Things to Do

Halloween’s creeping up and the city’s got spooky activities lined up for this haunting season on every major soi (full lineup here). But before you reach for the witch’s hat or vampire cape, here’s a thought: why not dress up as Bangkok itself – its beloved faces, its everyday heroes, its homegrown icons? Bangkok has more personality in one street corner than most places have in their entire downtown. It’s colourful, unpredictable and iconic, so wear that energy on your sleeve, literally. Be the one at the party who thought outside the box, or in this case, outside Chatuchak’s costume stalls. Here’s some inspo to get you started: Tuk-tuk  Photograph: TAT Start strong with a local icon. Go DIY by grabbing a large cardboard box, paint it that unmistakable blue and red combo, strap it around your waist. Throw on a short-sleeved button-up (bonus points if it’s slightly faded) and you can optionally layer a vest over it to give that motorbike jacket energy. Khaki or dark blue work trousers keep it authentic. Maybe tuck a mini Bangkok map in your pocket. Finish with worn trainers or sandals and, really important, a neck towel for that ‘I’ve been driving all day’ effect. What you need: Cardboard box, blue and red paint, short-sleeved button-up (any colour, faded preferred), dark vest, khaki or navy work trousers, folded map, neck towel. If Thailand could win Best National Costume at Miss Universe 2015 with a tuk-tuk, we’re betting hard you’ll win best dressed at your Halloween party. Nanno from Girl from Nowhere   Photograph: Girl from Nowhere   Nanno’s unexpectedly became a global horror icon. She’s a Thai high schooler with mysterious powers who some say echoes Junji Ito’s Tomie, so short description: beautiful, manipulative and impossible to kill. The costume itself is easy and can be elevated to sexy. Button up a white shirt, tuck it into a navy or black pleated mini skirt and commit to the bangs and short hair (thick, blunt bangs need to be straight across) – fake it with a wig if you’re not ready for the chop. White knee-high socks, black Mary Janes and you’re there. Add a small bow or ribbon at the collar if you want that Thai school uniform accuracy. What you need: White button-up shirt, navy or black pleated mini skirt, blunt-bang bob wig (if needed), white knee-high socks, black Mary Jane shoes, optional bow. The real work is in the attitude: slow, haunting eye contact. Stand still when everyone else is moving. Walk up to someone in line for drinks and say, with a sweet smile, ‘Sawasdee ka, I’m Nanno. New here at the school. Please take care of me.’ Goosebumps guaranteed. Muay Thai fighter   Photograph: MU Thailand   This one’s been around the block, yeah. But you can still make it sexy, scary or both and call it yours. Wrap your hands in traditional white hand wraps (you can grab these from any sports store), tie on a mongkon headpiece (DIY it with rope and fabric if you need to) and get those satin Muay Thai shorts: red, blue or gold. Go shirtless or throw on a tiny tank top or sports bra, then add fake blood on your knuckles, lip, maybe a bruise under your eye for effect. Finish with ankle wraps. What you need: White hand wraps, mongkon headpiece (buy or DIY with rope/fabric/ribbon), satin Muay Thai shorts, tank top or sports bra, fake blood, bruise make-up, ankle support wraps. Fun fact: Thailand rocked this as their National Costume at Miss Universe 2021, so consider yourself in elite best-dressed territory. Lisa the rockstar   We’re recreating BLACKPINK’s Lisa at her most untouchable in her Rockstar music video, filmed in Bangkok’s Chinatown. You know the one with the famous verse ‘BKK so pretty!’ To pull the look, you’ll need low-rise or baggy straight-leg jeans, a metallic or sequinned star-shaped bra top (craft stores sell iron-on stars if you want to DIY one onto a sports bra) and plenty of hair gel for that wet, slicked-back ponytail. What you need: Baggy blue jeans (low-rise preferred), star-shaped crop top or metallic bra top with star appliqué, hair gel, silver chain necklaces and bracelets, bold black eyeliner, glossy lip gloss, silver or holographic accessories. Pile on those silver chains, go wild with the silver jewellery, add sparkle wherever you can fit it. Platform boots or chunky trainers seal the deal. Hong Thai inhaler View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Bangkok (@timeoutbangkok)   We all know it, we all love it. The little green stick that fixes everything from headaches to heartbreak. A cardboard tube (wrapping paper tube or poster tube) painted green with yellow accents works. Recreate the label with a marker: write ‘Hong Thai’ in bold letters and add the trademark details. Or wear all green clothing underneath (green dress, jumpsuit or matching set) and tie it together with a yellow belt or sash. Wear one on a chain as an accessory or fully commit and go as a giant inhaler (especially timely since the Hong Thai lady just went viral). What you need: Large cardboard tube, green and yellow paint or paper, markers for label details, all-green outfit (dress, jumpsuit or separates), yellow belt or sash, actual Hong Thai inhaler as accessory or the whole fit. Walk around offering to ‘help people breathe easier’. Instant conversation starter and everyone on Thai soil will get it. Moo Deng the pygmy hippo Photograph: SNL Pay tribute to Thailand’s most adorable celebrity. Dress head to toe in soft grey, so this one can be real comfortable (maybe even grey face paint if you’re feeling ambitious). Add rosy pink blush to your cheeks and go heavy with it. What you need: Grey sweatshirt or hoodie, grey sweatpants or leggings, grey beanie or hood, rosy pink blush (lots of it), grey face paint (optional), small ears made from felt or craft foam. The fits are easy to find now that she’s truly famous. Official merch from Khao Kheow Open Zoo includes hippo-patterned T-shirts, pyjamas, stickers and hats. Plus, the money supports the zoo and her friends, so it’s a win all round. Premika from Killer Karaoke Photograph: Killer Karaoke This one’s niche, but it’s fun, especially if you love karaoke culture. Premika’s look is easy: white button-up shirt, navy or black mini-skirt, white knee-high socks, black Mary Janes (basically a school uniform). But necessary is the bright red wig with thick bangs and a fake microphone covered in blood splatters. What you need: White button-up shirt, navy or black mini-skirt, white knee-high socks, black Mary Jane shoes, bright red wig with bangs, toy microphone, fake blood, pale make-up, dark under-eye circles. The backstory makes it even better. Premika dies in her school uniform and her spirit gets trapped in a karaoke machine. When someone plugs it in years later, she wakes up and she’s pissed. The vengeful ghost is determined to find her killer, knowing only one clue: they’re a terrible singer. So she begins a deadly singing test. Anyone who sings off-key or scores below 80? Death. It’s campy, it’s scary and if you can have an excuse to belt out a Thai classic mid-party, even better. The Hangover Part II crew Photograph: The Hangover Part II Perfect for a trio. Go as the crew who lost everything in Bangkok and somehow lived to tell the tale. Person one must go with a baby carrier with a stuffed monkey inside, Hawaiian shirt or casual button-up, cargo shorts, sunglasses and dishevelled hair. Person two will be in a striped polo shirt (wrinkled), khaki shorts, confused expression and one missing shoe if you’re committed. Person three wears a sleeveless tank top or ripped tee, fake face tattoo across the side of their face (use temporary tattoo paper or eyeliner), messy hair, sunglasses and a generally destroyed look. What you need (collectively): Baby carrier, stuffed monkey, button-up shirts, striped polo, cargo shorts, sunglasses for everyone, temporary tattoo supplies or face paint, optional sweat stain effects (water spray bottle plus dirt) and expressions of pure confusion. Add that universal ‘What happened last night?’ expression. Walk around asking random people if they’ve seen your friend Doug.

