Your ultimate guide to jazz season in Hua Hin

Jazz hands will be waving before the surf at the season’s inaugural event, the 19th Hua Hin International Jazz Festival. Originally scheduled for November, the festival was postponed in respect of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother. 

Organisers say, performers will light up Hua Hin Beach in front of the iconic Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas on December 19 and 20 from 5pm to 11pm each evening. 

‘The event is free admission, no ticket reservation is required,’ festival organiser Jiang informs Time Out before noting that, ‘world-class jazz artists from nine countries’ will perform ‘alongside some of Thailand’s leading jazz musicians.’

International talents include saxophonist and flautist Mitch Frohman from the US; Sydney-born saxophonist and flautist Dale Barlow; Japanese saxophonist and flautist Yuri Kishimoto; and Cuban-born singer, songwriter and producer Lilith Valdés, also known as Lilly.V. 

Refreshments will be available from 30 food and drink booths supported by hotels and businesses in the area.

December 19-20. Free. Hua Hin Beach, 5pm-11pm

Wine connoisseurs can also get down and groovy this festive season at Monsoon Valley on December 20. The gorgeous vineyard, set in the hills 45km to the east of downtown Hua Hin, will host a night of jazz to celebrate Christmas with a local Thai group, The Hua Hin Young Chronicles, and Dutch big band Big to The Future (B2F).

‘The Young Chronicles incorporate Thai traditional instruments into their performances,’ says the winery’s Guido Campigotto. ‘And B2F mixes jazz and pop classics, they always have everyone dancing at the end.’

Live music will run from 6.30pm until 10pm after welcome drinks. The event includes a lavish buffet dinner, free-flow wines and charitable auctions.

‘We try to share the Christmas spirit by working in conjunction with a local charity, Hua Hin Heroes,’ says Campigotto.

December 20. B1,990-3,600 via here. Monsoon Valley, 6.30pm-10pm

One of the largest shopping malls Búeport Hua Hin has also scheduled a Christmas jazz show this year. Russian group the Igor Butman Quartet will entertain those who congregate on the first-floor exhibition centre for a Christmas Eve swing-along that will touch ‘the heart of Christmas through jazz’ on December 24. 

December 24. B590-890 via here. Bluport Hua Hin, 5pm onwards 

Located on Soi 94, Amara Resort Hua Hin is a hidden gem. Popular with local expats and those-in-the-know, the resort hosts Jazz You More at the poolside house-restaurant every Monday and Thursday evening from 7.30pm until late.

‘I have loved jazz since I was young. I feel free and relaxed when I hear it so I brought it to my family resort to bring together community spirit and support local musicians,’ resort owner Sanisa Sriarg tells Time Out.

Amara employs a group of solid local jazzers – Mink, Nueng, Art, Yo, Kan, Oat and Seenam – who are often joined by special guests to perform light jazz and salsa, in addition to medleys penned by Rama IX, the late king who spent much of his time in Hua Hin and was a huge proponent of jazz in the kingdom.

One more local place to catch jazz is Why Not Restaurant, a Thai-French operation famed in Hua Hin for its woodfired pizzas, and, of course, wine. Located on the junction of Soi 98 and Phet Kasem Road, the restaurant hosts American saxophonist Daniel Covrett on Fridays from 7.30pm onwards.

Every Monday, Thursday and Friday. Free. Amara Resort Hua Hin, 7.30pm onwards

The owners of Why Not are also behind the second edition of the Hua Hin Racer Marina Jazz Festival, which will be held south of Hua Hin in Pranburi on January 10.

‘It’s an amazing venue, the marina is located between the river, the mountains and sea,’ says Eliot Nielsen, who organised the festival last year with his wife Surassawadee Phumbua and Philippe Oursel.

This year’s event begins at 4pm with the Swing Mother Funky Quintet and concludes with a fire show finale, finishing at 11pm.

‘I’ve worked on festivals in Nice in the south of France, where I come from, so I’m experienced at organising events. The vision is to have a community concert, with art events, games, food trucks, as well as quality wine and jazz of course,’ he says, adding, ‘Last year we had 500 people, this year we’re hoping for 700.’

January 10 2026. B500 at the door. Hua Hin Racer Marina, 4pm-11pm

‘Jazz is like wine,’ said avant-garde saxophonist Steve Lacy. ‘When it's new it's only for the experts, but when it gets older everybody wants it…’

Long associated with sophistication, wine and jazz are inextricably linked, especially in Hua Hin, where the good grape is harvested on the edge of Siam’s jazz town. To this end, Hua Hin resident John Murphy is organising the Hua Hin Wine Expo over two days, January 15 and 16, with the support of Monsoon Valley and Siam Winery. 

‘This is the fourth wine expo I’ve organised; I started just as we came out of the pandemic when there was nothing going on. I thought, why don’t we get all the best importers and wine makers, sommeliers and aficionados, into one room,’ explains Murphy of the expo’s conception. ‘The Wine Expo has since gone from strength to strength. Wine has become increasingly accepted in the culture, and, of course, we’re blessed with the Monsoon Valley vineyard in Hua Hin’s backyard.’

January 15-16. B1,200 - B1,500 via here. Amari Hua Hin. Check the timings via here. 

If you should find yourself feeling all jazzed out, head over to Soi 88 for a cold beer instead. Woodstock Bar is a watering hole where you can experience another pillar of Americana roots music, the blues. Nightly jam sessions riffing on the classic 12-bar template are led by bar-owner and local guitar hero Ped Bluesman, with his band, The Blues Cats.  

Everynight. Free. Woodstock Bar, 4pm-midnight 

Getting there 

Hua Hin is a little over 200km south of Bangkok. There are 14 daily train services running between Bangkok and Hua Hin, each taking between three and four hours. Most trains depart Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal although Thonburi and Hua Lamphong also connect with Hua Hin.

There are also 54 bus services departing various terminals including Ekkamai Bangkok, Southern Terminal Bangkok and Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Several min-van services operate between Khao San Road and Mochit New Van terminal.