The best things to do in Bangkok this weekend (May 21-24)

Singapore collective Lagoon Laundry links up with queer club HORN for a one-off night built for sweat, sharp turns and packed dancefloors. The crew brings its anything-goes radio energy straight into the booth, bouncing between high-speed club sounds, warped edits and sudden left turns that keeping the room pleasantly unsteady. Bangkok selectors Asian Mudman and Lomoroom join the lineup, while Singapore’s Warlock goes back-to-back with Ackerlady for what will almost certainly become the point where everyone loses track of time.

May 21. B500 including two drinks. HORN. 10.30pm-3am

MunMun Srinakarin opens MMAD Gallery with six exhibitions from the first artists selected through the MMADness is Calling project, giving emerging names space to experiment across installation, sculpture, sound and textiles. Psyche and Flesh turns suffering and memory into tactile forms, while Upper’s What Lies on Top of the Mountain pairs animation, towering canvases and atmospheric audio to unpack the awkward quiet after intimacy. Elsewhere, Jhanyar’s 24/7 Objects reframes Bangkok’s pavements and everyday clutter with a sharply observant eye for city life. Steam Stream drifts through water and rice fields, Sunburn The Kid reconstructs discarded fabric into new textile works and Fish Are Friends introduces scrap-metal fish puppets for anyone carrying around a little low-level loneliness.

May 7-June 21. Free. MMAD GALLERY. 11am-7pm

A handful of works from Jan Bican’s Destiny’s Child exhibition find settle temporarily into Chenin Bangkok, the tucked-away Sukhumvit 31 wine bar where contemporary art now quietly coexists with candlelight and natural wine. The Czech artist first showed the series at Vanich House, though several works remain in Bangkok after others return to Prague for collectors and studio storage. Bican often describes Bangkok as a second home, and the setting suits the work unusually well. The paintings and installations spread naturally across both floors, somewhere between dinner conversation and after-hours reflection. Come for Chenin’s thoughtful food and natural wine list, then wander upstairs and see what lingers after an exhibition technically ends.

Daily. Free. Chenin Bangkok. 7pm-midnight

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

Club Sathorn returns to Le Studio, the tucked-away third-floor space above Le Café des Stagiaires, for another long night of house grooves and tightly packed dancefloor moments. Regulars already know the formula: low lighting, sticky floors, after-hours crowds and the sort of atmosphere that works best after midnight. Local selectors Alex Zadua and Gaspray join guest DJ Yorsab, moving from warmer rolling rhythms into harder late-night territory as the room slowly loses composure. Entry stays free, which definitely helps, while ‘Friendly Hours’ drinks run from 8pm-10pm for anyone disciplined enough to arrive early. 

May 22. Free. Le Studio, Le Café des Stagiaires. 8pm-2am

Japanese ceramist Ono Yutaka arrives in Thailand for his first solo exhibition, taking over CHAYA & CO.’s intimate tea bar Mizu with a quietly striking collection of ceramic works and signature tea bowls. Presented under the theme ‘Enlightenment through Form’, the exhibition explores how ordinary objects carry memory, awareness and emotional residue through texture, shape and repeated use. Visitors can also meet Ono during the exhibition and exchange thoughts in a setting that feels far removed from the usual white-wall gallery routine. An exclusive matcha blend by Ochano Kanbayashi debuts alongside the show.

May 23-24. Mizu by CHAYA. Three daily sessions at 10am, 2pm and 4pm, limited to eight guests each

Bar Temp. lines up three selectors for a deep-groove-heavy night built around broken rhythms, left-field disco and long stretches on the dancefloor. Bangkok-based DJ NK Chan, originally from Sapporo, draws from more than a decade running Giant Swing parties, weaving together house, broken beat and dub-heavy textures threaded with Asian percussion. Vietnam’s Park:ING arrives with a background rooted in dance culture before moving behind the decks and helping launch collectives like GenderFunk and Liên Hoan, both known for championing local identity and musical openness. Kornnlee handles local support before things properly unravel.

