The best things to do in Bangkok this February

Order feels increasingly fragile. Systems wobble, tempers shorten and the future arrives looking less polite than promised. Against that backdrop, Bangkok Design Week returns with a sharper sense of purpose and fewer rhetorical flourishes. The long-running question ‘What can design do?’ has shifted gear. In 2026, it lands as a demand for action, grounded, practical and impatient. This year’s theme, DESIGN S/O/S, frames creativity as a working tool rather than a decorative extra. Secure Domestic looks at strengthening local economies through new standards. Outreach Opportunities pushes collaboration beyond borders with confidence rather than bravado. Sustainable Future focuses on survival that lasts longer than a trend cycle. Design here belongs to everyone, not just studios and showrooms. The ninth edition invites thinkers, makers and sceptics alike to act, test ideas and keep moving forward together.

January 29-February 8. Free. Citywide.

Givēon peddles a particular kind of devastation as a singer. What many call velvet smooth heartbreak, wrapped in a deep baritone that could make a breakup sound almost beautiful. The seven-time Grammy-nominated R&B singer has announced his first ever Thai concert. It's part of his Dear Beloved Tour, named after his second studio album Beloved, which dropped last July to critical praise and reached number eight on the Billboard 200. The new album continues mining that same vein with tracks like 'Twenties' and 'Rather Be' exploring the peculiar pain of wasted time and hindsight regret. Givēon told Rolling Stone that Beloved 'was made live, so it's made to be performed live'. He's bringing strings, horns, background vocals and a full eight to 10 piece band to create what he describes as a 'movie-like world' on stage. 

February 2. B2,500-3,200 via here. UOB LIVE, 6pm

RomRom rings in 2026 the way it prefers: loud, loose and slightly unruly. This edition stretches across four floors of the Warehouse Talad Now, five stages stitched together by a shared sense of mischief and a community-built soundsystem that feels proudly overengineered. The line up reads like a group chat screenshot come to life, with Che Wax, Jalbrahim, Adis Is OK, Guidon, Elaheh, Dangdut Banget, Unix, Alex Zaldua, Susha, Isaac & Izzy and Renier & Simbo all pulling their own weight. At the centre sits Nabihah Iqbal, a DJ and producer whose radio life spans NTS, the BBC and New York’s The Lot. Her sets move with curiosity rather than hierarchy, sliding across decades and geographies without explanation. Expect an extended bazaar, a fresh merch moment and a night that lingers longer than planned.

February 6. B555 via here and B888 at the door. The Warehouse Talad Noi, 4pm onwards

Japan Expo Thailand turns 11 and returns with the confidence of something that knows it no longer has to explain itself. Across three days this February, the festival reshapes Bangkok into a loose map of Japanese fixations, from obsessive food corners to showcases that nod at craft, pop culture and newer creative experiments. One minute you’re watching a crowd queue politely for takoyaki, the next you’re drifting past contemporary art, anime curiosities and stages hosting headline Asian acts. Beyond the fanfare, the appeal sits in its range. Travel dreams, study ambitions and licensed collectibles share floor space without judgement. Business conversations hum quietly at the edges. Japan appears less as a distant reference point and more as a familiar neighbour, one that has been part of the region’s cultural vocabulary for years. Consider it a reunion rather than a spectacle.

February 6-8. Free. Central World, 10am-9pm

Anyone who’s grown up with Isan music knows the feeling. A few notes land and suddenly your body answers before your brain does. Feet shuffle, shoulders loosen and the night quietly rearranges itself. The Modern Sound from Isan leans into that instinct, setting up at Marshall Livehouse with sound so clean it feels almost unfair. The bass hits right, the melodies stay sticky and dancing stops being a decision. Between tracks, the room smells faintly of spice. Lab Krung handles the food side with dishes designed for sharing, wiping sweat from your brow and pulling you back for more. It’s not a throwback or a novelty act. This is Isan culture meeting the present, confident enough to let the music do most of the talking and the crowd finish the sentence.

February 7. Free. Marshall Livehouse, 1pm onwards

February in Bangkok has a habit of softening people, especially once the city lifts you above street level. Skyline Film leans into the season with a rooftop programme that treats romance as a broad church rather than a fixed idea. Over four evenings at River City, love stories unfold in all their familiar, awkward and occasionally devastating forms. Chungking Express shares space with Romeo + Juliet, while 10 Things I Hate About You rubs shoulders with Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The weekend turns gentler, then heavier. No Strings Attached leads neatly to Pride & Prejudice, before 50 First Dates sets up the quiet ache of Brokeback Mountain. Come coupled, single or undecided. The skyline does the rest, the films carry the feeling and nobody asks too many questions.