October arrived with a bit of rain, but Bangkok doesn’t really do dull seasons. The city thrives on contrast – traffic outside, white-walled calm within. It’s a place where art lives in every possible corner: vast museums with echoing halls, hidden rooms above coffee shops, galleries that look like they might collapse yet hold works that could floor you. If you want to be confused, delighted, unsettled or quietly moved, this city rarely disappoints. The variety is unruly. One evening you might stumble across a show where neon tubes light up the politics of migration, the next morning you’re staring at a centuries-old portrait that feels impossibly alive. There’s contemporary work that questions what it means to exist in a city like this, modernism reinterpreted for the present, and the occasional old master hanging with surprising confidence. What complicates things is choice. With new exhibitions opening constantly, picking where to spend an afternoon can feel like work in itself. So think of this less as a definitive guide and more as a starting point – a way to orient yourself in a city that refuses to stop making, showing and questioning through art, no matter the weather. Stay one step ahead and map out your plans with our round-up of the best things to do in Bangkok.   Get ahead of the game and start planning your month with our list of top things to do this October. Whether you're a regular gallery-goer or just art-curious, these are Bangkok’s best spots to live the art life.   From alleyway masterpieces to paint-splashed corners you might walk past without noticing, here are our top spots to see street art.

Bangkok’s climbing scene is having a moment and the city’s walls are no longer reserved for hardcore climbers. With a new wave of urban bouldering gyms and sleek rope walls opening across the city, the sport’s appeal is clear: physical challenge, mental focus and a social vibe that spin classes can’t quite touch. Whether you’re a total noob looking for a weekend thrill, on the search for a quirky first date idea, or already chalking up for your next V6, there’s a gym out there for you.  

The Museum Star 2025 awards have just been launched by the National Discovery Museum Institute to spotlight the venues that truly shine. The winners were chosen not just for their collections, but for their overall vibe – from excellent service to a truly unique and welcoming experience for guests. Only 10 pioneering Bangkok institutions made the inaugural list, giving them a well-deserved badge of excellence. Consider your next cultural outing sorted.  Here are 10 award-winning spots to check out now.

We’ve hit month nine of 2025, can you believe it? The year has been a whirlwind, yet Bangkok’s art scene keeps blooming like it’s on its own schedule. Bangkok Design Week might have taken its energy south to Songkhla for Pakk Taii Design Week, but don’t worry if you’re sticking around the capital – the city still has plenty to keep you wandering, pausing and occasionally losing yourself. Bangkok has this way of surprising even the most seasoned art lovers. Exhibitions pop up with startling frequency, each one a chance to step into someone else’s imagination, whether it’s a tiny gallery tucked down a soi or a sprawling installation demanding all your attention. We’ve wandered through them, lingered in the corners, and scribbled our own impressions. The list below gathers the exhibitions that genuinely stand out – each one offering something distinct, a little spark to shake up your routine. If you’re planning a weekend, or even a short wander after work, these shows are worth the detour. Trust us, they’re the kind of experiences that make you remember why you fell for the city’s creativity in the first place. Stay one step ahead and map out your plans with our round-up of the best things to do in Bangkok. Get ahead of the game and start planning your month with our list of top things to do this September. Whether you're a regular gallery-goer or just art-curious, these are Bangkok’s best spots to live the art life.

August arrives like a slow sigh, heavy with rain yet stubbornly fierce with heat – the city’s contradictions tangled like the wires overhead. It’s the kind of month that begs for escape, preferably somewhere air-conditioned and electric with possibility. And Bangkok delivers, quietly unfolding moments that flicker between the familiar and the fantastical. At the heart of it all is Capture Bangkok, a fresh lens on the city’s restless rhythm. 10 photographers, alongside campaign winners, pull back layers of noise and neon to reveal unexpected poetry – traffic snarls that pulse like music, tangled wires transformed into romance, and fleeting pockets of calm tucked between chaos. It’s a project that invites you to see the city anew, through eyes both seasoned and young. Meanwhile, Jurassic World: The Experience thunders into town with a breath that’s almost alive. More than 10 zones immerse visitors in Isla Nublar’s prehistoric pulse, where life-sized dinosaurs lurk just beyond sight and scenes from the film unravel around every corner. It’s not theatre – it’s a summons to step out of time, to feel what’s stirring just beneath the surface. Not far from this primeval roar, the Dragon Ball Heroes Rise exhibition offers a different kind of energy – electric, spiky and unmistakably alive. Over 40 life-sized characters stand poised for selfies and challenges alike, while immersive zones beckon visitors to fuse, fight and hunt for dragon balls in a vivid playground where nostalgia and futurism collide. Then there’s Mali Bucha, where dance becomes ritual reborn in the digital age. Pichet Klunchun invites audiences to engage not as spectators but participants – submitting wishes to a digital shrine, watching as dancers carry prayers into the unseen. Each night unfolds differently, shaped by faith, energy and the delicate choreography between human and virtual worlds. August, it seems, is a patchwork of worlds – ancient and futuristic, intimate and epic, all held together by the city’s unyielding pulse. Stay one step ahead and map out your plans with our round-up of the best things to do in Bangkok. Get ahead of the game and start planning your month with our list of top things to do this August. Whether you're a regular gallery-goer or just art-curious, these are Bangkok’s best spots to live the art lifeFrom alleyway masterpieces to paint-splashed corners you might walk past without noticing, here are our top spots to see street art.

