The best things to do in Bangkok this weekend (December 4-7)

December rolls around and Suan Luang Rama IX shifts character, almost as if someone quietly swapped its everyday calm for colour and movement. The botanical festival settles in again, filling the park with stalls stacked with greenery and blooms that look far pricier than they are, which helps when trekking across town feels like a heroic act you simply cannot face. Regulars treat it like a gentle homecoming. Families from Prawet stroll the grounds in matching weekend finery, greeting familiar faces as if the whole district planned to meet at the same bench. People from Samut Prakan turn up with well prepared enthusiasm, often arriving before the sun remembers its job, ready to spend the day wandering, chatting and pretending life can be measured in petals and shade rather than deadlines and traffic.

December 1-10. B20. Suan Luang Rama IX, 8am-7pm

Goodhood returns for its sixth year with the kind of energy that turns a regular weekend into a small adventure. The market has become a familiar fixture by now, pulling together fashion labels, lifestyle stalls and those online favourites you usually only scroll past at midnight. Everything lands under one roof with limited runs, playful collaborations and the odd promotion that feels like a quiet win. Music keeps the whole affair from slipping into a simple shopping trip. Mini concerts pop up through the day with Tilly Birds, Polycat, Pun, Youngohm and The Parkinson holding court, plus a few surprise names that always seem to appear just when you think you have seen it all. It is the sort of event where you wander in for a look and somehow stay long enough to forget what time you arrived.

December 4-7. B200 via here and B250 at the door. Sermsuk Warehouse, 3pm-midnight

Som Supaparinya’s latest solo exhibition, shaped with curator Gridthiya Gaweewong, feels like stepping into a quiet argument about who gets to record the past. Part of the Han Nefkens Foundation, Southeast Asian Video Art Production Grant 2024 in memory of Dinh Q Lê, the new commission sits beside a reworked version of her earlier installation Paradise of the Blind. The older piece still carries its spark, using archival fragments, censorship records and once-forbidden titles to sketch a region that edits itself as often as it remembers. Seen together, the works raise questions about the cost of progress and the uneasy conversation between power, memory and the natural world.

December 4-March 29 2026. Free. Gallery 1-2, The Jim Thompson Art Center, 10am-6pm 

Once Gallery’s Night winds down, the crowd drifts towards our museums as if the city has collectively decided to stay out a little longer. This year more than 50 venues across the country are joining the Night at the Museum Festival throughout December, offering after hours tours, night markets, live music and the kind of stargazing that makes you forget you are still in Thailand’s busiest regions. Bangkok’s programme gathers pace from December 19, though a few eager hosts start early between December 5 and 7, including The Wireless House One Bangkok and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. With so many places opening their doors after dark, it helps to check schedules before heading out. Think of it as a month-long excuse to treat museums like late night friends rather than daytime obligations.

December 5-30. Free. 50 museums across the country.

Bangkok Art Book Fair returns for its seventh round with a theme that feels like an open-armed invitation: You Can Sit With Us. The message is simple enough. Anyone curious, shy, seasoned or completely new to the scene can walk in without pretending to know the difference between risograph and perfect binding. This edition packs four programmes including three fresh additions. Expect 126 exhibitors from 25 countries, installations that stretch the idea of what an art book can look like and 25 activities ranging from compact talks to hands-on workshops. Conversations on the state of contemporary publishing thread through the weekend, offering thoughtful pauses between browsing sprees. It promises a heady mix of clever printing, sharp ideas and unexpected encounters, the sort of fair where you wander off with stories as easily as you do with books.

December 5-7. Free. Bangkok Art and Culture Center, 1pm-8pm

RomRom is winding up the year with its beloved community mishmash, the RomRom Prong Dong, a party that always feels stitched together by the people who show up rather than the flyers that promise. Expect four stages plus a few tucked away corners that reward curious wanderers. International and local DJs share the bill with live acts from Bangkok and further afield. A food court keeps everyone fed with familiar favourites while vintage stalls, custom jewellery makers and art installations turn the grounds into a small festival village. It is set to be RomRom’s most ambitious gathering yet, a December blowout built for lingering long after the music stops.

