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

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

After 55 years, Kraftwerk finally lands in Bangkok. The Düsseldorf group writes the rulebook for electronic music, shaping everything from techno to EDM, with traces heard across synth-pop, electro, industrial and house. Any genre built on a drum machine carries their imprint. What sets them apart sits in restraint: stripped-back structures, looping patterns, a precision that borders on the mathematical. Catching a name this influential in the city rarely happens, especially one that treats a live show as a full multimedia installation. Expect ‘Autobahn’ and ‘The Model’ paired with stark visuals and tightly controlled sound.  May 10. B3,300-5,500 via here. Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. 8.30pm

Coffee in Italy rarely stands alone. It arrives with ritual, design and a certain sense of theatre, and Passione Italiana: L’Arte dell’Espresso leans fully into that idea. Curated by Elisabetta Pisu with Distortion Studio, the exhibition brings historic espresso machines together with sculptural objects that trace how coffee shapes daily life. Alessandro Mendini’s playful designs sit alongside rare pieces from the Mumac museum, each carrying its own story of craft and innovation. Talksopen up conversations around culture, sustainability and ritual, with speakers including Tomaso Mannu and Massimiliano Marchesi. In the evenings, the mood softens into Jazz & Coffee sessions, where Bruno Brugnano joins the Bangkok New Trio for sets that pair sound with aroma in a quietly absorbing way. April 24-May 12. Free. Nextopia, Siam Paragon. 10am-7pm

Specialty coffee takes centre stage here, riding a global wave that shows no sign of slowing. This exhibition gathers producers, roasters, baristas and industry voices from across the map, all under one roof to support the wider coffee scene. Expect a mix of tastings, conversations and hands-on moments, alongside plenty of chances to pick up high-quality beans and serious kit. For anyone even mildly obsessed with their morning cup, it’s a field day. Behind it all sits the Specialty Coffee Association, the force behind World of Coffee, working with the Barista Association of Thailand and Exporum Inc. to bring the scene together in one place. May 7-9. B300-1,100 via here. BITEC. 10am-6pm

Marc Butler’s latest solo show, disappear here stepping through a cracked mirror. He builds a world shaped by human appetite, where spectacle teeters on the edge of collapse, never quite settling. Sculptures appear raw, almost unsettled, filled with distorted figures, hybrid symbols and fragments that feel oddly familiar. His material language stays direct, refusing polish, which gives each piece a kind of restless energy. Installations spread outward, forming spaces that feel immersive yet slightly uneasy, as if everything exists on repeat. References to consumerism, power and stylised violence slip through without announcement. Moments of dark humour sit beside something more pointed, asking quiet questions about participation.  April 21-May 23. Fakafei Gallery, 10.30am-6.30am

The Tay Flea Market crew return for another season, setting up a full-scale cultural takeover at Suanluang Square. Expect more than 200 vendors, with rails of vintage threads, racks of accessories, second-hand cameras, vinyl records and retro home pieces all up for grabs. Elsewhere, test-drive vehicles double as pop-up stalls, reworked into compact shops selling everything from pre-loved clothing and records to vintage furniture and homeware. It goes well beyond browsing. Food and drink vendors keep things lively, so it’s easy to settle in, graze your way around and let the evening run on longer than planned, with the city ticking away just below. May 7-10. Free. Suanluang Square. 4pm-11pm

Thailand AeroPress Championship returns to crown the country’s top brewer, with the winner heading to the World Championship in Mexico. Organised by The Coffee Calling, this one carries a reputation as the original ‘coffee party’, where baristas and caffeine devotees gather from morning through to the final round. Expect a steady mix of competition and good company. A DJ line-up keeps things moving, while drinks come via Dripp. Food lands from Jee Kia with Isan-style Japanese plates, stir-fried sukiyaki by Suki Phonsiri and special dishes created for the day by Electric Sheep.  May 10. Free. The Warehouse Bangkok. 10am-9pm

Bangkok gets its first proper look at Hanumankind as he lands for a debut solo show in Thailand. The rapper sits firmly in that rising-star lane, building international attention as an Indian artist making serious noise on the global stage. Early buzz arrives with ‘Big Dawgs’, before Monsoon Season follows and pushes things further. Then ‘Victory Lap Three’, a link-up with Fred again.., sharpens the spotlight. This Bangkok date forms part of his Asia tour, with stops across Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. If you keep an eye on what’s next in hip-hop, this one demands attention. May 10. B2,000 via here. Ambience Space. 8pm

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

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