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It’s Pride Month, hallelujah. June once again sees rainbow flags, drag shows, film screenings and late-night parties spill across Bangkok, with celebrations popping up in nearly every corner of the city. Among the fixtures that have earned a place on the city's Pride calendar on Saturday June 20, Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok continues its celebration of queer storytelling, culture and community through a day of landmark film screenings and shared experiences.
Once the credits roll, Bar.Yard carries the festivities into the evening with its annual Freddie Mercury-inspired party, bringing together live music, karaoke and plenty of opportunities for a sing-along under the city lights.
The day starts at the hotel’s Grand Studio with the sixth edition of the Pride Film Festival, a public screening series dedicated to iconic LGBTQIA+ storytelling.
This year journeys from Alice Wu’s tender Chinese American romcom Saving Face at 1pm to Lily Tomlin indie favourite Grandma at 3pm, before landing on Chookiat Sakveerakul’s generation-defining Love of Siam at 4.40pm, still one of Thai cinema’s most quietly devastating love stories nearly two decades later.
Closing the programme at 7.40pm is The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the cult musical that turns every screening into a slightly unhinged communal ritual. Admission is free with advance reservation here, while snacks, drinks and limited-edition goodies from LUSH Thailand keep things fuelled between screenings.
After sunset, attention shifts upstairs to Bar.Yard. Taipei cocktail bar To Infinity and Beyond kicks things off from 7pm with a guest shift led by founder Mars Chang, whose experimental drinks have earned the bar spots on Asia’s 50 Best Bars and World’s Top 500 Bars lists. From 9pm onwards, Break Free at Bar.Yard takes over with Freddie Mercury tributes, live rock sets from Big Joe & Voodoo Boys, karaoke sessions hosted by VIBE Soundsystem and a closing set from DJ Pegg built for singing loudly with strangers.
Whether you come for tearjerker cinema, Freddie Mercury karaoke or a very strong cocktail with a Bangkok skyline backdrop, Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok’s Pride celebration covers all bases.