December 6. B555-800 via here. The Warehouse Talat Noi, 4pm onwards

A proper heavyweight night is brewing, the sort that pulls electronic diehards out of their midweek routines with barely a warning. Keith Hillebrandt sets the tone, a sound architect with a career that once threaded through the world of Nine Inch Nails. His sets tend to feel like conversations with machines that answer back in riddles. Honeycomb follows with the confidence of someone who has spent years shaping Bangkok’s electronic undercurrent, easing between textures and tempos as if switching languages. Then comes Muzz, frighteningly productive yet rarely spotted on stage, which makes this appearance feel like a small gift to anyone who has kept an eye on his catalogue.

December 6. B300 at the door. JAM, 9pm onwards

The event makes its return with the swagger of an event that knows exactly how to gather a crowd. The riverside setting is gone, replaced by a central spot that cuts travel time without losing any of the fair’s original mischief. Vinyl spinning DJs keep the mood warm across two days, giving the whole thing the feel of a laid back block party with better glasses. Wines come from a generous cast of producers and importers including Fin, Cloud Wine, Winearoi, Koko Wines, The Grand Crew, Tipsy Tickles, Soul Wines, Must Wine Bar, Grapey and Veraison, adding up to roughly 100 labels. Food arrives courtesy of Dough with its sourdough and Olive and Apple with homemade salads. A vinyl market waits in the corner like a quiet temptation, perfect for anyone who can’t resist taking music home as a souvenir.

December 6-7. B700-1,500 via here. FRIEND FRIEND, Emporium, midday-8pm

ATELIER 9, one of the newest galleries in town comes from André, a Parisian transplant who opened the doors only last month, and the space already feels like it has a quiet confidence about it. Their latest reception, A Feast for the Ethereal, brings together past and recent works by Gaspard R Pleansuk and Philippe Moisan to create a conversation that drifts between ritual, trace, memory and spirit. The show has a way of pulling you in gently, as if you’re stepping through layers of time rather than moving from one piece to the next. Both artists approach the unseen with a kind of tenderness, leaving marks that feel both intimate and expansive. 

December 5. Free. ATELIER 9, 5pm-8pm

Weekends call for films under the sky and The Sunset Film Club knows it. They’re setting up an outdoor cinema at the top yard of The Commons Thonglor, rolling out seven screenings across December like a gentle countdown to the holidays. It’s the kind of setting where popcorn tastes better, drinks last longer and you can sit back without feeling rushed. The programme is a mix of comfort watches and seasonal favourites: Clueless on December 6, UP on December 13, 50 First Dates on December 20, How the Grinch Stole Christmas on December 24, The Holiday on December 25, About Time on December 27 and Love Actually on December 31. Think of it as a warm-up to the end of the year, one film at a time.

December 6-31. B450 via here. The Commons Thonglor, 6pm and 9pm

AVANTCHA TeaBar is turning a regular day into a green-tinted celebration, the sort that makes you linger longer than planned. Anyone who registers through the online link can claim a complimentary Matcha Latte, part of a 500-cup giveaway that feels like a small love letter to the neighbourhood. The team is also knocking 15% off all retail matcha and hojicha for the day, which is reason enough to pop by if you’ve been eyeing a tin for home. DJs will be on deck with a line-up that keeps the atmosphere bright, matched with an immersive set-up that leans fully into the colour theme. Whether you already swear by matcha or you’re just tea-curious, it’s an easy excuse to sip, browse and hang out.

