Kaweewat Siwanartwong

This list is from 2024. Read our 2025 ranking or check out our latest ranking for 2026 here. In 2024, what exactly makes a neighbourhood cool? Craft breweries, natty wine bars and street art are well and good, but the world’s best, most exciting and downright fun neighbourhoods are much more than identikit ‘hipster hubs’. They’re places that reflect the very best of their cities – its culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink – all condensed in one vibey, walkable district. To create our annual ranking, we went straight to the experts – our global team of on-the-ground writers and editors – and asked them what the coolest neighbourhood in their city is right now, and why. Then we narrowed down the selection and ranked the list using the insight and expertise of Time Out’s global editors, who vetted each neighbourhood against criteria including food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and one-of-a-kind local flavour. The result? A list that celebrates the most unique and exciting pockets of our cities – and all their quirks. Yes, you’ll find some of those international hallmarks of ‘cool’. But in every neighbourhood on this list there’s something you won’t find anywhere else. Ever been to a photography museum that moonlights as a jazz club? Or a brewery with a library of Russian literature? How about a festival dedicated to fluff? When communities fiercely support and rally around their local businesses, even the most eccentric ideas can become a reality.

For Bangkokians, October is the month of transitioning monsoon weather and warm temperatures all at once. The sun shows up by day, the rain takes over at night, so plan accordingly. Still, why let that stop us. The Weeknd takes over Rajamangala National Stadium for three nights, Jason Mraz plays BITEC Live and Avenged Sevenfold returns to Thunder Dome. Between gigs, browse the NIC Factory Vintage Flea Market in Charoenkrung, follow Bangkok Climate Action Week across the city or try Thai craft beer at Topgolf Megacity Bangna. At NIC Factory, mid-century furniture, homeware and odd collectables fill a former tobacco warehouse by the Chao Phraya. Go early for first pick. DIAGE Festival brings digital art, live coding, workshops and electronic music to Cloud 11 in Phra Khanong, including a live reworking of Cyndi Seui’s ‘Continental Affair’. There’s plenty beyond the big shows: Southeastern Gathering fills six days with bluegrass, Irish and old-time music, Book Expo Thailand takes over QSNCC and the Bangkok Bar Show gathers the city’s drinks crowd at Anantara Siam. One Beer: Hole in One pairs more than 50 Thai craft breweries with golf challenges, while the Derby Day Charity Luncheon raises funds for The Freedom Story. For more ideas, browse our guides to Bangkok's best bars, restaurants, parks, galleries and interviews, or dip into our bucket list of the best things to do in Bangkok. Planning further ahead? Keep an eye on our updated Bangkok concerts roundup for 2026. For more o

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.  

The rain still hasn’t got the message, so take Michael Jackson’s advice and ‘beat it’. Grey skies and wet pavements or not, this week’s line-up makes staying home a poor call. Watch obsessives should start at Wela Bangkok, where 17-plus independent and emerging makers set up at Jim Thompson Art Center alongside Thai and Peruvian food, drinks and DJ sets. Registration is online and free. At GalileOasis, Noise of the Month pairs southern Thai Nora dance with opera, jazz and experimental music in Nopera the Show.  Young Nora performer Prames Praneet Silp joins experimental group B35 on stage. Kangkao Collective returns with Red Line, putting Gero, Payu, Jirus and Meltmode in the Main Room while six more DJs work the Creature Room. For a slower pace, Stupid Stay in Charoen Nakhon opens its artist-in-residence programme with illustrator Nene Nuntawan Jamsai. Her new pieces respond to the surrounding streets and hang throughout the hotel, with a workshop alongside. MŌCANA Sound II rounds up live sets and leftfield sounds from Yellow Fang, Beetkat, Maakornchai, Claudine, AN!KA and more. Film fans can head to SF World Cinema for Bangkok International Film Festival 2026, screening 40 films from around the world, including Minotaur, Yellow Letters and Nagi Notes. For something stranger, Korakrit Arunanondchai's Love After Death brings together video, performance documentation and footage shot in a disused cinema in Lopburi for his latest solo exhibition. Still undecided? Browse our gui

