Kaweewat Siwanartwong

It's July. Congrats, everyone: we've made it to month seven. Another working week is almost done and Bangkok's weekend line-up seems determined to keep you out of the house. Rain clouds may still be loitering overhead, but grab a brolly and crack on – the city has more than enough going on. Art runs the show this week. Public Garden returns with independent designers, artists and studios from Thailand, Singapore and across Asia for two days of browsing, chatting and beautifully made things. At Queer Art Thailand, Patch the World: Between the Seams, Beyond the Surface gathers 30 artists from Thailand and Taiwan for a thoughtful exhibition that reads LGBTQ+ life through photography, performance, video and the everyday objects we live alongside. Prefer notebooks to new clothes? The Barter Market – Stationery Trade at TCDC Bangkok ditches cash altogether, giving pens, stickers and sketchbooks a fresh start through proper old-fashioned swapping. Art Island Festival, meanwhile, serves riverside views with workshops, handmade crafts, food stalls and live music before DJs commandeer a moored boat for an open-air psytrance session after dark. Fancy a slower gear? Lumphini Park hosts Sit and Stare Without Doing Anything, and the brief is gloriously simple: 30 minutes of silent sitting followed by a loose natter afterwards. Want something louder? Delirium Series welcomes Krijka and Sunju Hargun for a long night of minimal, techno, trance and goa that keeps the floor moving until the sma

July is when Bangkok settles properly into the rainy season. It is also one of the fullest stretches on the city’s cultural calendar, so whether your idea of a good weekend involves live music, contemporary art, independent cinema or an afternoon rummaging through second-hand books, Bangkok gives you plenty of reasons to head out. Book lovers should start at Bangkok Book District Fest, which spreads across historic neighbourhoods including Phan Fa, Tha Tien and Nang Loeng. Independent bookshops open their doors, readings and gatherings run through the day and there are plenty of titles you are unlikely to find in chain stores. Film fans should also make room for the Taiwan Documentary and Film Festival, back with a line-up of hard-to-find documentaries and narrative features screening in Bangkok and Khon Kaen. By the river, Awakening Song Wat lights up one of Bangkok’s oldest riverside quarters after dark, placing light installations and digital artworks between warehouses, shophouses and narrow lanes you can cover in one evening. Music gets a strong showing too. Colorists Music Festival returns with a line-up spanning indie favourites, newer alternative acts and bigger crowd-pleasers, while JUST KIDS keeps things close-up with rising hip-hop artist Zambug and a community-minded approach to live shows. July looks busy, then. Carry an umbrella, keep some cash for books and merch and expect your weekends to fill up quickly. Keeping track of what's coming next? Our Bangkok  conc

When it comes to art and exhibitions, Bangkok has a lot. From poky little independent spaces to avant-garde galleries and the big crowd-pleasing museums, the city brims with shows that perplex, challenge, inspire, educate and leave you thoroughly awestruck. The trouble is, there's an absolute mountain to get through. Too much, you might say. So we're here to tell you where to spend your precious time. Whether you're a bona fide art connoisseur or simply the type who likes to stand about looking pensive in front of a canvas (we've all done it), these galleries promise to inspire and entertain in equal measure. So if you're wondering what's genuinely worth a trip across town, start right here. Have a browse through the best museum exhibitions and art in Bangkok at the moment, take your pick and make a day of it. We refresh this list regularly, so do pop back regularly for our latest and greatest picks.Stay one step ahead and map out your plans with our round-up of the best things to do in Bangkok. Whether you're a regular gallery-goer or just art-curious, these are Bangkok’s best spots to live the art life. From alleyway masterpieces to paint-splashed corners you might walk past without noticing, here are our top spots to see street art.

