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

Set beside the Chao Phraya River, this slow-paced vintage market swaps frantic bargain hunting for long afternoons spent browsing carefully sourced fashion, handmade crafts, home décor and old-school collectibles. Every stall earns its place, so expect less clutter and more standout pieces with actual personality.  Streetwear regulars arrive dressed for the occasion, traders happily explain the history behind their rarities and returning shoppers wander through searching for faded jackets, strange ornaments and forgotten treasures carrying just enough history to justify taking them home. June 12-14. B100. Yodpiman Riverwalk. 3pm-11pm

Inspired by France’s beloved Fête de la Musique, this free city-wide festival returns after attracting nearly 7,000 music lovers last year. More than 30 Thai and international acts now take over five stages across One Bangkok and Alliance Française Bangkok, covering indie, pop, hip-hop, jazz, mor lam, electronic sounds and late-night DJ sets.  One of the biggest draws comes from the Ballroom showcase celebrating Voguing culture, promising fierce dance battles and unapologetically theatrical performances. Food stalls, busking corners and interactive activities keep the atmosphere lively all day long. Fancy wandering Bangkok with a soundtrack? This easily earns a place on June’s social calendar. June 13. Free entry. One Bangkok and Alliance Française Bangkok.2pm 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

Bangkok’s humble flower garland takes on a new form in Stillness in Bloom, a solo exhibition by Taiwanese artist Yu Chuan Chang. Drawing on a sight found all over the city, Chang creates contemporary paintings that move between Eastern and Western artistic traditions while reflecting on beauty’s short life. His blooms stay forever at their peak, suspended in paint long after their real-life counterparts fade. Presented as a Garland of Eternity dedicated to Bangkok, the works weave together time, memory and emotion. Layer upon layer of pigment works almost like needle and thread, binding petals to canvas with quiet precision. If a garland’s meaning comes from accepting impermanence, Chang’s paintings offer a softer counterpoint: preserving one perfect moment and letting it linger. May 23-July 12. Free entry. Maison JE Bangkok. 11am-7pm

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

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

Bangkok Kunsthalle hands over its cavernous industrial halls to Spirits Melt to Flesh, a striking group exhibition bringing together eight Asian artists under the curatorial direction of Sam I-shan. Working across moving image, sound, sculpture and photography, the artists  respond directly to the building’s rough architecture and layered history. Light flickers across concrete, voices drift through shadowy corners and small encounters appear around every turn. Rather than relying only on what the eye can catch, the show asks visitors to listen, feel and move through the former warehouse as an experience, not just an exhibition. June 5-October 4. Free entry. Bangkok Kunsthalle. 2pm-8pm

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

FV launches its first artist residency exhibition with new work by Deborah Metsch, created following a four-week stay in Bangkok. During her residency, the artist works closely with the Atelier Pichita team, exploring Thai textile traditions, local craftsmanship and contemporary design through research, experimentation and creative exchange. The resulting exhibition brings together collaborative pieces that sit between art and fashion. Rather than simply borrowing visual cues from clothing, Metsch develops a conversation with Pichita’s celebrated approach to embellishment and the female silhouette. Beading, fabric and structural details reappear as layered compositions, where transparency, texture and tension echo the rituals of dressing and adornment. May 24-June 20. Free entry. FV39. 11am-7pm

Picture a Bangkok street where artists work in front of you, jazz drifts through the air and conversation comes easily between stalls. That’s the mood as the fourth Bangkok Art Walk returns to Chakraphong Road and Lan Luang Road, bringing art, collectibles, home decor, music and playful activities together across six weekends. It starts on April 25-26 and May 2-3 with art, books, vinyl and cassette shops, ideal for a slow browse and a few well-chosen finds. On May 16-17 and May 23-24, street art takes focus alongside fashion stalls and wellness activities such as city running and cycling. The final weekends, June 13-14 and June 20-21, close with an art market, plus plant shops and pet goods for a softer finish. Until June 21. Free. L’On Bangkok, Chakkaphatdi Phong Road and Lan Luang Road. 4pm-10pm