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

Pride Month brings a compelling reason to make tracks for Yaowarat, where new contemporary gallery Adult Material opens its doors with Against the Grain on June 18. Tucked among the neighbourhood’s glowing alleyways, the inaugural exhibition assembles artists from Bangkok, Berlin, Singapore and New York whose work probes identity, masculinity and the stories societies tell about belonging. Across sculpture, photography, installation and design, inherited symbols take on fresh meaning while intimacy, desire and power come under scrutiny. Expect standout contributions from Shen Wei, Oat Montien, Dylan Chan, Gregor Jahner and Thyme Neelaphanakul, alongside plenty to spark conversation long after you leave. June 18-August 15. Free entry. Adult Material. 1pm-6pm

Calling all book lovers and drink enthusiasts.  Bangkok’s chillest book festival returns with free entry across  10 leisurely days of reading, browsing and casual day drinking. Vistors are encouraged to settle in with a book and a cold drink while exploring craft markets, workshops, live music sessions and talks from fellow literary obsessives. Honestly, it feels less like a festival and more like a very well-organised excuse to keep adding books to your already dangerous reading pile while staying pleasantly hydrated.  June 26-July 5. Singha Complex. 11am-10pm

An entire Akha house now stands in the middle of Bangkok, carefully dismantled from a village in northern Thailand and rebuilt piece by piece inside an art gallery. Roof panels, woven bedding, timber floors and weathered household objects all carry marks of the people who once lived among them, quietly tracing a way of life that grows more fragile with each passing generation. The Akha are an Indigenous ethnic group whose communities are spread across the mountains of northern Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and southern China, known for their intricate textiles, spiritual rituals and deep connection to land and ancestry. In recent decades, migration, tourism and rapid development have reshaped many of those traditions. Through memory, craftsmanship and personal histories, The Preservation of Fire by Busui Ajaw keeps those stories alive a little longer. May 15-November 1. Free entry. Bangkok Kunsthalle. 2pm-8pm

Wine tastings often lean on regions and grape varieties. Tipsy Tickles is taking a more personal route. Across two evenings at Eden's Vert, guests can wander through the space, sample the wines and hear the stories behind each label. The event also marks the launch of two new bottles inspired by southern Thai fruit: Mae Kiew, based on baby green mango, and Her Majesty, inspired by mangosteen. Both are part of the producer's first co-ferment series, combining grapes, fruit and honey in the same fermentation. Pair them with Eden's take on southern rice and curry dishes and you have one of the more unusual wine events on this month's calendar. June 26, 5pm-10pm and June 27, 3pm-10pm. Eden's Vert, Lan Luang Road

Bangkok’s queer nightlife does not begin with social media, brand partnerships or rainbow-themed campaigns. It begins in clubs, bars and after-hours spaces where drag performers, DJs, dancers and chosen families built communities long before mainstream recognition arrived. PRIDAY celebrates that history with a night dedicated to the people who shape the city after dark. Expect familiar faces on the dancefloor, old friends reunited at the bar and a soundtrack that traces decades of queer nightlife.  June 26. Register via here. Soho House. 8pm-midnight

If you spend time around Bangkok’s underground electronic circuit, chances are you’ve already crossed paths with Elaheh. A regular fixture at clubs, warehouse parties and festival stages across the region, she takes over the decks for an all-night session with plenty of room to stretch out. Expect a patient journey through minimal, dub, acid, house, techno and breaks, threaded together with precision. One moment the room settles into a deep groove, the next a tougher rhythm shifts the mood. The best all-night sets tell a story, and Elaheh knows exactly how to hold a dancefloor from first track to last. Jun 26. B300-600 via here. Siwilai Radical Club. 9pm onwards

June’s wet-weather forecast comes with a silver lining. Bangkok City Library in Phra Nakhon spends the month revisiting some of Thailand’s most significant cinematic treasures through a programme of free classic film screenings. The selection includes Santi-Vina (1954), the first Thai production to win an international prize, alongside enduring titles such as Forever Yours (1955), Hell Hotel (1957) and Sugar Is Not Sweet (1964). Many of these films hold a place in Thailand’s national film heritage, making this a rare chance to catch them on the big screen. Bring a national ID card or passport, grab a seat and spend a few hours in another era. June 7, 14, 21 and 28. Theater Room, Bangkok City Library. 4pm onwards

Yaowarat welcomes the Bangkok debut of Filipino artist and sculptor Jinggoy Buensuceso with Cosmic Bloom, an immersive solo exhibition taking over Luenrit. Known as one of the Philippines’ leading contemporary sculptors, Buensuceso builds large-scale installations from industrial materials, shaping them through an origami-inspired visual language that explores motion, tension and constant change. Spread across multiple levels, Cosmic Bloom follows a journey of entry, expansion and release. Here, sculpture becomes an environment to move through rather than something viewed from a distance. The result is a striking exploration of perception, consciousness and our place within the wider universe. June 4-July 28. Free entry. Luenrit Yaowarat. 9am-5pm

Sacristy Bangkok brings French hard techno artist Rorganic to the city for his first Bangkok appearance. A regular name on European line-ups, he is known for high-impact sets that combine relentless industrial textures with moments of tension and release. The night runs through a Kirsch Audio sound system from Germany, promising enough low end to rattle the walls and keep the front row firmly planted. House rules: no racism, no sexism, no hate and no flash photography. June 26. B600 at the door.  AVVE: 5-Storey Event Space. 9pm onwards

Kind Market offers a welcome alternative to spending another rainy weekend indoors. The community-focused gathering brings together local makers, independent labels and small businesses for an afternoon of browsing, eating and meeting like-minded people. Stalls are stocked with handmade goods, vintage finds, second-hand treasures and environmentally conscious products, while food vendors keep visitors fuelled with plant-based snacks and drinks. Conversations tend to linger as long as the shopping, with many people stopping to chat with creators about their work. Bring an empty tote bag and a little spare time, because a quick visit rarely stays that way. June 28. Free entry. EKM6. 10am onwards