Lesbian venues aren't exactly a dime a dozen in Bangkok. The city does a roaring trade in bars and clubs that pull a mainly gay and bi male crowd, yet permanent spaces built for queer women, or trans and non-binary folk, remain frustratingly thin on the ground. You can count the long-running ones on one hand and still have fingers spare. Happily, the tide turns. Social media crowns this the year of the 'Lesbian Renaissance', and Bangkok plays its part with gusto. A growing roster of roving club nights now fills the gap, popping up across Sukhumvit, Silom and beyond the usual haunts, each one carving out a proper safe space where queer women party on their own terms. Discrimination gets left firmly at the door, the line-ups skew fresh and local and the welcome runs warm. Some come monthly, some quarterly, a few keep their locations hush until the last minute, half the fun is the chase. So whether you fancy sweaty basement raves, sapphic disco or a low-key spot to nurse a beer and make connections, the scene finally delivers. Hunting for your new favourite haunt? Here's our pick of the bunch. These venues span everything from dancing clubs to cosy bars and they're all genuinely welcoming to all genders

We arrive on Decho Road in the afternoon, the sun still strong outside but the air pressure dropping, hinting that rain is on its way. It is unusual to be here before opening time, so we slip in through the back door and climb the stairs to a wine bar. In this wine bar, a small cinema is hidden behind curtained walls on the floor above and the dusty smell of old parquet fills our senses. That, near enough, is the whole idea. Photograph: Lalitphat BumrungkarnSala Saneha At a moment when independent picture houses around town are quietly going dark, Natchanon 'Vana' Vana, Pakapol 'Meang' Srirongmuang and Dit Thanasresthavilai have chosen to walk the other way. They have taken things they love – movies, wine, food and books – and poured them into a close-to decade old building, with help from more than a dozen friends drawn from the world of entertainment and art.  The result is Sala Saneha, a place built on the faintly old-fashioned conviction that going out to the pictures ought to feel like romance again. Photograph: Lalitphat BumrungkarnSala Saneha I met the three of them upstairs in the bookshop, on soft chairs among the wood – cladding the walls, forming the bookshelf, the floor, the table, the chairs – and as the early afternoon light came through the leaves just outside the windows, we began to talk. Photograph: Lalitphat BumrungkarnSala Saneha A building with several past lives What was clear, is how exact they are about the conditions. The venue could not disturb

June marks the official start of Pride Month, though anyone paying attention knows the celebrations rarely stay contained to four weeks. Across Bangkok, galleries, clubs, restaurants and public spaces roll out programmes honouring LGBTQIA+ communities while making room for protest, conversation and the simple joy of taking up space together. Some gatherings lean political. Others just want you dancing under disco lights until midnight. Both matter. This year's line-up covers everything from large-scale parades and drag showcases to film screenings, speed dating nights and art festivals built around queer storytelling. One evening might find you watching voguing performances above the city skyline, another screaming sapphic pop lyrics in a crowded bar off Silom Road. Rainbow branding arrives right on cue every June, but Pride carries far more weight than a seasonal marketing campaign. Its history is political, personal and deeply tied to communities still fighting for safety, visibility and equality. So whether you’re here for the parties, the performances or the people, these are the Pride events worth adding to your calendar this month. Joining the Bangkok Pride parade? Here's everything you need to know before showing up.

June is here, and just like that, we're halfway through the year. If Bangkok has left you a little frazzled, or you just need a proper reset, this month's art calendar comes with plenty of soul-soothing reasons to get out. We're starting with a roundup of exhibitions and creative happenings across the city. Contemporary art is well represented, including character-filled paintings with more emotional heft than you might expect, plus newly opened shows and a few holdovers still worth catching. Hotel Art Fair also returns this month, taking the gallery circuit somewhere a little less predictable. And don’t sleep on Bangkok World Music Day, a full-on celebration of music, art and free-spirited energy in the heart of the city, timed neatly for Pride Month. Expect reasons to move your feet. Get stuck in. Stay one step ahead and map out your plans with our round-up of the best things to do in Bangkok. Whether you're a regular gallery-goer or just art-curious, these are Bangkok’s best spots to live the art life. From alleyway masterpieces to paint-splashed corners you might walk past without noticing, here are our top spots to see street art.

