5:00 p.m. food tour. Skip anything starting after 8:00 p.m.
You are on a tight budget
Road 60 for dinner, the Temple Balcony dance program with a $5 main, or Phare’s Section C at $18. The daily budget pillar has the rest.
You want a quiet evening for two
A sunset cocktail at the Elephant Bar, dinner on the Wat Bo side, and Asana or Miss Wong afterward.
It is raining
Everything listed here is under a roof except Kanell’s garden, the night markets and Road 60. A 6:00 p.m. storm usually stops by 7:30 p.m. The rainy season guide has the month-by-month picture.
What It Actually Costs
| Evening | Price | Hours | Tuk-tuk from Pub Street, each way |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phare | $18 to $38 adult, $10 to $18 child | 8:00 p.m., matinee 5:00 p.m. | $3 to $5 |
| Kanell dance dinner | $29 or $36, plus 7% service | 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. | $2 to $3 |
| Koulen buffet and show | $19 to $22 via resellers, with transfers | 6:30 p.m. | Walk, or $2 |
| Temple Balcony dance | Free with food and drink | 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. | Walk |
| Bambu Stage puppets | $25 | 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. | Walk, or $2 |
| Night markets | Free to browse | 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. or midnight | Walk |
| Angkor Eye | From $10 | 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. | $2 to $3 |
| Asana cocktail class | $20, $18 online | 6:00 p.m. | Walk |
| Massage, 60 minutes | $7 to $12 street, $18 at Lemongrass Garden | To 10:00 p.m. | Walk |
| Street-food tour | $25 to $69 | From about 5:00 p.m. | Pickup included |
| Road 60 dinner | A few dollars | Evening | $3 to $4 |
Not included: drinks at the shows, tips for drivers who wait ($1 to $2), and the troupe’s tip box at dance shows ($1 to $2 a head). Change under $1 comes in riel at about 4,000 to the dollar. The money guide explains why torn dollar notes are refused.
What Other Guides Get Wrong
- Leading with Pub Street. It is one street with two shifts, and the second one is a party most temple visitors skip. The best evenings start elsewhere.
- Sending people to the Angkor Night Market. The original market has not reopened since the pandemic according to a local directory updated in October 2026. The Art Center and Phalla markets are the ones operating.
- Selling night tours of Angkor Wat. The temples close at sunset. No night visit is sold by Angkor Enterprise, and an offer of one is a pitch for something else.
- Ignoring the clock. Angkor Eye stops admitting at 7:40 p.m., Bambu Stage does not play every night, and most shows end by 9:30 p.m. A plan built for a 10:00 p.m. start finds little open except bars.
- Putting Miss Wong in The Lane. It has moved to Street 26 on the Wat Bo side and closes on Mondays.
- Forgetting the ride home. The risks at night are bag snatching and fake motorbike taxis, and an app booking fixes both.
Addresses, hours, prices and transport times checked against operator websites and official sources in October 2026. Hours change seasonally and prices change often. Confirm anything time-critical with the operator.
Where to Go Next
The evening shows pillar compares every stage in town, and the Phare guide settles the seats and the production on your date. For the morning after, the three-day itinerary shows how a show night and a sunrise fit together. Families will find the rest of the day in things to do with kids, and anyone planning to drink should read the Pub Street guide first.
Addresses, hours, prices and transport times checked against operator websites and official sources in October 2026. Hours change seasonally and prices change often. Confirm anything time-critical with the operator. Found an error? Tell us and the guide's review date will be updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to do in Siem Reap at night?
More than Pub Street. The anchor is a show: Phare, the Cambodian Circus at 8:00 p.m. for $18 to $38, a dance dinner such as Kanell at 7:30 p.m. from $29, or shadow puppets at Bambu Stage at 7:00 p.m. for $25. After that come the night markets, open until 11:00 p.m. or midnight, the Angkor Eye wheel until 8:00 p.m., a cocktail at Asana or Miss Wong, a massage until 10:00 p.m., or a street-food tour by tuk-tuk. Most visitors are in bed by 10:00 p.m. because the temples start at dawn, and the town is built around that rhythm.
Is Siem Reap safe at night?
The center is busy, lit and patrolled until late, and violent crime against visitors is rare. The risks are specific. Bags are snatched from passing motorbikes, so carry them on the side away from the road and choose tuk-tuks with side grills. The UK Foreign Office reports that lone women in the Pub Street area have been assaulted by men posing as motorbike taxi drivers, so book rides through PassApp or Grab rather than accepting offers on the street. Drink spiking and methanol in cheap spirits have both been reported in Cambodia. Drink beer or sealed bottles and watch your glass.
What time do things close in Siem Reap?
Earlier than visitors expect. The shows end by about 9:30 p.m., the Art Center Night Market closes at 11:00 p.m. and Phalla Angkor Night Market at midnight. Spas and many restaurants close around 10:00 p.m. Cocktail bars such as Asana and Miss Wong close at midnight. Pub Street itself runs past midnight, most bars until 2:00 a.m. or later at weekends. Angkor Eye stops admitting at 7:40 p.m. The temples close at sunset and are not open at night, whatever a tout says about a night tour of Angkor Wat.
What can families do in Siem Reap in the evening?
Phare is the first choice for children from about seven, ideally on a Khmer Angkor Village date and at the 5:00 p.m. matinee when it runs. Angkor Eye, open until 8:00 p.m., is a short, cheap view over the town at dusk. The Bambu Stage puppet workshop at 4:00 p.m. for $15 suits children who like making things, followed by the 7:00 p.m. puppet show. Koulen's buffet hall suits small children. The night markets work before 7:00 p.m., when they are calmer. Plan to be home by 9:00 p.m. on a temple day.
Where do Cambodians go out at night in Siem Reap?
Not Pub Street. Residents drink and eat along the strip of beer gardens known locally as Khmer Pub Street, northwest of the center, and at the Road 60 fairground east of the Angkor ticket office: a long row of food stalls, grilled meat, fairground rides and beer poured over ice. Both are 10 to 15 minutes by tuk-tuk at $3 to $4. Prices are lower, menus are often in Khmer, and the atmosphere is loud and family-heavy. Go with an appetite and small bills, and point at what other tables are eating.
Can I visit Angkor Wat at night?
No. The temples of the Angkor park close at sunset, with Angkor Wat itself open from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and no night visits are sold by Angkor Enterprise. A pass dated for the next day admits you from 4:45 p.m., in time for sunset, without counting that evening as a pass day. Offers of a night tour inside Angkor Wat are not real. What exists after dark is the view from Angkor Eye over the town, and the dance programs that copy the temple carvings in Siem Reap's theaters and gardens.