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

Glass rarely gets top billing in an exhibition, but Thai artist Jakapan Vilasineekul makes a convincing case. His latest solo presentation gathers a new series of kiln-formed works made from layered float glass, the same material commonly found in office towers, shopfronts and apartment blocks across the city. Across the gallery, geometric forms, coloured panels and carefully arranged grids shift as daylight changes and visitors move around the room. Shadows fall across walls and floors, becoming part of the display. Drawing on architecture and the way glass shapes everyday experience, Vilasineekul turns a familiar building material into a quiet study of light, space and perception. June 13-July 11. Free entry. Richard Koh Fine Art Bangkok. 4 pm-7pm

Good news if your shelves are already full of ceramics, prints and objects you definitely didn't need. Public Garden returns to Bangkok for another weekend celebrating independent design from across Asia. What begins as a small grassroots gathering now brings together established studios and emerging makers from Thailand, Singapore and elsewhere in the region. Browse limited-edition pieces, chat with the people who make them and discover fresh talent before everyone else does. Between the stalls, conversations carry on over coffee, old collaborators catch up and first-time visitors quickly become regulars. July 4-5. Free entry. Mitrtown Hall 1-2. 11am-8pm

Pride Month brings a thoughtful group show to Bangkok as Queer Art Thailand joins forces with 30 artists from Thailand and Taiwan for Patch the World: Between the Seams, Beyond the Surface. Using photography, video, performance and everyday objects, the exhibition considers how LGBTQ+ lives are shaped by memory, relationships and the quiet work of carrying on through imperfect circumstances. Spread across three thematic sections, the works shift from deeply personal stories to shared experiences, asking how people mend, adapt and make space for one another in everyday life. Until July 5. Free entry. Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. 10am-8pm

A riverside stroll gets a creative twist at the Art Island Festival, where artists, musicians and independent makers take over a stretch of the Chao Phraya for the weekend. Browse stalls filled with original artwork, handmade goods and limited-run pieces, then join a workshop and make something of your own. Between activities, settle by the water with a drink and watch ferries and longtail boats pass as the afternoon drifts by. After dark, DJs take over a moored boat with an open-air psytrance set that keeps the riverfront busy well into the evening. July 5. Free entry. Bangkok Island. 4pm-11.59pm

Cute, crafty and proudly DIY, PUBPEAB Zine Fair returns for its third edition with stacks of handmade books, indie publications and collectible oddities from artists across the community. This year’s theme, ‘The Zine Factory’, transforms the venue into a playful production line where visitors can experiment with making their own zines while picking up new techniques along the way. Fabric-printing specialists Studio2B and risograph masters Haptic Editions also join the programme with workshops and open sessions under the banner ‘The Make Space’. Fancy showing your own handmade publication? Applications for exhibitors are now open here, so aspiring zinesters should probably start scribbling. July 4-5. Free entry. GalileOasis Theatre. 11am-6pm

What does craftsmanship look like when you strip away the finished object? This exhibition at Bangkok Kunsthalle, presented with Bottega Veneta and curated by Somsuda Piamsumrit, puts that question to four Thai artists. Taking the fashion house's signature Intreccio weave as its starting point, the show looks at skill, labour and techniques passed down through generations, explored through contemporary artworks rather than leather goods. Expect texture,  detail and the sort of quiet work that rewards a slower look, then stick for artist talks that keep the conversation going beyond  the gallery floor. June 10-July 5. Free entry. Bangkok Kunsthalle. 2pm-8pm

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

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

Swap Thonglor for Nashville, at least for one evening. Nothing Sacred hosts a country-themed night where first-timers and seasoned dancers alike line up to learn the basics from Nicole, whose easy-going lessons keep the floor moving from start to finish. Between sessions, browse the wine selection poured by K Eye of no bar wine bar & salon Kiku, then grab Southern-style barbecue fresh off the grill from chef Alex Jarvis in the garden. Boots are encouraged, belt buckles even better and the best-dressed guest heads home with a prize. Tickets cost B400, including a beer or sweet Southern tea.July 5. B400. Reserve via Instagram: @eyejong and @novi_scott_. FV39. 6pm-9.30pm