We keep this article updated regularly to make sure everything stays accurate and current, pop back anytime for the latest. So 2025 was pretty huge for live music in Bangkok, wasn't it? We had Doja Cat, BLACKPINK, TV Girl, The Smashing Pumpkins and Tyler, The Creator all gracing stages across the city. Not a bad lineup. The good news? 2026 is looking just as packed. Alright, Oasis might not be on the cards just yet, but there's still a serious roster of artists lined up to play Bangkok stadiums and arenas over the coming months. And rumour has it even more big names are yet to announce tours like BTS. Givēon, Central Cee, Taeyong, Kraftwerk... the list goes on. Whether you're into R&B, grime, K-pop or electronic legends, there's something coming your way. Here are the best major gigs heading to the capital this year.  

June in Bangkok means sweaty afternoons, sudden downpours and permanently questionable hair, but the city rarely lets a bit of rain ruin its social life. Between storm clouds and iced coffees, the calendar quickly fills with riverside markets, free music festivals, film screenings and enough vintage shopping to destroy your budget before payday arrives. PUBPEAB Zine Fair returns with handmade books, risograph prints and crafty workshops for anyone romanticising a life spent making tiny publications. Music lovers are spoiled too. A free festival inspired by France’s Fête de la Musique spreads across One Bangkok and Alliance Française with more than 30 acts covering indie, jazz, hip-hop, mor lam and Ballroom performances celebrating Voguing culture. Elsewhere, the EU Film Festival 2026 brings thoughtful cinema from across Europe to venues including House Samyan and Lido Connect – completely free if you arrive early enough. Vintage hunters should make time for the riverside slow market and the latest Made By Legacy gathering at Pat Arena, where stylish crowds rummage through rails of secondhand fashion, vinyl and deeply unnecessary collectibles. Prefer something slower? Bangkok’s  laid-back Books and Beers festival happily encourages both reading and day drinking. Frankly, June stays packed. Keeping track of what's coming next? Our Bangkok  concert roundup for 2026 stays updated with the latest gigs worth adding to your calendar. Stay one step ahead and map out your month with o

What’s your weekend looking like? Club nights, bar-hopping or a slow wander through a flea market?  If the latter sounds more your speed, you’re in luck. Three flea markets are on the horizon, each bringing its own mix of vintage finds, handmade pieces and low-key people-watching. Here’s the breakdown of what’s coming and where you’ll want to be.

Bangkok doesn't really do slow. The city runs hot – always another plate to try, another bar to find, another corner of the night to chase down. Sometimes you just need out. Not far, but far enough: somewhere the air is cooler, the pace drops and the view stretches past concrete and neon. Chiang Mai answers that call. Head north and the landscape shifts, mountains roll in, the Ping River winds through and centuries of Northern Thai culture sit quietly on every corner. The food up here has its own character too: bold, rooted and built on recipes that haven't needed fixing. This guide is put together by the Koktail Thailand Restaurant Guide, spotlighting restaurants where mountain panoramas and riverside vistas do more than set the scene – they're part of the meal itself. Local ingredients take centre stage, each dish a small piece of the larger story that Northern Thailand has been telling for a very long time. RECOMMEND: Best egg noodles in Bangkok Bangkok’s top 13 steakhouses Confessions of a Bangkok food voyeur

A lively neighbourhood conveniently accessible via the BTS Skytrain, Ari is the place to look for colourful cafes, art community spaces, shopping outlets, and dining spots with a cosy atmosphere. Undergoing gentrification all the time, it nevertheless blends the old and new, as witnessed in by its many choices of street food and contemporary dining. Ari has a strong sense of community, where every corner tells the stories of the people who live there. It’s a great place to discover the culture of Thailand, experiencing it through the everyday lives of its locals. The highlight of Ari today is its popularity as a food and drink hub. What makes the neighbourhood stand out is the blend of the latest dining spots and long-established restaurants, all set in a calm atmosphere – no rush here, just a relaxed vibe. You can begin your day with a coffee and pastry at a cosy café, followed by a rejuvenating session at one of the area’s peaceful spas. A stroll around the neighbourhood invites window shopping and art gallery displays, perfect for enjoying the sunny weather. As the evening approaches, the local restaurants and bars offer the ideal setting to enjoy great food and drinks. Ari is the ultimate one-stop destination for a relaxing, feel-good day.