Bangkok is a city of contrasts.  Glass towers stand tall next to temples, old mansions and shophouses that have stood for a century or more cosy up to modern cafes and stores. Look past the traffic (and the malls) and you'll find a lot of history still standing.  Much of Bangkok’s oldest buildings are predictably found in neighbourhoods like Silom, Bang Rak and Rattanakosin Island, where the old and the new sit side by side on the same street. Similarly, a lot of them are easy to miss. Some of the best buildings hide down a narrow lane or behind a market, while others sit right on a busy corner or in a green garden of their own, waiting for you to notice them. What's good is how many are still in use. Plenty have been saved from the wrecking ball and given a second life as cafés, bars, galleries, hotels and libraries, with their original bones left on show. A former printing house is now an art space, a sawmill has become a theatre and a machine shop pours coffee. The work behind each one keeps a bit of the city's past alive rather than clearing it away, something of a trend right now and we can’t deny we’re all for it. Below we've picked our favourites in and around the city. Here are 17 old buildings that have been revived and are worth a visit. When in doubt, turn to our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks, galleries and interviews, or work through our bucket list of the best things to do in Bangkok. Subscribe to our free newsletter for the best of Bangkok, s

Bangkok hides some of its best galleries down side streets and up quiet staircases, right in the thick of its busiest neighbourhoods. Hop off the BTS, walk for two minutes and you can land somewhere cool, calm and blissfully air-conditioned – free to linger over a painting and, perhaps, dodge another visitor’s tote bag. This month brings plenty of reasons to make the trip. Mystical by Nattiwut Choomanowat turns old Thai sayings and folk beliefs into playful paintings, while The Blursed Sandwich leaps  to 2067 and imagines monkeys inheriting human civilisation. For something quieter, A Gray Lens explores memory, identity and how we understand the world. WHITE EYES, meanwhile, removes the eyes from its portraits to ask how much we rely on a person’s gaze to read them. Whether you fancy a full gallery crawl, a slow afternoon with contemporary art or simply an escape the usual Bangkok routine, see what’s showing and make a day of it. Need more ideas? Explore our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks, galleries and interviews, or work through our bucket list of the best things to do in Bangkok. From galleries to creative spaces, discover  Bangkok’s best spots to live the art life. Track down alleyway masterpieces and paint-splashed corners you might otherwise miss with our guide to the top spots to see street art. Subscribe to our free Time Out Bangkok newsletter and get the best of the city delivered straight to your inbox.

According to psychology (the hangout edition), that amber-coloured glass with its soft, smooth foam has the power to soothe exhaustion after a hard week, revive you from that post-project slump and give your body a refreshing boost of energy. And in Bangkok, where the working day rarely finishes on time, beer drinking is now a long way from a casual afterthought. These days it comes with good music, sharp interiors and a proper crowd. You step off a hot, busy street, the door swings shut, the air-con hits and someone behind the bar is already pouring your first of the night. So whether you know your DDH IPA from your vanilla porter or simply want a cold pint, decent music and somewhere comfortable to spend the evening, these are 20 of the best beer bars in Bangkok. Also worth bookmarking: our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks and galleries, plus the best things to do in Bangkok.Map out the rest of this month with our guide to what’s on, and keep an eye on our picks of Bangkok’s best things to do. Subscribe to our free newsletter for the best of Bangkok, straight to your inbox.

News of club closures and sober youngsters might have you thinking that nightlife is dead. We’re here to tell you – with proof! – that you couldn’t be further from the truth.  The way we go out might be different, but people are by no means staying in. Cities are adapting to our changing nightlife habits: as summers get hotter, street parties and rooftop raves are bigger than ever. Rather than heading to one or two big-name venues, locals are flocking to new nightlife districts for an evening of bar-hopping and curbside drinking. And, trust us, the nightclub isn’t going anywhere – in fact, communities and local governments have successfully rallied to save historic nightlife venues (in Berlin’s case, they’ve even managed to grant techno UNESCO-listed status). So, we’re here to celebrate going out in the city. From Bangkok to Berlin, Medellin to Mexico City, Time Out’s Best Cities for Nightlife with Intrepid Travel is the ultimate guide to today’s after-hours capitals. To curate the ranking, we went straight to the people who know their city best – the locals – and asked them to tell us all about the nightlife scene in their hometown right now. We asked them about everything from clubbing to cocktail bars, how affordable it is to go out at night, the overall quality of nightlife in their city, how easy it is to find community, and how safe, exciting, welcoming and diverse their city is. After crunching all that data, a panel of nightlife experts – Time Out’s city editors, cult

