Central Pattaya

Central Pattaya, formerly CentralFestival Pattaya Beach, is a major shopping, dining, entertainment, and hospitality complex located on Pattaya Beach in Chonburi, Thailand. It opened in 2009 as the first shopping mall developed under the Central Pattaya name and forms part of the wider Central Pattana and Central Group retail portfolio. The complex occupies a prominent position between Pattaya Beach Road and Pattaya Second Road, near Pattaya Beach Soi 9, and is designed to serve both local residents and the city's large domestic and international visitor base. The mall contains a retail podium of approximately 200,000 square metres spread across seven floors. Its tenant mix includes more than 370 retail shops, department-store and supermarket operations, specialty retailers, restaurants, food courts, cinemas, bowling, and other leisure facilities. Major anchors and associated offerings have included Central The Store at Pattaya, Tops Food Hall, SFX Cinema, SF Strike Bowl, B2S, Power Buy, Supersports, Nitori, Central Food, Food Park, and Beach Eats. The complex is also connected to Hilton Pattaya, a 302-room hotel that opened in November 2010. The hotel occupies the upper portion of the building and significantly increases the structure's vertical presence, extending roughly 34 additional storeys above the mall. Central Pattaya's positioning combines conventional urban shopping-centre functions with a resort-oriented beachfront setting. Its architecture uses a curved façade, extensive glazing, wood elements, palm landscaping, and an open plaza facing the beach. These features are intended to provide natural light, sea views, and an atmosphere associated with Pattaya's coastal tourism economy. The complex also provides parking for more than 2,000 vehicles, supporting access from the city's road network. The property has remained an important commercial and visitor destination in Pattaya. Its location, scale, department-store anchor, entertainment facilities, and direct relationship with the Hilton hotel allow it to function as more than a conventional mall: it is a retail and leisure landmark within the city's beachfront district. In 2023, following concerns about public safety after a shooting at Bangkok's Siam Paragon, Pattaya police conducted a simulated active-shooter response exercise at the mall. Central Pattaya subsequently worked with local authorities and Pattaya Beach-area stakeholders on enhanced security measures, including upgrades to its closed-circuit television system and the establishment of a security coordination room.

Central Pattaya began operations in 2009 under the name CentralFestival Pattaya Beach. It was developed as the first shopping centre associated with the Central Pattaya brand and became one of the most prominent retail projects in Pattaya, a major coastal tourism destination in eastern Thailand. The development reflected the expansion of modern, large-format retail into resort cities and was intended to serve a broad customer base comprising Pattaya residents, domestic tourists, and international visitors. The complex occupies a strategically visible site between Pattaya Beach Road and Pattaya Second Road, close to Pattaya Beach Soi 9. Its design was conceived as a beachfront lifestyle destination rather than a closed, inward-facing retail box. The front of the building is oriented toward the sea and includes palm trees, a plaza, and escalators connecting the beach side with the mall. The façade is curved and approximately 111 metres wide, while wood, large windows, and natural light contribute to an open-air resort character. The building's prominent skyline profile is largely attributable to the Hilton hotel above the shopping podium. At opening, the mall established a large retail and entertainment platform for Pattaya. The completed retail podium comprises approximately 200,000 square metres over seven floors and accommodates more than 370 shops. Its anchor structure has included the Central department store, food retail, cinema, bowling, books and stationery, electronics, sporting goods, and a range of dining formats. The combination of everyday retail and visitor-oriented leisure offerings gives the property a dual role: it serves as a local shopping centre while also operating as a destination for tourists seeking air-conditioned retail, restaurants, entertainment, and sea views. A major later addition to the integrated complex was Hilton Pattaya, which opened in November 2010. The 302-room hotel is located above the shopping centre and provides a direct hospitality connection to the retail and entertainment facilities below. The hotel also gives the development a distinctive vertical landmark, with the full structure extending approximately 34 storeys above the mall. Together, the mall and hotel created a mixed-use destination linking retail, leisure, accommodation, and the Pattaya beachfront. Central Pattaya has continued to operate as a significant property in Central Pattana's shopping-centre portfolio. Its facilities include parking for more than 2,000 vehicles, supporting access from Pattaya's busy road network. The centre's tenant and anchor mix has evolved over time, with offerings such as Tops Food Hall, SFX Cinema, SF Strike Bowl, B2S, Power Buy, Supersports, Nitori, Central Food, Food Park, and Beach Eats represented among its retail, food, and leisure functions. Public safety became a specific operational issue in 2023. After the shooting at Siam Paragon in Bangkok on 3 October, Pattaya police conducted a simulated shooting-response exercise at Central Pattaya on 7 November. The exercise was intended to assess emergency coordination and response procedures in a crowded commercial environment. The mall also tightened security cooperation with Pattaya Beach-area stakeholders, upgraded its closed-circuit television system, and established a dedicated coordination room. These measures formed part of the site's ongoing operational response to public-safety concerns rather than a change in its retail positioning. Today, Central Pattaya remains an active beachfront shopping and entertainment complex. Its identity is built on the combination of Central Group retail operations, a large multi-level tenant base, resort-style architecture, hospitality integration through Hilton Pattaya, and a location at the centre of Pattaya's visitor economy.