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

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

That notebook you’ve been saving for the 'right moment' and the pen you bought purely because it looked nice finally get a second chance at Barter Market – Stationery Trade. Hosted by ili U and Creative Weekend at TCDC Bangkok, the two-day fair swaps cash for conversation, with every exchange based on mutual agreement. Bring notebooks, pens, stickers, washi tape or other stationery in good, usable condition and trade them for someone else's forgotten favourites. Spend an afternoon browsing the tables, comparing collections and proving that not every good find needs a price tag. July 4-5. Free entry. Fifth floor, TCDC. 2pm-6pm

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

Doing absolutely nothing turns out to be surprisingly difficult. Phones buzz, to-do lists creep back in and your mind starts planning tomorrow before you've even settled down. That's exactly what Sit and Stare Without Doing Anything sets out to interrupt. Hosted by The Commons and Bonfire at Lumphini Park, the hour begins with 30 minutes of quiet sitting, whether you watch the trees, passing joggers or the afternoon sky. Afterwards, everyone gathers for an informal chat about the experience.  July 4. Free entry. Lumphini Park. 5pm-6pm

Matcha fans have another excuse to spend an afternoon by the river as EVERPINK celebrates the launch of its Bare Skin Calming Cushion with a one-off pop-up cafe. Created with Matcha Marche, the event serves an exclusive EVERPINK Blend in a relaxed riverside setting made for lingering over a drink,  browsing beauty products and taking a few photos. Guests are encouraged to wear green or neutral tones, making the gathering look almost as carefully colour-coordinated as the matcha itself. July 3. Free entry. Soul Song Wat. 11am-12.30pm

Delirium Series lines up a night with two selectors who know how to keep a dancefloor locked in for hours. Krijka brings vinyl-only sets that move through minimal, techno, trance and goa, building each session with patience rather than quick drops. Joining him is Sunju Hargun, whose psychedelic-tinged sound has travelled through clubs, warehouses and festivals across Asia and Europe for more than 15 years. Expect long blends, hypnotic rhythms and a crowd happy to stay until the lights come up. July 3. B450-600 via here. Dual, Trinity Complex. 9pm onwards

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

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

Singapore’s best-known design-led pop-up event finally arrives in Bangkok. After spending more than two decades championing emerging designers and small creative businesses through Boutiques Singapore, founder Charlotte Cain brings the concept overseas for the first time with Boutiques Asia: The Bangkok Edition 2026 at ICONSIAM. Across three days, more than 120 brands from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan set up shop inside the riverside mall, many appearing in Thailand for the first time. Expect menswear, womenswear, accessories, beauty products, homeware and food concepts, plus more than 70 exclusive launches and limited-edition releases. Singapore names likely to draw attention include leather goods studio Tow Tow, unisex apparel label GRAYE, artisanal footwear maker Palola and accessories brand Talking Toes. Elsewhere, Industry+ stages its ‘No Boundaries’ exhibition, bringing together collectible works by Multistandard, Anon Pairot Studio, Studio Act of Kindness, Critiba, Karyn Lim and Dai Sugasawa. Supported by Enterprise Singapore, the event reflects the growing exchange between creative communities across Asia, with Bangkok a fitting first stop outside its home city. July 24-26. B160 for a one-day pass and B450 for a three-day pass. Grab your tickets here. 7th floor, ICONSIAM. 10am-8pm Note: Under-12s go free. KTC or SCB CardX holders get 25 percent off.