You might never have met Ray MacDonald, but if you grew up in Thailand in the 1990s he was part of your week all the same, on the telly after school, up on the big screen with your mates, or talking you through a train ride halfway across the map. Ray, one of the most recognisable faces of a generation of Thai youth, died on August 19. His career runs close to three decades and takes in film, television and the travel programmes that sent a lot of us reaching for an atlas. Plenty of people first know him from the show Teen Talk; others picture him in O-Negative, Dear Galileo or Phobia 2. And for a whole crowd of viewers he plays a travelling companion they never actually meet, someone whose journeys make the wider world seem that bit closer from the sofa. So his story runs richer than the word 'actor' lets on. Over the years he turns up as a shy young man, a hitman, a monk, a graphic designer and a traveller, each part catching a particular moment in his life and the times around it. Here are 14 of his screen roles, from his first day on set to the work that still brings him to mind.   Fun Bar Karaoke Photograph: Fun Bar Karaoke, 2540Ray Macdonal Ray's first screen appearance comes in Pen-ek Ratanaruang's debut feature, and it wins him Best Actor at the Suphannahong National Film Awards straight out of the gate. He plays Noi, a shy convenience-store worker who turns hitman the moment he falls asleep. The character is odd, cheeky and quietly lonely, and you can already hear

This year hands us more choice than we know what to do with, the parties rolling on til the end of December. A little strategy pays off. The schedule stretches from gentle seaside sets in the cooler months to giant year-end send-offs, so plan ahead.  Do you want a slow day by the water or a midnight thrash in a warehouse? Can you handle a tent, or does the shower queue alone put you off? Loyal to one sound or happy to gamble on whatever lands next, one of these has your name on it. Sandy chill-outs, rooftop hip-hop, jazz under the trees, all-night electronic marathons that run til dawn – Thailand serves the whole spread, often across a single week. From Bangkok venues to island beaches and jungle clearings, the map fills up quick. Yet to book? No stress, because we keep this rundown current with day parties still holding tickets. Get moving before you miss the big names. 808 Festival, DIAGE Festival, Wonderfruit and Tomorrowland Thailand all touch down on Thai soil in the months ahead. Give our guide a scroll, refreshed constantly as new line-ups drop, and pick out whatever grabs you. Still undecided? You can always turn to our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks and galleries, or consult our bucket list of the best things to do in Bangkok. Map out the rest of the month with our guide to what’s on, and keep an eye on our picks of Bangkok’s best things to do.  Subscribe to our free newsletter for the best of Bangkok, straight to your inbox. 

Craving ice cream? Course you are. Bangkok has a way of sending even the most grown-up among us in search of something cold and sweet  – and the city’s gelato scene has never offered more ways to cool down, dairy-free included. The only problem is choosing. We’ve rounded up the spots worth seeking out, whether you fancy a cone or cup of the good stuff, soft-serve that actually delivers, a cheeky ice cream sandwich or a sundae big enough to share (or not). The choices border on absurd, in a good way: brioche and tacos, fairy floss clouds, candied bacon, charcoal, sea salt and ube. However you roll, here are 16 of the best gelato and ice cream spots across Bangkok and the greater metro area. Still undecided? You can always turn to our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks and galleries, or consult our bucket list of the best things to do in Bangkok. Subscribe to our free newsletter for the best of Bangkok, straight to your inbox.

Vinyl ruled the way we listened long before streaming put millions of songs at our fingertips. Yet the warmth and crackle of a needle hitting the groove still draw collectors and casual listeners back to something a playlist cannot quite replicate. Listening bars are flourishing around the world, and Bangkok is no exception. New spots keep appearing down sois and above shophouses, paying as much attention to turntables, valve amplifiers and acoustics as to what lands in your glass. Everything is tuned for switching off and listening properly.  Whether you collect rare pressings, simply love a good song or fancy a change from the usual after-work haunt, few things beat watching a record turns slowly through the night becomes one of those small, perfect hours. That's the whole appeal. We round up 14 vinyl bars around Bangkok that stand out for their atmosphere, their selections and their pours. Pick the one that catches your eye, and go make a night of it. Still undecided? Turn to our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks and galleries, or consult our bucket list of the best things to do in Bangkok. Map out the rest of this month with our guide to what’s on, and keep an eye on our picks of Bangkok’s best things to do. Subscribe to our free newsletter for the best of Bangkok, straight to your inbox.