December 6. Free. AVANTCHA TeaBar Bangkok, 11am-5pm

Logan D is finally playing in Bangkok and the city’s DnB crowd can breathe again. The UK heavyweight has shaped Low Down Deep from a humble label into a full-blown institution, the kind that shifts from 300-person sweatbox nights to 2000-capacity blowouts at Bristol O2 Academy and London’s Indigo2 without losing its grit. Their Easter bank holiday parties with Logan and Majistrate are practically folklore at this point, spoken about with the same fondness people reserve for old mates. What makes Logan stand out is that his influence stretches far beyond the booth. He’s also built one of the most reliable distribution networks in the scene, supporting labels like Urban Takeover, Sweet Tooth, Dubz Audio, Higher Stakes, Subway Soundz and Killer Bytes. A proper architect of DnB culture.

December 6. B400-500 via here and B600 at the door. Jungle Jam BKK, 10pm onwards

Slide into the makeshift neighbourhood disco nook where Artist-in-Residence Spencer Sweeney takes charge of the decks for a one-night listening session that feels like visiting a friend with unnervingly good taste. He brings with him a stash of records and that instinctive way of reading a room, turning the corner into something between a living room hangout and a tiny listening lounge. You can expect an easy crowd, cold drinks and a soundtrack that keeps the evening moving without ever shouting for attention. It’s the sort of night where you tell yourself you’ll stay for one track, then suddenly an hour’s gone and you’re still nodding along. 

December 6. Free. Bangkok Kunsthalle, 7pm-11pm

Season one of Tryster turned a warehouse at Long Tang Tang into a weekend ritual and now the team is taking the whole affair outside, setting up by the river on Song Wat Road. The street still thrums with its usual energy, so you can wander past cafes and old shophouses before slipping into Tryster Song Wat Flea Market, which might be the most relaxed vintage spot along the Chao Phraya. More than 50 vendors are joining, each bringing food, drinks or well-picked lifestyle bits that feel made for slow browsing. A Minus 196 bar is parked on site too, perfect for settling in with something cold while the sky softens over the river.

December 6-7. Free. Song Wat Road, 11am-9.30pm

An evening with the Bangkok Metropolitan Orchestra is even richer when the set list is built from the catalogue of legendary Irish bands and singers. These songs, usually heard in pubs, stadiums or late-night playlists, have been reshaped for a full orchestra, giving familiar melodies a fresh sort of weight. It’s the kind of concert where you catch yourself hearing an old favourite in a new light. The event comes from a collaboration between the Embassy of Ireland in Thailand and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, marking 50 years of diplomatic ties. A cultural celebration sounds formal on paper, yet this one leans more towards shared joy, a musical nod to the connection between both places. A good chance to sit back and let the arrangements do the storytelling.

December 7. Free. Lakeside area, Gate 1, Benjakitti Park, 5pm onwards

The Monchhichi crew has landed at the Monchhichi Holiday Store in Emporium and it’s soft, sugary hug. Shelves are stacked with licensed gifts, including Thailand-only editions that are almost impossible to walk past without pausing for a second look. It’s the kind of stop where you tell yourself you’re shopping for others, then suddenly you’re holding something for yourself too. Inside, the selection leans quirky and charming, made for anyone who enjoys a little nostalgia with their presents. They’re also offering a Furoshiki wrapping service, using Monchhichi-patterned cloth that turns even the smallest gift into a keepsake. A sweet way to make holiday shopping feel less like a chore and more like a tiny celebration.

Until December 10. Free. Emporium, 10am-10pm 

Siwilai Radical Club is turning two and the celebration comes with a love note to everyone who has danced, eaten, created and lingered inside its upcycled walls. Built from more than five tons of reclaimed materials, the space has grown into a meeting point for artists, diners and dancers who treat it less like a venue and more like a shared home. Its ethos of circularity never feels preachy, just baked into the way people move through it. For the anniversary, both rooms blend into one smooth journey. The evening starts with local talent setting the tone in the Dining room before the night drifts towards the Discotheque’s orange glow. Ojas and NNNN take charge of the system, leading up to a set from Danilo Plessow, once known as Motor City Drum Ensemble, closing the celebration with proper warmth.

December 7. B500-700 via here and B950 at the door. Siwilai Radical Club, 6pm onwards