The Novembers make their third trip to Thailand, closing out The Singing Engines tour with a Bangkok date following stops across Japan. Long admired for their moody blend of post-punk, shoegaze and alternative rock, the band arrives with a full live set and fresh material in tow. This latest visit comes through an ongoing collaboration between FEVER, dessin the world and Blueprint Livehouse, a partnership that continues to strengthen musical ties between Japan and Thailand.  July 12. B750-900 via here. Blueprint Livehouse. 7pm

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

Fresh off the roaring success of the craft beer festival that took over the historic shophouse streets of Song Wat Road – and armed with a mission to hoist Thai local wisdom and homegrown ingredients onto the international stage – Sip Thai by Song Craft returns once more from July 6-12 at Parkside Hall on the G floor of Dusit Central Park. For Song Craft, they're not simply pouring pints. They're a community built to grow Thai craft drinks and community spirits, redefining the whole category as something they call 'Liquid Art' – a heady blend of creativity, music and contemporary art that turns beverages as something worth lingering over. Photograph: songcraftfestivalsThailand's craft beer festival So what's actually on? Plenty. Quality craft producers and brands from every region of Thailand converge under one roof, ready and waiting for you to sip your way through. There are knowledge talks too, where industry insiders spill the real stories behind the bottle. Every single day brings DJs on the decks, and live music takes over on July 10-11 . Then there are the promotions, special offers from the vendors that live and die within this one glorious week. So clear the diary. Sip Thai by Song Craft runs July 6-12, 11am-10pm, at Parkside Hall, G floor, Dusit Central Park. Free entry.

This late July, if a proper city stroll is calling your name, point yourself towards 'Charoen CITYZEN: Charoen Edition' – an event that hands you the run of the Talat Noi-Charoen Krung neighbourhood along a route stitching together food, art and the stories of the people who actually live here. It takes an ordinary afternoon on foot and turns it something closer to a treasure hunt, letting you read one of Bangkok's most quietly cinematic districts from angles you'd never clock on a normal day. Here's how it works. You collect your CITYZEN ID & Journal, check in as a fully fledged Charoen Citizen and set off. The eating alone earns the trip. Charmkrung, Tae Lao Chin Seng, Kway Teow Roo Talat Noi, Rice9Gelato Shop, Sunset Coffee Roasters, Envies and Jittawilai Photo Studio all throw open their doors, each serving up signature plates and the small, stubborn personalities that give this pocket its charm. View this post on Instagram A post shared by THE CORNER HOUSE (@thecornerhouse.bangkok) Then come the flourishes. You gather stamps from shops and the hidden spots dotted around the community, wander the 'Served with Art' mini gallery at Charmgall and catch a set from the DJ Random Pop-ups somewhere along the way. Play it right and the Charoen CITYZEN Lucky Draw sends you home with a prize. So whether you're a devoted foodie, a cafe obsessive or simply the type who'd rather read a city through its pavements, this one rewards taking your sweet time. Chat to the s

All month, Hua Takhe Old Market gets the full floral treatment. The old riverside neighbourhood in Lat Krabang, usually runs on canal breezes and afternoon quiet, throws its shophouse doors open for Rakdok Floral Weeks 2026, a flower exhibition back for another go under the theme 'Flower to Spread Smiles'. Come down, take a slow amble through the lanes and let this lovely, slightly time-warped pocket of the city wrap itself around you for an afternoon. Photograph: Arthy PhotoRakdok Floral Weeks The event first blooms in 2020 as a plain flower-arranging show. This year it grows up. What you once simply looked at now asks you to come closer, to touch, to linger among the works and the weathered timber walls that hold them. Artists and locals make it together, these are the stories of Hua Takhe, told fresh. The vision belongs to Chayawas 'Joe' Panjaphakdi, florist and founder of Rakdok, who reckons a flower has no business sitting prettily in a vase and calling it a day. It can belong to a place, a person, an ordinary Tuesday morning. So he scatters blooms across the market like punctuation, nudging people back to a corner of town that earns the visit. 20 installations wait for you. 11 come from competition entrants, eight from the Rakdok team and one from a visually impaired artist, each with its own tale. Some stop you in your tracks. Some make you grin. Some might have you falling for the place all over again. There are workshops and craft sessions too, the warm hands-on so