The Derby Day Charity Luncheon moves from Melbourne Cup Day to a Saturday, with a plated lunch, live performances, dancing, raffles and gifts. Bring a good hat: awards include Best Dressed Lady, Gentleman and Table, plus a Lucky Horse Prize with rewards ranging from luxury getaways and fine dining to art and jewellery. Last year’s luncheon raised B1,000,000 for The Freedom Story, helping 29 vulnerable children stay in school. The organisers hope to raise more this year. October 31. B4,500. Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit. 11am-3pm. Tickets here

Sing along with Jason Mraz at BITEC Live Jason Mraz returns to Bangkok for a fifth time on his first Asian tour in seven years, bringing a full band to BITEC Live. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is drawing on more than two decades of folk-pop and acoustic songs, including ‘I’m Yours’, ‘Lucky’ and ‘I Won’t Give Up’, with newer material in the mix too. October 29. B2,000-B7,000. BITEC Live. 8pm. Tickets here

The Bangkok Bar Show brings bartenders, bar owners, drinks professionals, international guests and cocktail fans to Anantara Siam for two days. Drop in for tastings, cocktail sessions and industry talks, then chat with the people behind the bar about what they’re pouring. It’s a good chance to try a drink you might otherwise pass over, whether you work in hospitality or just enjoy a well-made cocktail. October 24-25. B360-1,150. Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel. Noon-7pm. Tickets here

Southeastern Gathering 2026 returns for its third year, expanding to six days of bluegrass,  Irish and old-time music with players from Thailand, the US, Japan and Ireland. The line-up includes banjo player Tray Wellington, 2024 Steve Martin Banjo Prize recipient, Tokyo’s Bluegrass Police and Irish musicians Luke Coffey and Cameron Mather. Choose from a penthouse concert for 20 people, a welcome jam, a six-hour main gathering and a brunch with live music and stories. October 20-25. B999-3,299. Public House Bangkok. Programme starts at 7pm. Tickets here

Demand for The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour has added a third Bangkok date at Rajamangala National Stadium. The show draws on the dark, cinematic worlds of After Hours, Dawn FM and Hurry Up Tomorrow, with stadium-scale production to match. The first two nights have sold out, so October 13 is the date to check for tickets. October 11-13. B2,835-B21,935. Rajamangala National Stadium. 5pm. Tickets here

Avenged Sevenfold returns to Bangkok after 11 years, with M. Shadows, Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance, Johnny Christ and Brooks Wackerman on stage at Thunder Dome. The band has topped the Billboard 200 twice in succession, with Nightmare (2010) and Hail to the King (2013). Expect the kind of big, riff-heavy show that made them a fixture of arena and festival bills. October 6-7. Thunder Dome. 8pm. Tickets here.

Topgolf Megacity Bangna is trading quiet concentration for One Beer: Hole in One. More than 50 Thai craft breweries bring over 100 pours, with food and live music alongside. The Beer People team adds golf challenges, including Angry Birds Golf, where hourly winners get a free beer. Sink a ball from within 100 metres in the Hole in One challenge and you’ll win a coupon for 30 glasses – one from every brewery booth. October 3-4. B250-B4,900. Topgolf Megacity Bangna. 3pm-11pm. Tickets here

The Shed City Farmer Market brings local food, home bakers, organic produce, art and independent goods to Sukhumvit 26 for two days. On October 3, artist Makarat ‘Tap’ Taveechon of ToSmile gives a talk and paints live. On October 4, makers from Ubon Ratchathani and Mae Hong Son lead a community talk and tasting of sato, a Thai rice wine. There are vase-painting and aroma roller oil workshops too, plus live music and DJ sets throughout the weekend. October 3-4. Free entry. The Shed Bangkok, Sukhumvit 26. 1pm-9pm

