Our picks for the best things to do in Bangkok this weekend

Twice a year, one of Bangkok's most beautiful heritage buildings turns into a book lover’s playground. The Neilson Hays Library’s biannual sale spreads hundreds of titles across its neoclassical interiors, with prices starting from just B20. Stock covers fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, cookbooks and more, in both Thai and English. The smart move is to go more than once – titles rotate daily, so what’s not there today might appear tomorrow. Even if you leave empty-handed (unlikely), the setting alone is worth it. Founded in 1869 and housed in its current building since 1921, the library still carries its original details – from wooden shelves to ceiling fans – alongside more recent recognition, including a UNESCO conservation award. When: May 16-24 (closed May 18), 9.30am-5pmWhere: Neilson Hays Library, SurawongPrice: Free entry

The annual sale at Neilson Hays Library returns for 2026, and regulars know the drill: arrive early, bring a sturdy tote, and prepare to leave with more than planned. Set against the library’s quietly elegant architecture, the event offers shelves of secondhand titles in Thai and English, covering novels, art books, children’s stories, older prints and the occasional rare find, with prices starting from B20. Selections come partly from the library’s own collection, alongside books gathered specifically for the occasion. Every purchase supports the upkeep of the historic building, so it’s shopping with a purpose. Word is, a small surprise also waits for visitors this year, a gentle thank you for turning up and browsing. May ​16-24. Free. Neilson Hays Library. 9.30am-5pm

First staged in Cheongju Craft Biennale, this group exhibition arrives in Bangkok following a debut as the Invited Country Pavilion in Cheongju, South Korea. The project grows from an ongoing exchange between Thailand and the Republic of Korea, setting craft alongside contemporary art across Southeast and East Asia. At its core sits ‘Elastic Time’, a curatorial thread that questions how time behaves across the region. Forget neat timelines. Here, past, present and future overlap, repeat and quietly reshape one another. The Cheongju edition sets the tone as a cross-cultural conversation, where material, process and memory carry equal weight. Artists approach craft not as something fixed, but as a way to consider what unfolds now, and what might come next. Until August 16. Free. Jim Thompson Art Center. 10am-6pm

Craft here reads like a way of staying present. The exhibition looks at time across Thailand and Southeast Asia as something layered and cyclical, shaped by ritual, labour and shared experience rather than strict progression. Makers move between past and present with a quiet ease, holding inherited knowledge while adjusting to what now demands. Objects carry that negotiation, each one marked by repetition. Slowness becomes intentional, offering an alternative to constant speed and easy consumption. Nothing feels rushed, yet nothing stands still either.  April 30-16 August. Free. Jim Thompson Art Center, 10am-6pm

Julian Marley arrives in Bangkok with The Uprising, carrying forward a legacy without making a fuss about it. The set lands with quiet confidence, rooted in classic reggae yet shaped for a live crowd that knows what it came for. Support comes from familiar names across the scene, including JOB2DO, Malaiman Downtown and INJA, keeping the energy steady from start to finish. It’s a line-up that shifts smoothly between generations and styles. The final Bangkok stop lands at UOB LIVE, right in the city centre and a short walk from BTS Phrom Phong, built for shows that aim a little higher. May 22. B2,950 via here. UOB LIVE. 6pm

In ‘Echoes of Us’, Molticha Pongudompanya leans into uncertainty rather than resolution. Figures drift between recognition and disappearance, suspended somewhere between memory, reflection and physical presence. Layering and double exposure shape much of the work, with overlapping bodies and objects creating a sense of movement that never fully settles. The surfaces carry just as much weight as the imagery itself. Rough brushstrokes soften into hazier textures, while scraped paint leaves behind traces that resemble dust, smoke or fading film negatives.  May 10-31. Free entry. Joyman Gallery. 11am-6pm

HOMU’s latest seasonal collaboration with crafted pistachio milk café brand Pista& feels aimed squarely at people who want coffee and dessert to quietly merge into the same thing. Everything lands soft, nutty and creamy without tipping into overload. Matcha pistachio cloud layers cold whisked matcha with salted butter notes and a pistachio kinako cloud, while pistachio kinako milk leans deeper into roasted flavours with thick kinako milk and an unexpectedly rich pistachio topping.  Meanwhile, the pistachio soymilk pudding layers silky soymilk pudding with smooth pistachio paste, finished with kinako and pistachio powder. Rich but controlled – exactly the sort of thing Bangkok cafés are fully obsessed with right now. Now until June 30 or until sold out. HOMU, Sathorn 2. Open daily 9am-6pm

Imprint Project gathers artists from Guatemala whose works carry a strong sense of place through intricate mark-making, texture and inherited symbolism. Hosted at Arun Amarin 23 Art Space, the show moves through daily rituals, spiritual references and fragments of memory without spelling everything out too neatly. The collaboration between ml3print studio and Santa Thekla Atelier de Grabado leaves room for interpretation, which suits the work better anyway.  May 1-30. Free entry. Arun Amarin 23 Art Space. 11am-4pm

Picture a Bangkok street where artists work in front of you, jazz drifts through the air and conversation comes easily between stalls. That’s the mood as the fourth Bangkok Art Walk returns to Chakraphong Road and Lan Luang Road, bringing art, collectibles, home decor, music and playful activities together across six weekends. It starts on April 25-26 and May 2-3 with art, books, vinyl and cassette shops, ideal for a slow browse and a few well-chosen finds. On May 16-17 and May 23-24, street art takes focus alongside fashion stalls and wellness activities such as city running and cycling. The final weekends, June 13-14 and June 20-21, close with an art market, plus plant shops and pet goods for a softer finish. Until June 21. Free. L’On Bangkok, Chakkaphatdi Phong Road and Lan Luang Road. 4pm-10pm

sits firmly in the category of places you keep having to return to. But this time, it feels different. The concept leans on the ocean after dark, when sunlight disappears and whole ecosystems carry on unseen. You wander through shifting light, sometimes above the waterline, sometimes beneath it, with bioluminescent creatures flickering softly around you. Details keep catching your eye. A neon wall answers your touch with imagined marine life. Seahorses glow under tinted light, rainforest corners bloom with luminous flora, and a quiet full moon hangs over goldfish. In the shark tunnel, silver ripples mimic night tides, while Gentoo penguins stand beneath drifting northern lights. Even the familiar route feels refreshed, with a small stamp trail guiding the way. Until September 20. Starts at B449 via here. SEA LIFE Bangkok