Travel And Tour World has released its Top 50 Medical Tourism Destinations for 2026, and Thailand has taken second place, pipped only by Türkiye and finishing ahead of a global field. The ranking weighs the things that matter most to patients travelling abroad for treatment: trusted care, specialist expertise, modern medical technology, competitive pricing, shorter waiting times and somewhere appealing to recover afterwards. On those counts, Thailand clearly makes a strong case.  Here's the top 20 medical tourism destinations for 2026: Turkey Thailand India Mexico South Korea Malaysia Costa Rica Singapore United Arab Emirates (UAE) Colombia Spain Czech Republic Germany Brazil Japan Panama Taiwan Greece Canada China Medical travel is growing up fast, and patients now compare destinations carefully, looking at accreditation, transparency,  surgeon reputations and value before they book a flight. Demand continues to grow across cardiology, oncology, fertility, orthopaedics, dentistry, cosmetic work, rehabilitation, precision medicine and wellness therapies. For Thailand, the ranking is not just about scenery or soft-power appeal. It reflects the hospitals, specialists, recovery services and hospitality infrastructure that have helped make the country one of the world’s most established medical tourism hubs. Travel And Tour World has released its Top 50 Medical Tourism Destinations for 2026, and Thailand has taken second place, behind only Türkiye and ahead of destinations from

After setting a fresh benchmark for unforgettable fun last year, the Monster Music Festival  2026 edition returns bigger, bolder and more complete than anything the city has thrown before. This is the ultimate metropolitan music weekend, the one that gathers every scene under a single roof. Indie, pop, hard rock, whatever moves you, this is where you lose yourself in sound from the first light of day right through to the final shimmer of night. And the opening wave of names arrives with real swagger. Big Ass, Bowky Lion, Ink Waruntorn, Jeff Satur, Taitosmith, Three Man Down and YOUNGOHM lead the bill across two glorious days. More than a hundred artists still wait backstage, so clear your calendar now and thank us later. Photograph: Monster Music FestivalQueen Sirikit National Convention Center The music is only half of it, though. Monster runs sunrise to small hours, and the spaces between sets carry just as much magic. A properly curated spread of food and drink you'll happily queue for, merch booths that reward the true obsessives, quiet corners where you catch your breath before the next act reels you back in. Bring your mates, bring your person or fly solo. Nobody blinks, everybody stays till the lights come up. Four editions deep, the festival earns its place as one of the city's most coveted dates. Now year five lands with everything turned up. Production, lighting, visuals, sound, a running order that glides from daylight to dark without a single dull moment. You al

More than 200 guests from Bangkok’s hospitality, business, diplomatic, media and social communities gathered in mid-June 2026 at the 32nd floor of SKYVIEW Hotel Bangkok to celebrate the grand opening of Madura Rooftop Bangkok, a new restaurant and bar showcasing the cultural diversity of Miami’s Latin American heritage. Photograph: SKYVIEW Hotel BangkokMadura Rooftop Bangkok Cooking at Madura is centered on an open-fire – in fact guests are actively encouraged to explore the open kitchen and cooking stations and interact with chefs. Coupled with elegant surroundings and dramatic cityscapes as a backdrop, it makes for a dynamic and social dining experience. The menu features fresh seafood, premium meats, tacos, wonderfully zesty ceviche and vibrant sharing plates influenced by culinary traditions that stretch from Mexico, Peru and Argentina to Cuba and Colombia. A curated selection of heady tropical cocktails, wines and spirits inspired by the laid-back drinking culture of Miami and the Americas perfectly complements the cuisine. Photograph: SKYVIEW Hotel BangkokMadura Rooftop Bangkok This is one of those rare venues where culinary treats, entertainment and nightlife make a naturally happy convergence from the get-go and we particularly liked the way the atmosphere evolved as the evening unfolded, transitioning effortlessly from a relaxed dining experience to a vibrantly louche setting.  Madura Rooftop Bangkok. 32nd Floor SKYVIEW Hotel Bangkok, Sukhumvit Soi 24, Khlong Toe