Bangkok Climate Action Week returns for its second year with more than 320 events under the theme ‘Economy We Shape, Climate We Share’. Lumphini Park is the main hub, hosting climate talks, local perspectives, art and live music each evening from 4.30pm-8pm. Across the city, look for workshops, exhibitions and discussions on green jobs, finance and fairer economic systems. The Asia’s Next Economies Forum brings policymakers, businesses and civil society together to consider Southeast Asia’s economic future. October 3-11. Free entry. Various Bangkok venues. See the full programme here

Give yourself time to rummage at NIC Factory Vintage Flea Market. Mid-century tables, classic chairs, home décor and harder-to-find collectables sit alongside one-off pieces from different eras and cultures. The setting is part of the draw: NIC Factory Charoenkrung 74 occupies a former tobacco warehouse by the Chao Phraya River, with weathered industrial details that suit a day of vintage hunting. Arrive early if you want first pick.

Negroni Week returns with bars and restaurants worldwide raising money for hospitality and community programmes through the Negroni Week Fund. In Bangkok, Stella Bar at Capella Bangkok hosts masterclasses and guest shifts with Monica Berg, Alex Kratena, Iain McPherson and Erik Lorincz, while Giorgio Bargiani takes over Aman Lounge. A bar-hopping trail covers Soi Nana, Sathorn and Song Wat in Bangkok, plus Chiang Mai, guided by hand-drawn maps from Thai artist Karoon Jiamviriyasathian. Brunches at Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok and Andaz One Bangkok round out the week.   September 21-27. Bars across Bangkok.

Bangkok’s streets look rather different when you leave the car at home. For this year’s Car Free Festival, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is encouraging residents to rethink everyday journeys by walking, cycling, running, catching a bus, hopping on a boat or taking the train. The festival runs September 20-27, so consider swapping the usual traffic jam for a few stops on public transport. The full programme is still under wraps, but previous editions featured talks and pop-ups about car-free travel. Keep an eye on the BMA’s channels for updates.   September 20-27. Free entry. City wide. Check the schedule here.

Still got ‘Blinding Lights’ on repeat? Make space in the wardrobe for one more hoodie. Complex sets up an After Hours Til Dawn pop-up at Carnival One Bangkok from Thursday October 1 until October 13, the last of The Weeknd’s three nights at Rajamangala National Stadium. Photograph: XOThe Weeknd pop-up store   Photograph: XOThe Weeknd pop-up store Official tour merch and albums share the rails with a Weeknd x Complex collaboration, plus collections from Wildside Yohji Yamamoto, the designer’s more relaxed sub-label, and graphic artist Verdy, the man behind Girls Don’t Cry. Fan activities take place throughout, and an early visit gives you the best chance at your size. Carnival started as a small sneaker shop in 2010, and its two-storey flagship at One Bangkok, open since July, is the Thai brand’s biggest yet. The pop-up takes a room on each level, and the coffee bar downstairs comes in handy if your friend can’t decide between two T-shirts. Photograph: XOThe Weeknd pop-up store Then comes the main event. The Canadian singer plays Rajamangala on October 11, 12 and 13, with Creepy Nuts, the Japanese hip hop duo behind ‘Bling-Bang-Bang-Born’, opening. The Sunday and Monday shows are sold out, but tickets for Tuesday start at B2,835. Gates open at 5pm, and security can refuse bags larger than A4, so drop your haul at home first. 🎫 Before you go, read our ultimate guide to the concert for the setlist and the full list of banned items. Photograph: XOThe Weeknd pop-up store

Most Saturdays in Bangkok come with a brunch booking, a pop-up market in Ari, an exhibition opening across town and a phone that buzzes through the lot. Under the Tree Club asks far less of you. The idea comes from YEP Academy, an outdoor learning outfit based in Phnom Penh, and the first session is on October 3. You arrive at 3.30pm with a book you love, pick a patch of grass under one of Lumphini’s wide rain trees and settle down beside strangers doing the same. Nobody expects small talk and nobody minds whether you’ve brought Murakami or manga. Photograph: tripadvisorBangkok Phones go off for the afternoon, which leaves you free to notice the park properly. Joggers clock laps of the path, pedal boats drift across the lake and the odd monitor lizard hauls itself up the bank to sunbathe. Water refills are provided but snacks aren’t, so pack your own. It’s still rainy season too, and an umbrella in your tote is a wise shout. Once the pages close, everyone forms a small circle to swap whatever stuck with them, whether that’s a single line or a whole plot twist. Sharing is optional and conversation happens in Thai and English. Afterwards you can hang around to chat or slip off towards Sala Daeng BTS for dinner in Silom. The plan is to meet monthly, with a new activity each time. Same shade, fresh format. Under the Tree Club takes place at Lumphini Park from 3.30pm to 5.30pm on the first Saturday of every month, starting Sat Oct 3.  Entry is free but places are capped at 30, s