May 22. B300 before midnight, B500 after midnight. Bar Temp. From 9pm

Kangkao collective welcomes veteran digger Binh for a proper selector’s night centred around rare cuts, deep-house oddities and long-form journeying. A key figure shaping the sound that inspires much of the collective’s direction, Binh moves through house, techno and electro with the kind of unpredictability that makes people stop checking Shazam and just dance instead. Alongside DJ work, he also runs Time Passages, the label quietly responsible for plenty of records that refuse to disappear from circulation. Takky and Mo complete the lineup for Binh’s first appearance at the Kangkao space. 
May 22. B400-B600 via here. DUAL. From 9pm

Bangkok Kunsthalle welcomes Brooklyn-based Thai collective Elekhlekha as its latest artists-in-residence, turning the space into a constantly shifting laboratory for sound, storytelling and live visual experimentation. Running across two months, the residency unfolds through research sessions, performances and collaborative installations. One standout arrives with Lomwong, an open-studio collaboration featuring Thai musicians and artists working inside immersive surround sound, moving floor projections and a Yamaha Disklavier piano sitting directly at the centre of the room.

May 23, 31, June 13 and 20. Free. Bangkok Kunsthalle. 1pm-4pm

Parents looking to temporarily separate children from screens without triggering negotiations may want to bookmark Dib Bangkok’s Family Art Tour. Running across two mornings, the short-format programme keeps things curious rather than educational in the exhausting school-trip sense. Designed for children aged seven to 12 and the adults inevitably following behind, the sessions combine guided conversations with hands-on activities around works by Alicja Kwade, Paloma Varga Weisz, Pinaree Sanpitak, Sho Shibuya, Marco Fusinato and Lee Bul.
May 23-24. B950 via here. Dib Bangkok. 10am-11am

Hidden away in Nang Loeng, Sala Chaloem Thani continues its quiet revival with another weekend of classic film screenings inside the beautifully restored 107-year-old wooden theatre. Since reopening last year, the venue has built a loyal following through thoughtful programming and an atmosphere no multiplex can imitate. This month’s ‘Classic Love’ pairing, curated by the Thai Film Archive, matches Cherd Songsri’s tragic Thai romance The Scar with William Wyler’s Roman Holiday. One delivers heartbreak from the Thai countryside, the other follows Audrey Hepburn weaving through Rome beside Gregory Peck. Somehow, both hit harder inside a creaking century-old cinema.

May 23-24. Free. Sala Chaloem Thani. Screenings from 4pm. Free tickets available from 3pm on a first-come basis

One of Japan’s most distinctive banjo voices arrives in Bangkok for Bangkok Banjo Fest. Takumi Kodera earns a reputation as one of the finest players of his generation, moving easily between bluegrass, jazz and a style that carries his own signature. Precision meets warmth here, grounded in tradition but never boxed in. Expect shifting tempos, intricate picking and plenty of character across the set. It’s a full evening dedicated to the banjo, giving the spotlight to a sound that rarely gets this much room in the city.

May 23. B900 via here and B1,100 at the door. The Royal Oak. 7pm

Paint starts flying as Art Battle lands in Bangkok, turning the room into a fast-paced studio. Artists race the clock across three rounds, each given 20 minutes to create their strongest work while the crowd circles the easels, watching every decision unfold. The format keeps things simple. At the end of each round, the audience votes to decide who moves forward, shaping the outcome in real time. Every piece then goes up for silent auction, so you can leave with a favourite if bidding goes your way. Now staged in more than 50 cities worldwide, Art Battle brings together competition, community and a front-row view of creativity under pressure.

May 23. B99-450 via here. The Fig Lobby Bangkok. 7pm

Bangkok collective RomRom assembles one of the weekend’s strangest and best-looking lineups as artists from Guruguru Brain arrive for a rare live session built around psychedelic surf grooves, dusty funk and Southeast Asian musical mutations. Singapore-born producer Haqim ‘Maggot’ Isa brings his Kribo Records project to town with the warped ‘Sounds of Lecak’ style he builds from twangy guitars, spring reverb, old film soundtracks and regional influences spanning Luk Thung, Molam and Arab disco. Bangsaen psych-rock outfit Khana Bierbood joins the bill alongside Pattaya crew Saneh Wansook, while RomRom residents Pez, Tam, Dangdut Banget and Barang Rekod’s Eri keep the selectors’ corner spinning deep into the night.

May 23. B500 via here. Speakerbox. From 8pm

Art and tattoo culture collide at TattoOasis, a one-off event pairing Chinese artist Ding Min’s haunting exhibition Where Spirits Dwell with live tattoo sessions by frog ritual from anxiety storage. Across more than 200 black-and-white ink drawings, Ding Min maps loneliness, fear, love and emotional recovery through ghostly figures and strange imagined creatures that sit somewhere between dream journal and personal confession. Visitors can also leave carrying part of the exhibition permanently. frog ritual offers custom small-scale tattoos inspired by the artworks and conversations shared during the event, turning fleeting thoughts and private emotions into something tangible. Tattoos start from B1,000, with advance booking via Instagram: @frog.ritual.