Just hearing the name tells you everything. 'KFC Run 2026' is the Colonel's cheeky break from the traditional fun run. This one's built for proper fried chicken devotees, the rare morning where you mind your health and pocket the ultimate reward at the same time, the Colonel's famous crispy bird, completely guilt-free. Forget the races that leave you clutching nothing but a medal and a foil blanket. This course promises happiness, sunshine and the unmistakable scent of something sizzling up ahead. Cross the line and a plate of legendary spicy zabb wings waits to bring you back to life, crisp skin glistening, your aching legs immediately forgiven. Now that's motivation. Run while picturing that first bite and you might find your trainers moving quicker than they ever have, the whole stretch a blur of drumsticks and adrenaline. Image: KFC RunStadium One Pick a distance, 5km for the casual jogger or 10km for the genuine show-offs, then warm up those hamstrings and mark the calendar. Runner or glutton or a bit of both, this one's got your name on it, and the finish line might be the most delicious in the city. It all happens at Stadium One on September 6. Registration opens here on July 6 from 9am, with a strict 2,000 spots going and not one more.  Dawdle and you'll lose both the run and the wings, a tragedy on two fronts. Follow the KFC Run Facebook page for everything else, then start training. Or at least start thinking about it.

Some of the cool art comes from the worst nights. Pillow, the debut solo show from Sittha Jantharawong – the artist who goes by HOMMES.HOM, takes the small, sleepless hours most of us would rather forget and turns them gently inward. A restless mind. Insomnia. The little bottle of sleeping pills on the nightstand. He gathers all of it up and makes a sanctuary out of it. Photograph: MMAD GalleryPillow: HOMMES.HOM HOMMES.HOM is a former advertising creative, which makes a strange kind of sense. Adland is a job of watching, studying how people behave, how they speak to each other, what they hide. He brings that same trained eye to the feelings we bury deepest: the anxiety, the unspoken stuff, the things we swallow before bed. His work coaxes them out and gives them somewhere to sit. A room where you can stop, breathe and find yourself again. That is the whole idea. Healing by embracing the very self you have been fighting. He doesn't dress up the difficult years, the racing thoughts, the long nights, the reliance on medication – so much as transform them, asking you to pause and look honestly at your own. Photograph: MMAD GalleryPillow: HOMMES.HOM If you want the artist's company, he's hosting a conversation about the work at the opening on Saturday July 11, from 5.30pm-7.40pm at MMAD Gallery 1, second floor of MunMun Srinakarin (Seacon Square). Pillow is one of five shows under the 'MMADness is Calling' banner, a project that hands the word 'madness' to contemporary artists

Singapore's cult shopping event finally packs its bags for Bangkok. After more than two decades championing independent design through Boutiques Singapore, founder Charlotte Cain brings the concept overseas for the first time with Boutiques Asia: The Bangkok Edition 2026, landing at ICONSIAM from July 24-26. Photograph: Boutiques AsiaThe Bangkok Edition 2026 Across three days, more than 120 designers and labels from around Asia will gather under one roof at the riverside destination – emerging talent, established names and retail buyers all hunting for something a little less ordinary. Fresh collections roll in from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan, with craftsmanship, functionality and thoughtful production firmly at the core. Photograph: Boutiques AsiaThe Bangkok Edition 2026 Photograph: Boutiques AsiaThe Bangkok Edition 2026 Among the highlights making their Bangkok debut: Indonesia's WN White Noise, known for hard-wearing travel gear crafted from Japan-certified recycled nylon; Rocket Eyewear, whose timeless polarised frames are designed specifically for Asian facial features; Anaya's natural leather care range; GRAYE, the gender-neutral Singapore label celebrated for minimalist, utilitarian clothing and lifestyle pieces built for everyday wear; and SOJAO, the sustainable lifestyle name behind 100 percent GOTS-certified organic cotton bedding, towels and loungewear. Photograph: Boutiques AsiaThe Bangkok Edition 2026 Photo