On the final day of eventing at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, Thailand sits third, 12.6 penalties behind the home side. Typhoon Dujuan has already shuffled the schedule, pushing cross-country to the last phase at Tokyo Equestrian Park. Three riders then go clear around the 3,640-metre course, adding nothing to their score of 109.90, and the title is safe before Japan’s final horse even leaves the start box. The hosts settle for second on 115.20, with South Korea taking bronze on 143.50. The winning four are Korntawat Samran on Billy Elmy, Supap Khaw-Ngam on Vinetto 3, Woraphat Sittiju on Uster de Chanay and Weerapat Pitakanonda on Carnival March. Woraphat adds individual silver on 30.10, behind China’s Alex Hua Tian, and the result gives the country its fifth gold in Japan. Weerapat has ridden Carnival March for eight years, including at the Tokyo Olympics at the same venue, and he knows who deserves the credit. ‘I also have to thank the horses, the best part of the sport,’ he says. Thailand’s previous win in the team event dates back to Bangkok in 1998. What follows is 28 years of building and waiting, with bronze in Jakarta and Hangzhou along the way. Getting back to the top of Asia says plenty about the persistence of the national federation, the riders, every horse and the grooms, vets and coaches behind the scenes.

Most Bangkokians expect a wet September, but plenty say this year is worse. After more than 330mm of rain from Thursday to Sunday, all 50 districts carry disaster status and floodwater reaches around 52,000 households. Out east, residents wade knee-deep across a supermarket car park, towing belongings in plastic tubs. Some convenience stores run short after a weekend rush, and hundreds of city schools stay shut today. For anyone who needs to leave home, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) runs temporary shelters in temples and classrooms, now housing almost 4,900 people. At one in Kheha Romklao, families rest on camp beds with their dogs in the corridors. The downpours should ease this week, though canal levels remain high. Stay safe and check on your neighbours. Photograph: ThairathBangkok   Here the full list by district: Khlong Sam Wa District Rattanaprachark Hospital Wat Bua Kaeo School Bang Chan School Wat Khu Bon School Pracharat Uppatham Wittaya School Su Raho Khlong Nueng School Klang Khlong Song School Ban Nong Rahaeng School Wat Paen Thong School Wat Phraya Suren School Su Raho Sam Wa School Wat Phraya Suren Khan Na Yao District Chinda Bamrung School Khan Na Yao School (Tharin Charoen Songkroh) Chatuchak District Chandrakasem Rajabhat University Ban Lat Phrao School Sena Nikhom School Wat Thewasunthon Prachanivet School Mathayom Prachanivet School Wat Thewasunthon School Wat Samian Nari School Don Mueang District Phahon Yothin School Wat Don Muean

If you missed out on Khon tickets at the National Theatre last time round, here's your second shot. The Fine Arts Department's Office of Performing Arts brings back Khon Ramakien: Ramavatar Episode for four weekend matinées this October and November, backed by a full lighting and sound production. Khon, Thailand's masked dance drama, has been on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list since 2018. The dancers never speak. Narrators and a chorus deliver every line from the side of the stage while a piphat ensemble of xylophones, gongs and drums keeps time. The performers tell the story through posture and precise hand movements. Monkey warriors and demon kings wear lacquered masks, and the costumes are heavy with gold thread and sequins. Photograph: Office of Performing ArtKhon Ramakien This chapter comes from the Ramakien, the Thai version of India's Ramayana, and follows the god Narai as he takes human form as Phra Ram. National Artist Pakorn Pornpisut directs a cast from the department's own company. The venue sits beside Sanam Luang, a short walk from the Grand Palace, so a bowl of noodles in Banglamphu before the 2pm start makes sense. Prices begin at B100, each performance has 1,000 seats, with 700 sold online and 300 at the box office. Khon Ramakien: Ramavatar Episode is at the National Theatre, Phra Nakhon, on Oct 11, 17 and 25 and Nov 1 at 2pm. Tickets cost B100-400 and go on sale Wed, Sep 30 from 9.30am at the box office and via the Fine Arts Department website.