May 23. Starts at B1,000. GalileOasis Gallery. 11am-6pm

Parity keeps its run of reliably left-of-centre club nights with Seoul edit specialist Tucan Discos landing in Bangkok alongside local selector Brent Burn from the Transport collective. Known for playful disco edits, groove-heavy reworks and sharp transitions that quietly escalate into all-night situations, Tucan Discos arrives with exactly the sort of records that make people accidentally stay until closing. Brent Burn balances the room with warm house cuts and dancefloor oddities that never drift too serious.

May 23. B400 via here. Bar Temp. 9pm onwards

Inner Spectrum slows things down considerably, gathering abstract and semi-abstract works from five artists interested less in explanation than emotional residue. Across layered textures, shifting compositions and large stretches of deliberate emptiness, the exhibition explores memory, anxiety and the mental static modern life leaves hanging around our heads. There’s no polished escapism here, thankfully. Just uncertainty, silence and room to sit with both.

May 23-June 12. Free. Art Jewel Gallery, Siam Paragon. 10am-10pm

C.P.S. Coffee Roaster leans heavily into Thai nostalgia with new DIRTY and COLD BREW collections inspired by local desserts, fruit stalls and childhood sweets. The drinks move between creamy textures, soft sweetness and rich coffee notes without tipping too aggressively into sugar overload. Expect playful nods to familiar Thai flavours alongside chilled combinations built specifically for Bangkok afternoons where walking outdoors starts to feel like a tactical error.

Now-May 31. All C.P.S. Coffee Roaster branches.

As AI settles deeper into everyday routines and the shape of work keeps shifting, ThinkFest 2026 leans into a quieter question: what kind of life still feels worth building? Under the theme ‘Everybody Changes’, the festival turns Ari into a walkable circuit of talks, workshops, exhibitions and live performancves spread across neighbourhood venues.

The format works best when you don’t overplan it. Start near Ari BTS Exit 3, follow whichever crowd of soundtrack catches your attention and let the day unfold from there. Collaborators including Loveis Entertainment, What The Duck and Pantang Artwork bring their own energy into the mix, keeping the route varied without feeling overly programmed.

May 29-31. Free entry. Register via here. Across Ari. 1pm-10pm

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

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

Malibarn’s floral garland workshop strips things back to repetition, texture and patience. Led by Kru Gig, the session walks participants through traditional Thai garland-making techniques step by step, from selecting flowers to threading each section together carefully by hand. 

The appeal here isn’t perfection so much as the pace. After a week of Bangkok noise, spending a couple of hours focusing quietly on colour, scent and small details feels surprisingly restorative.

May 17 and 21. B2,250. Reserve via LINE OA: @malibarn. Slowcombo. 11am-1pm

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

Colour takes the lead in CHROMATIC: A Journey Through Neighborhood Color, a photography exhibition tracing people, culture and daily life across three central Bangkok districts: Song Wat, Pak Khlong Talat and Phahurat. Here, colour works as more than surface detail, linking identity, memory and place across each frame. The images capture movement across streets shaped by trade, vendors and long-standing routines, where community life unfolds in steady rhythm. Expect scenes that shift between quiet observation and busier moments, each grounded in everyday experience. The exhibition forms part of WALKK: Bangkok Re-Birth, a wider programme inviting visitors to trace stories shaped by time, changing ways of life and the city’s historic quarters.

Until May 31. Free. TAY Songwat. 9.30am-5.30pm

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

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

Bangkok does not always demand skyscraper gazing. Sometimes it hands you a pocket-sized booklet and suggests a long walk. The BAC Passport returns with its Winter Edition 2026, turning the city into a living sketchbook where each stamp is an achievement. You pick up the passport, roam between art spaces, collect marks and trade them for souvenirs created by actual artists. It plays out like a cultural scavenger hunt, only with better stories to tell afterwards. This season gathers 27 destinations and splits them across four routes, from Old Town corners to riverbank hideouts. Pick up your passport at one of seven locations, including Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center, Bangkok City Library, Chula Museum, River City Bangkok, Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music, Asvin or Numthong Art Space. You have until May 31 to complete the journey.

 Until May 31. Free. Art spaces across Bangkok.