Pride month may have closed its curtains, but the city’s cultural pulse shows no sign of slowing. June left us full – of installations, declarations, all the shades that make identity less of a statement and more of a spectrum. But if you thought it ended there, think again. July arrives with a quiet sprawl of exhibitions that ask different questions: about memory, language, loss and the shape of play. Still running is Lost in DOMLAND, Udom Taephanich’s gentle rebellion against the slow disappearance of silliness. It's not comedy, not quite tragedy either – more like a stage whisper from your younger self, reminding you that make-believe was once second nature. That monsters made of cardboard were just as real as the ones we now carry in our heads. Another good one, the Yuyuan Lantern Festival casts Bangkok in a softer light – literally. A first for the city, this chapter of China’s legendary spectacle reimagines ancient creatures from the Shan Hai Jing, their stories pulsing through illuminated paper forms. It’s part folklore, part fever dream. And if you're looking to trade fantasy for abstraction, Calligraphic Abstraction at Bangkok Kunsthalle offers Tang Chang’s trembling lines that blur scripture and spirit, proof that sometimes meaning lives in the unreadable. Then there’s The Shattered World, part of the James H. W. Thompson Foundation’s 50th anniversary programme – an ambitious, multi-site excavation of the Cold War’s lingering ghosts, stretching across the BACC, Jim Thompson Art Centre, the House Museum and William Warren Library. With works by 13 collectives, it doesn’t tidy history – it unsettles it. So yes, Pride flags have come down. But art? Art keeps asking. Keeps answering, and sometimes, just holds the silence in between. Stay one step ahead and map out your plans with our round-up of the best things to do in Bangkok. Get ahead of the game and start planning your month with our list of top things to do this July. Whether you're a regular gallery-goer or just art-curious, these are Bangkok’s best spots to live the art life From alleyway masterpieces to paint-splashed corners you might walk past without noticing, here are our top spots to see street art.  

June rolls in like a rush of neon, sequins and unapologetic joy – Pride is back, loud and proud. But this year carries a weight beyond the usual glitter and dancefloor confessions. Thailand marks its first legal recognition of same-sex marriage, a milestone decades in the making and a quiet revolution writ large across the city’s streets. Over 200,000 people will flood Bangkok, a tidal wave of colour and defiance, each step a statement, each flag a banner of hard-won freedom. The parade isn’t just a party – it’s a procession of resilience, love and history colliding in the most spectacular way. Photograph: Bangkok Pride From the wildest drag to the quietest moments of solidarity, this celebration stretches beyond surface-level exuberance. It’s the culmination of years spent fighting for recognition, for rights, for a space to simply exist without compromise. Bangkok’s roads become a runway of belonging, a stage for every story, every identity, every fierce truth. More than just a date on the calendar, this Pride is a declaration that love – unfiltered, untamed, in all its forms – finally has a home here. While the Bangkok Pride parade remains the highlight, the city hums with other LGBTQ+ events both before and after, making sure the celebration stretches well beyond a single day. So read on – there’s much more to discover. Photograph: Bangkok Pride When is Bangkok Pride? On Sunday June 1, Bangkok’s Pride parade returns to Rama I Road, transforming the city’s commercial spine into a living, glittering declaration. From 2pm-10pm, the theme ‘Born This Way’ will unfold not as slogan but insistence – a celebration of identity worn loud and without apology. The route begins at the National Stadium and ends at Ratchaprasong Intersection, cutting through Bangkok’s shopping district beneath a canopy of over 200 metres of rainbow and identity flags. It’s not subtle. It’s not meant to be. Expect drag queens, dancers, families, elders – all part of a procession that refuses to be quiet. Bangkok doesn’t just host Pride. It remixes it. Tradition and rebellion share the pavement, temples peer over sequinned shoulders. Photograph: Bangkok Pride How to take part in Pride in Bangkok 2025 Applications are now open for groups wanting to march in the official Pride parade right here. An event of this scale doesn’t materialise from sheer goodwill. It runs on the shoulders of hundreds willing to give time, energy and the occasional weekend to something that matters. Behind the sequins and sound systems are volunteers handling everything from fundraising and retail wrangling to artist coordination and logistics. On the day itself, over a thousand stewards will help steer the chaos into something resembling choreography – visibility needs structure, after all. Photograph: Bangkok Pride Bangkok Pride lineup From 11am-2.30pm, participants arrive, register, transform themselves, then line up by colour, a human rainbow waiting to move. At 2.30pm, there’s a brief opening – less ceremony, more ignition. By 3pm, the formation begins. What was once a gathering becomes a parade. Between 4pm and 4.30pm, the march officially sets off, winding its way towards Central World over the next few hours. Along the route, stages offer quick bursts of performance. At 6pm, the big acts begin. Possibly mor lam, possibly something else entirely. For the full lineup, visit Bangkok Pride here. Photograph: Bangkok Pride

