Want a better city? Bangkok Active Festival brings fresh ideas to Lumphini Park this June 19-21

Bangkok rarely sits still. The capital is forever adding new green spaces, plugging gaps in its public transport and working out better ways to look after the people who live here. And the people best placed to say what actually works? The ones walking its streets every day. 

That is the thinking behind Bangkok Active Festival,  free three-day gathering at Lumphini Park from June 19-21, organised by Thai PBS Centre for Social Agenda and Public Policy Communication with a network of partners. Under the park's big rain trees, just a short walk from the Silom and Lumphini MRT exits, residents are invited to imagine, debate and help shape a better Bangkok – from greener neighbourhoods and wider transit coverage to support for vulnerable communities and a more serious crack at urban poverty.

The line-up makes room for plenty of voices. On the central stage, Vision in the Park brings people together to swap ideas about where the capital goes next, while Bangkok Open Mic hands the microphone to artists and locals with their own take on the city. The exhibition zone, Bangkok Has Come Far, But Can Go Further, looks back at the capital’s past and asks what still needs fixing through displays such as Bangkok Timeline: 50 Years of Bangkok Governors and Interactive Data: Four Years of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council. A Policy Market gives younger generations space to pitch fresh ideas for everyday city life.

The Bangkok Active Space & Connect zone keeps things hands-on. Hop aboard Pedal Ducks, try Talk City and send your hopes to the next governor, sit down with an iced coffee for the morning Coffee Truck, Coffee Talk sessions or settle on the grass with Some Lee Book Club. Elsewhere you'll find the Green Market selling sustainable produce, Bangkok Boardgame putting you in charge of running the city, a free-play patch for kids and Sort Before You Toss, a practical lesson in getting waste sorting right. 

Bangkok Active Festival runs at Lumphini Park from June 19-21, 9am-7.30pm. Entry is free, though registration is required (here).