February 12-15. B500 via here. River City Bangkok, 5.30pm and 8.30pm

Maya City looks different once the sun gives up. The Film Archive’s replica streets, borrowed from Thai and world cinema, take on a softer glow after dark, opening for a rare evening that feels quietly transportive. Wander past familiar façades while craft stalls stay open late, live music drifts through courtyards and small activities invite lingering rather than rushing. The soundtrack changes each night. Thee Chaiyadej brings warmth on February 13, followed by the gentle, almost whispered songs of Pijika Jittaputta two days later. Valentine’s Day belongs to student bands from the Salaya community, offering earnest love songs that feel more sincere than polished. It’s a once-a-year chance to see this cinematic city breathe at night, romantic without trying too hard and best enjoyed slowly, preferably with nowhere else to be.

February 13-15. Free. Thai Film Archive, 5pm-9pm

The Nordic Film Festival returns with a familiar sense of quiet confidence, bringing Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden back to the same screen. Over two days, four films sketch a portrait of everyday life shaped by dry humour, emotional restraint and long winters that seem to encourage reflection. These stories favour small gestures over spectacle, finding meaning in family tensions, awkward silences and moments that linger longer than expected. Rather than selling an idea of the region, the programme lets contradictions sit comfortably side by side. Tradition brushes up against modern anxiety, intimacy shares space with distance and laughter often arrives slightly sideways. Watching them together reveals shared concerns without flattening their differences. Consider it a reminder that cinema doesn’t need volume to leave an impression, just careful storytelling and the patience to let it unfold.

February 13. Free. The Embassy of Denmark, 6.15pm onwards

Dream Theater are hitting their 40th anniversary this year, and the legendary prog metal band mark the milestone with a massive tour. Since forming back in 1986, the group has basically turned rock music into high art through seriously impressive technical skill and mind-bending musical complexity. If you've ever been blown away by albums like Images and Words or Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, this is your chance to see the masters at work. Expect a night packed with the band's most iconic tracks, and given their reputation for spectacular live shows, this 40th anniversary celebration is shaping up to be something special. The tour takes in venues worldwide throughout 2026.

February 18. B3,000-B3,500 via here.Idea Live at Bravo BKK, 7pm

Japanese songwriter Ichiko Aoba has just dropped Luminescent Creatures, an album that's getting serious love from all the fans. Aoba's known for pairing simple yet refined arrangements with deeply personal lyrics that feel like you've stumbled into a private universe containing just you and the music. The album captures all that dreamy intensity she's famous for. This new album takes inspiration from her travels around the Ryukyu Islands in Okinawa, where she went diving in the surrounding seas. The result is a dreamy collection that captures both the endless beauty and the thrilling unpredictability of the ocean itself.

February 19. B1,600-3,400 via here. KBank SiamPic Hall at Siam Square One, 7pm

ONE OK ROCK has been smashing it in Thailand for a decade now. The Japanese rock quartet first hit Central World Live back in 2013, then Thunder Dome in 2016 and Impact Arena in 2018. Their most recent gig on December 12 2023 sold out completely, with thousands of fans calling it one of the best shows they'd ever seen. Now the band returns with their latest album DETOX performed live in full. Critics reckon it's their deepest and most globally ambitious record yet. Lead single Tropical Therapy has won serious praise from fans and music press alike for its raw emotion, powerful sound and genre bending approach. If their track record is anything to go by, this show is going to be massive.

February 21. B2,700-5,500 via here. Impact Arena, 7pm

Transport welcomes 2026 with its usual lack of restraint, favouring volume, sweat and a sense that tomorrow can wait. The night pulls together a line up that feels deliberately scattered, with Eternal Love, Anacalypto, Sol, Kornlee, Jeto, An!ka and a familiar resident presence anchoring the room. Friends fly in from different corners, records get shared like secrets and the floor fills before anyone thinks to check the time. What makes this party work isn’t scale or spectacle but trust. Trust in the selectors to read the room. Trust in the crowd to stay curious. Trust that things don’t need smoothing out to feel good. Expect moments of sweetness, sudden left turns and that particular Transport feeling where leaving early seems almost rude. It’s messy in the best way, held together by sound and stubborn joy.

February 28. B1,000-1,200 via here. ChangChui, midday-2am