June arrives like a glitch in the system – a month stitched together by celebration and resistance, identity and exception. It’s the kind of moment where art feels less like decoration and more like a way of breathing.  In Bangkok, art isn’t confined to white cubes or gallery walls. It spills, glitches and stares back. The galleries don’t sleep. The warehouses flicker with light. You’ll find exhibitions in places that feel vaguely illegal and performances that seem like they’ve been dreamt up at 3am by someone who hasn't blinked in days. And maybe that’s enough: to witness, to feel, to not look away. Because art, like identity, was never meant to be tidy. Remember Lost in DOMLAND? That surrealist maze of desire and disorientation that made you feel like you'd stumbled into someone else's subconscious? Or A Cage of Fragile Heart, where tenderness became performance, and vulnerability was something to wear, not hide? That same raw energy pulses through this month’s line-up – less polished, more honest. And while Attack on Titan Final Exhibition gave us collapsing walls and the weight of legacy, and Hit the Road carved out moments of quiet rebellion, June doesn’t look back so much as it fragments forward. It isn’t neat. It doesn’t try to be. Instead, it offers a series of entry points – some loud, others almost imperceptible – into questions of selfhood, memory and what it means to be seen. There’s no single narrative, no tidy moral. Just flashes of truth, stitched together by artists who are less interested in answers than they are in asking the questions we keep avoiding. So, if you’re looking for something comfortable, you might want to sit this one out. But if you're ready to feel slightly unmoored in the best possible way, June’s waiting. Make time to wander through these exhibitions – and while you're out, take in the rest of what Bangkok has lined up this weekend. Below, you’ll find all of the free art and photography exhibitions happening in the city right now, but that’s not everything: don’t miss out on the things to do on the weekend right here. Enjoy! Stay one step ahead and map out your plans with our round-up of the best things to do in Bangkok.   Get ahead of the game and start planning your month with our list of top things to do this June. Whether you're a regular gallery-goer or just art-curious, these are Bangkok’s best spots to live the art life From alleyway masterpieces to paint-splashed corners you might walk past without noticing, here are our top spots to see street art.

If you're the sort of person who slows down at a half-painted wall or feels personally attacked by a good curation, Bangkok will keep you busy. The city’s art scene isn’t just thriving – it’s sprawling, unpredictable and, at times, gloriously chaotic. From white-cube galleries tucked inside half-renovated shopfronts to sprawling museum halls and street corners where murals seem to bloom overnight, there’s no singular way to experience it all – and frankly, no point in trying. Alongside permanent collections and galleries are artist-run spaces and community-led studios with more personality than polish, where work is hung with nails, not pretension. Add to that a packed calendar of temporary exhibitions – changing faster than most people can update their weekend plans – and you’ll find yourself wandering into corners of the city you didn’t know existed, just to catch a film screening or a giant sculpture on Sanam Luang. And yes, it’s a lot. Too much, maybe. But that’s hardly a complaint. If anything, it's a reminder that Bangkok’s cultural life isn’t waiting for permission – it’s already happening, with or without you. We’re just here to help you keep up. Make time to wander through these exhibitions – and while you're out, take in the rest of what Bangkok has lined up this weekend. Below, you’ll find all of the free art and photography exhibitions happening in the city right now, but that’s not everything: don’t miss out on the things to do on the weekend right here. Enjoy. Stay one step ahead and map out your plans with our round-up of the best things to do in Bangkok. Get ahead of the game and start planning your month with our list of top things to do this May. Whether you're a regular gallery-goer or just art-curious, these are Bangkok’s best spots to live the art life From alleyway masterpieces to paint-splashed corners you might walk past without noticing, here are our top spots to see street art.