Thamel stops abruptly after mid­night and so do business oppor­tunities of thousands of people who make a living there. Neither foreign tourists nor local revelers seem happy by this arrangement. “I like to go out and party sometimes on weekends but the timing is a major problem,” says Anu Shres­tha, who is in her early 20s. “Even the late-opening pubs shut down around 2-3 am and then we have nowhere to go. I don’t like going to hotels at night and I can’t go back home to disturb my sleeping family at 3 in the morning. If only they’d let us stay till the morning!”It is in order to address the griev­ance of the likes of Shrestha that the government, for a number of years, has been mulling a 24/7 open Thamel.

 

In 2015, a meeting between the Kathmandu District Administration, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the Thamel Tourism Development Board and Nepal Police decided to let businesses in Thamel operate for 24 hours. Ek Narayan Aryal, the then CDO of Kathmandu, had declared that Thamel would be open at all hours starting April 14, the Nepali New Year. It wasn’t meant to be.

 

Thamel is still the old Cinderella, with her strict midnight deadline—barring a few places that get to run till 2 or 3 am.

 

“The problem in Thamel right now is that Nepal Police is still understaffed and underequipped to give 24-hour security,” says Ashok Sen, co-owner of Purple Haze, one of the most popular live music ven­ues in Thamel.

 

Opportunities galore

 

Like most entrepreneurs in Thamel, Sen is a believer that open­ing Thamel for 24 hours will help lure in more revelers and tourists. Raju Damai, co-owner of Thamel-based Fire and Ibyza dance clubs, agrees. “It will increase the flow of tourists and give them more spend­ing options. More revenues for busi­nesses, more tax for the government and new employment opportunities for locals, what is there not to like about a 24/7 Thamel?” he questions.

 

Generally, the nightclubs in Thamel are allowed to open till 2 am, a couple of hours later than restaurants and bars because people visit nightclubs at the end of their outing. Both Ibyza and Fire have, however, taken special permits.

 

“Opening Thamel for 24 hours is not only about restaurants, bars and nightclubs. It’s also about oth­er businesses that cater to tourists in the area,” says Sameer Gurung, President of Thamel Tourism Devel­opment Council (TTDC), an NGO that has been promoting tourism in Thamel since 1989.

 

“Basic facilities like departmental stores, trekking equipment shops, liquor stores, ATM machines, med­ical stores also need to run 24/7. Only then will tourists be assured that all their needs will be catered to.” Gurung thinks that a 24-hour Thamel will perfectly complement the recent government decision to open the Tribhuvan International Airport for 21 hours a day.

 

Still more popular

 

The TTDC is mediating talks between 18 different committees in Thamel and the government for a final approval, to allow all busi­nesses in Thamel to operate round the clock. There are 150 registered hotels/guest houses/lodges, 100 restaurants and 60 bars and night­clubs in the Thamel area alone, according to the NGO. Gurung says the recent introduction of the con­cept of “walking streets” in parts of Thamel, where there are no vehicles allowed, has already increased the allure of the place, and “keeping it open at all hours will make it still more popular”. Gurung points to frequent government changes and equally frequent changes in police leadership as the main hindrance to this ambitious undertaking. The hope is that the ruling left alliance, with a near two-thirds majority, will be able to bring stability.

 

On law and order, “the prepara­tions are in their final phase,” says Dipak Pokharel, DSP of the Sohra­khutte Police Station that looks after security in Thamel, “In the mean­time, we do what we are supposed to: ensure that Thamel is safe for as long as it stays opens.” The Sohra­khutte station is preparing to handle more responsibilities that will come with the new status of Thamel.

 

No Khao San Road

 

But is everyone up for a 24-hour Thamel? Rabi Thapa, the author of “Thamel: Dark Star of Kathman­du”, a biography of the place, is not sold on the idea. “When people say Thamel has to keep up with or become like other tourist hotspots, I ask them ‘why?’. Thamel is unique. Also, which places are we compar­ing ourselves with?” he asks.

 

Thapa, who has been a regular patron of Thamel for a number of years and has travelled around the world, does not think the west­ern culture in Nepal is developed enough to offer round-the-clock entertainment. He also thinks it is important to consider the wishes of the locals who still live there. “Apart from that, Thamel is not like the Khao San Road in Bangkok. We probably don’t want a 24-hour tourist economy based on sex,” he adds. “We owe part of our youth to Thamel, and yes we were frustrat­ed that places closed early, but we always found ways to have fun, and get trashed anyway,” Thapa says.

 

But my interviews with various stakeholders in Thamel suggest that Thapa’s is a minority voice. Most say they are in favor of a 24-hour Thamel, if for different reasons. But if it is to happen, when?

 

The Assistant CDO of Kathmandu, Basu Ghimire, says the committee looking into this issue has a deadline of June 29. “Hopefully, all prepa­rations will be complete by then,” Ghimire added.

 

With recent developments like introduction of walking streets, 21-hour operation of TIA, no load-shedding, and Melamchi waters only months away, a 24-hour Thamel appears more and more possible.