Clear a shelf, cancel your weekend plans and find the roomiest bag you own. Big Bad Wolf, Thailand’s largest sale of English and international books, returns to Platinum Pop (the venue formerly known as The Market Bangkok) from October 2-13. To mark its tenth anniversary, the organisers bring more than 1 million titles, all at hefty discounts. Book hoarders already know the drill. Doors open at 10am and close at midnight, and even a full day of browsing rarely covers every zone. Regulars turn up with wheeled suitcases or a stack of sturdy totes. Anyone hoping to dodge long queues at the tills should aim for a weekday evening rather than a Saturday afternoon. Wear comfortable shoes too, because you spend hours on your feet. Photograph: International Book SaleBangkok The event started in Malaysia in 2009 and now tours cities around the world, which explains the range on the tables. Children’s picture books sit next to photobooks, cookbooks and design tomes, alongside translated fiction in several languages and unsold stock from independent publishers abroad. Prices come in well under what you’d pay at a mall bookshop, so it’s easy to load up on things you’d never normally pick up. Our favourite corner, though, is the merchandise section. Expect Game of Thrones board games, special-edition box sets and audiobook CDs, and word has it this year’s haul includes wizard’s chess sets from the Harry Potter series. Collectors, you know what to do. Big Bad Wolf Bangkok runs Oct 2-13, 1

Bangkok picks up another Southeast Asian first pop-up this month. The Swiss house DAVIDOFF opens its debut men's leather accessories pop-up in the region, and it sets up on the first floor of King Power Rangnam, so you don't need to squeeze it in before your next trip. Photograph: King Power RangnamDAVIDOFF King Power Rangnam is one of the busier travel retail destinations in Asia, the sort of place where you pass shoppers from a dozen different cities in a single afternoon. That mix is exactly why the brand sets up here. 'King Power brings together travellers from across the region and the world, making it the ideal place to introduce our men's accessories collections,' says Adrian Meili, CEO of Zino Davidoff SA. The opening also shows how much DAVIDOFF now counts on Asia-Pacific shoppers, a market it keeps coming back to as it grows. Photograph: King Power RangnamDAVIDOFF At the heart of DAVIDOFF's audience is the 'Gentleman Explorer' – a contemporary man defined and marked by a compelling presence, an inquisitive mind and refined style. Worldly and discerning, he loves to travel, values quality and craftsmanship, and wants to live life to the fullest. Photograph: King Power RangnamDAVIDOFF Two collections lead the display. MOTION Collection is the more expansive of the two, bringing together contemporary pieces in Italian leather for men who want refinement without the fuss. Look closely and you spot the details that set it apart, from the signature pizzicato seam to

Going home for New Year or planning a trip by train? Get ready to book. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) opens advance bookings up to 90 days ahead for journeys between December 25 and January 3 2027. Seats for the first travel date go on sale on September 26 at 8.30am, through the D-Ticket app or at station ticket counters. Holiday trains sell out fast, and lower berths on the long routes usually go first, so send this to the family or friends’ group chat and book together. How far ahead you can reserve depends on how much of the route your trip covers. Advance booking by distance: Under 25 percent of the route, one day before Between 25 and 59 percent, 30 days before 60 percent or more, up to 90 days before Travel dates and when to book: December 25, book from September 26 December 26, book from September 27 December 27, book from September 28 December 28, book from September 29 December 29, book from September 30 December 30, book from October 1 December 31, book from October 2 January 1 2027, book from October 3 January 2 2027, book from October 4 January 3 2027, book from October 5 Only the longest trips get the full 90 days, so a quick hop up to Ayutthaya opens just the day before. Whoever’s quickest on the app gets the bottom bunk. Tickets for December 25 go on sale at 8.30am on September 26 via the D-Ticket app and at railway station counters.