• 2023

  Security-response exercise and security upgrades

  [1]Central Pattayaen.wikipedia.org

  Pattaya police conduct a simulated shooting-response drill at the mall, followed by strengthened security coordination, closed-circuit television upgrades, and the creation of a security coordination room.

• 2010

  Hilton Pattaya opens above the mall

  [1]Central Pattayaen.wikipedia.org

  The 302-room Hilton Pattaya begins operations as the integrated hotel component of the mixed-use complex.

• 2009

  CentralFestival Pattaya Beach opens

  [1]Central Pattayaen.wikipedia.org

  The shopping centre opens in Pattaya as the first mall developed under the Central Pattaya brand.

A large-scale beachfront lifestyle and shopping destination combining department-store retail, specialty shopping, dining, entertainment, and an integrated international hotel in Pattaya's tourism district.

• Department store · 2009

  Central The Store at Pattaya

  The department-store anchor provides a broad general-merchandise offer within the mall, complementing the centre's specialty retailers and helping position Central Pattaya as a full-service shopping destination for residents and visitors.

• Food retail

  Tops Food Hall

  A food-retail anchor serving grocery and prepared-food needs as part of the mall's everyday shopping offer.

• Cinema

  SFX Cinema

  A ten-screen cinema complex that adds mainstream film entertainment to Central Pattaya's retail and leisure mix.

• Bowling entertainment

  SF Strike Bowl

  A bowling and leisure facility that broadens the centre's entertainment offer beyond shopping and dining.

• Hotel · 2010

  Hilton Pattaya

  The 302-room hotel integrated directly into the upper portion of the complex. It opened in November 2010 and provides accommodation, hospitality services, and elevated views over Pattaya Bay.

• 2023

  Enhanced public-safety and surveillance measuresStrategy

  Background

  The decision followed heightened concern about gun violence at crowded commercial venues after the October 2023 shooting at Siam Paragon in Bangkok.

  Action taken

  Central Pattaya strengthened cooperation with Pattaya-area authorities, supported a simulated police response exercise, upgraded its closed-circuit television system, and established a security coordination room.

  Aftermath

  The measures increased the mall's emergency-preparedness and security-monitoring capabilities. No financial impact was reported in the cited material.

  Source

• 2023

  Pattaya police conduct simulated shooting-response drill at Central Pattaya[1]Central Pattayaen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · Other

  Following the Siam Paragon shooting in Bangkok, Pattaya police staged a simulated shooting incident at Central Pattaya to test emergency response procedures. The mall also strengthened coordination with authorities and pursued improvements to surveillance and security operations.

1. 1Central Pattayaen.wikipedia.org