Bangkok loves a contradiction. Shrines sit beside shopping malls, street food rubs shoulders with skincare counters and the sacred is rarely far from the spectacular. So it feels only right that Bangkok Art Biennale 2026 is leaning into the push and pull of opposites. The citywide art festival has announced a fresh wave of 27 artists for this year’s edition, bringing the total line-up to 42 artists from Thailand and around the world.  The theme is 'Angels & Mara',  a broad look at the forces that tug between light and dark, hope and despair, virtue and temptation. In other words: big questions about belief, power and identity, set against some of Bangkok’s most recongisable spaces. Photograph: BkkArtBiennale2026 Among the newly announced names are Indonesia's Arahmaiani, Japan's Nobuyoshi Araki, French duo Pierre & Gilles, Canada's Sin Wai Kin and American Max Hooper Schneider. Thailand is strongly represented too, with Channatip Chanvipava, Naraphat Sakarthornsap, Tawan Wattuya and Udom Taephanich among the names joining the bill. More artists, exhibitions and public programmes will be announced closer to opening, but there is already plenty to start plotting around. The biennale will unfold across 10 landmark venues, from riverside temples and major museums to shopping centres and university art spaces. Photograph: BkkArtBiennale2026 Mark the calendar: Bangkok Art Biennale 2026 runs from October 26 2026 to February 28 2027. Follow Bangkok Art Biennale on Facebook for th

A landslide is a landslide, but 1.44 million votes is a clear love letter. That's roughly the number of Bangkokians who put their cross beside Chadchart Sittipunt on June 28, handing the broad-shouldered engineer a second term and smashing the record he set himself four years ago. The man fondly nicknamed 'Hulk' cycled to his own polling station, because of course he did. And the message from the city reads plainly enough, keep going. Photograph: BMAChadchart wins second term as Bangkok governor For four years the slogan 'Work, Work, Work' did the heavy lifting, and the receipts back it up. More than 100 finished projects, fresh pockets of green, knotty old problems finally starting to loosen. Yet a megacity this size always keeps a few wounds open.  Floods still come. Traffic still crawls. The air still stings on a rotten day. But this second term looks like a victory lap – another chance to mend what the first four years never quite completed. Or maybe it’s just proof that a city is never truly finished. If you missed it, we interviewed Chadchart last year, seeing what he was proud of and what he had yet to address. Check out our video interviews here. Photograph: BMAChadchart wins second term as Bangkok governor This time round Chadchart and his crew don't reach for the same playbook. They raise the bar across four strategic pillars, each one a promise to reshape how Bangkok runs: A livable city: People-first policies that look after residents of every age, body and

There are few things harder to put in a diary than nothing at all. Doing nothing sounds easy, the easiest thing in the world, until you actually try it, and within ninety seconds your hand creeps towards your phone, your brain starts quietly drafting an email you don't even need to send and there you are again, being useful, being productive, being exactly the sort of person modern life demands. Switching that off takes practice. It takes nerve. It takes, of all things, a calendar invite. So here comes 'Sit and Stare Without Doing Anything', a magnificently pointless hour that asks precisely one thing of you. Sit down. Stare at the sky, or the grass, or the middle distance. Just you, a quiet corner of Lumphini Park and the faintly radical thrill of contributing absolutely nothing to the national GDP.   Photograph: teamchadchartLumphinipark   The Commons & Bonfire crew run the whole gentle affair, and their pitch lands somewhere between wellness and quiet rebellion. Rest your frazzled mind. Escape the screen that's been following you since breakfast. Detox from the unrelenting pressure to optimise, achieve, hustle. Resist capitalism for sixty glorious minutes by gazing at the clouds like a Victorian poet with nowhere in particular to be. Whatever drags you there, you're warmly invited to come and do gloriously little in good company. Schedule First 30 minutes: sit quietly and do nothing. Last 30 minutes: linger and chat about how the nothing felt. That's the event. That's