Warm Up Cafe
Warm Up Cafe has been the largest mainstream dance club in Chiang Mai since the early 2000s, anchored on Nimmanhaemin Road directly opposite Soi 11. The venue runs multiple zones across one large building: a main dance floor with EDM and hip-hop programming, a smaller indoor stage that often hosts Thai-pop acts and live bands, an outdoor garden bar for cooler conversation, and a series of VIP booth areas around the perimeter. Capacity on a busy Friday or Saturday pushes 1,000 across the rooms. The DJ rotation runs a mix of resident locals and visiting Bangkok talent, with international acts appearing during major festivals. Drink pricing is moderate by Nimman standards: beer 150-200 THB, cocktails 250-350 THB, full bottles of Thai whiskey 1,800-2,500 THB including mixers. Cover at peak hours runs 200-400 THB, often waived for women and pre-midnight entries.
Where to stay near Warm Up Cafe
Hotels and rentals within walking distance.
What to Expect
A multi-room mainstream club with a main floor running EDM and hip-hop, a secondary stage with Thai pop or live bands, and an outdoor garden bar for breathers. Capacity is large and the dance floor compresses fast after midnight. Smoke, lasers, and full club production.
Loud, polished, multi-room. The biggest energy in Chiang Mai nightlife.
EDM, hip-hop, Thai pop, occasional house and trap
Smart-casual to clubwear. Closed shoes preferred; clean sneakers fine. No flip-flops, beachwear, or shirtless entry.
Mainstream club nights, larger groups of friends, Thai-tourist mixed scenes, dance-floor energy.
Cash and cards accepted; cards faster during peak hours
Price Range
Cover 200-400 THB, beer 150-200 THB, cocktails 250-350 THB, bottles 1,800-7,000 THB
Cover ~$5.50-11/€5-10, beer ~$4-5.50/€3.80-5, cocktails ~$7-10/€6.50-9
Hours
22:00 to roughly 02:00 daily, peak Fri-Sat
Insider Tip
Arrive before 11 PM to skip both the cover charge and the door queue, which builds quickly on weekends. Book a booth ahead through Instagram DMs if you want a guaranteed seat for a group of four or more; minimum spends are reasonable. Bolt back to your accommodation; tuk-tuks outside the venue routinely quote three to five times the app price.
Full Review
The entrance on Nimmanhaemin opens into a queue-and-door area where IDs are checked and the cover is collected. Inside, the layout sprawls: the main dance floor sits to the right with a raised DJ booth and a serious LED rig, the secondary stage room sits to the left with smaller programming, and the outdoor garden bar runs along the back of the property. Booth seating wraps around the main floor in tiers, with VIP sections sectioned off near the DJ.
The music programming alternates by night. Fridays tend toward EDM-heavy sets with international DJs visiting; Saturdays mix hip-hop, house, and Thai pop. Wednesday and Thursday nights run more Thai-focused programming with live band slots in the secondary room. The main-floor sound system handles bass cleanly; the secondary room has a smaller setup but works fine for live acts.
Compared to Myst MAYA, Warm Up is younger, more student-driven, and less polished, but has the larger crowd and the longer hours of established club programming. Compared to Liquid Room on Soi 13, Warm Up is bigger, more mainstream, and runs a wider music range. The Spicy is the late-night extension after Warm Up closes at 2 AM.
Drink spiking is documented at Warm Up over multiple years; keep drinks covered, refuse drinks from strangers, and travel with friends. Bouncers respond to obvious problems but cannot prevent everything in a crowd this size. Pickpocketing on the main floor during peak hours is also common; front pockets only.
The Neighborhood
Warm Up sits directly on Nimmanhaemin Road opposite Soi 11, with cocktail bars (Beer Republic, Caravan) and restaurants surrounding. The Maya shopping center with Myst MAYA on top is five minutes north; Liquid Room on Soi 13 is three minutes north on the same road.
Getting There
From the Old City via Suan Dok Gate, 10 minutes by Bolt at around 90 THB. From Nimman itself, walkable from any point on the strip. From Maya Mall, three minutes south on Nimmanhaemin.
Address
40 Nimmanhaemin Road, Tambon Su Thep, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Staying connected in Thailand
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Airalo covers Thailand with prepaid eSIM plans starting around $5 for 1 GB. Works on iPhone XS and newer, plus most Android phones from 2020 onward. No contract, no commitment.
Browse Thailand eSIM plansOther Venues in Nimman
Myst MAYA
Open-air rooftop bar and dance lounge on top of the Maya lifestyle shopping center at the north end of Nimman. Mixologist-driven cocktails, EDM DJs, and a mixed Thai and foreign crowd. One of the more polished party venues in the city.
Liquid Room
Late-night dance club on Nimmanhaemin Soi 13 with hip-hop, EDM, and a heavy neon-light setup. Smaller and more dance-floor-focused than Warm Up, draws a younger Thai and expat crowd.
Caravan Bar
Intimate cocktail bar on Nimman Soi 9 with vintage red interior, a gin-and-classic-cocktail menu, and skilled bartenders. Soft deep-house and lo-fi music. One of the city's strongest cocktail programs.
Shelby Bar
1920s English-style cocktail bar on Nimman Soi 7 with dark interior, whiskey focus, and classic-cocktail menu. Outdoor seating, live music some nights, and a settled expat-and-Thai-professional crowd.
Continental
Hidden speakeasy on Nimman Soi 5 with an unmarked entrance and bookshelf door, themed around the John Wick film franchise. Cocktails from 320 THB, open 6:30 PM to midnight, reservation recommended.
Beer Republic
Tuscan-style craft-beer and restaurant venue on Nimman Soi 11 with 15 draught taps and an Italian-leaning menu. Older expat regulars, settled atmosphere, and one of the longer-running Nimman bar institutions.