And the Season 21 winner of America’s Got Talent is… Nene Royal! This is huge. A dream comes true for Thai fans as the Phuket teenager takes the crown. Her run begins in the second round of auditions, a day before her sixteenth birthday. She plugs in an electric guitar, sings the Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’ and taps out a two-handed solo halfway through. All four judges say yes. The clip becomes the most-watched audition of the season, passing 20 million views on the show’s YouTube channel. After a few notes from Howie Mandel in the callback round, she returns with Muse’s ‘Hysteria’, which racks up 2.1 million plays within 24 hours of going online on August 8. Then comes Soundgarden’s ‘Black Hole Sun’ at the live quarterfinals on August 25, and Mel B hits the Golden Buzzer, sending Nene through to the final without a single public vote. Back home, even the government gets behind her, with a deputy spokesperson publicly wishing her luck. For the first night of the final on September 22, she chooses the White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’, adds a solo of her own and wears a dress with ‘Nene Thailand’ printed across it. Simon Cowell misses the finale while recovering from back surgery, so YouTuber KSI takes his seat, and Howie tells viewers to give her the million. America listens. On results night she performs ‘The Emptiness Machine’ alongside Linkin Park. Magician Geno Ploeger finishes second and South Korean illusionists Hundred Fingers take third. Nene walks aw

Be honest. How many times did you wish for Doraemon’s Anywhere Door in primary school? One turn of the handle and you’d be out of maths class and on a beach in Phuket. The door never showed up, sadly, but the earless blue robot cat from the twenty-second century does, bringing his mates to Sea Life Bangkok from September 21 to October 31.   View this post on Instagram A post shared by SEA LIFE Bangkok Aquarium (Siam Ocean World) (@sealifebangkok_official) Nobita, Shizuka, Gian and Suneo tag along too, popping up across the aquarium’s two basement floors beneath Siam Paragon. It gives the usual loop past the tanks a storyline, with familiar faces waiting around corners and activities pitched at every age, from toddlers to thirtysomethings with a soft spot for weekend-morning cartoons. The animals hold their own, too. Expect tiny reef fish darting through coral and sharks and rays sliding over the glass tunnel while kids press their palms against the acrylic. The idea is to look at it all the way the gang would, with Doraemon on hand to explain what’s what. If you grew up watching Nobita sob over another failed test or Gian bellow through a concert nobody asked for, each cameo raises a grin. Children get plenty out of it as well, learning about the ocean from characters they know by heart. It also makes a smart plan for a rainy-season afternoon. Hop off the BTS at Siam, follow the signs through the mall and swap the downpour for air-con and water that stays

Already eyeing next year’s getaways? The 2027 holiday calendar is official, covering every public holiday, bank holiday and substitute day in Thailand. Whether you’re plotting a trip, working out your annual leave or sorting paperwork at a bank or district office, it’s worth looking at the dates now. The days off are spread right across the year, but they don’t all apply to everyone. Some close both government offices and banks, some are for financial institutions only and the odd one applies to civil servants alone. So before you travel or turn up at a counter with a stack of forms, find out which kind of holiday it is. Unless we say otherwise, every date below closes both offices and banks. January Friday January 1: New Year’s Day, and the first long weekend of the year. February Sunday February 21: Makha Bucha Day. Temples hold candlelit processions around the ordination hall after dark. Monday February 22: Day off in lieu of Makha Bucha, giving you a three-day weekend from February 20-22. March March has no holidays at all, so keep your leave for April. April Tuesday April 6: Chakri Memorial Day. Book Monday April 5 off and you get four days in a row. Tuesday April 13-Thursday April 15: Songkran. Buses out of Mo Chit fill up days ahead as Bangkok heads home, while Silom Road and Khao San Road host the city’s biggest water fights. May Saturday May 1: National Labour Day, for banks and private companies only. Monday May 3: Labour Day’s replacement. Banks shut, but

Casa Bacardi is a real place, in case you were wondering. It sits in Cataño, across the bay from San Juan in Puerto Rico, on the grounds of the world’s largest premium rum distillery, and locals call it the ‘Cathedral of Rum’. Reaching it from Phuket involves several flights. The new one is on Lagoon Road, a stroll from Boat Avenue. Photograph: Mrs Bfirst Casa Bacardi flagship Phuket Which is where Mrs B Bar & Table comes in. From this Thursday September 24, the Lagoon Road restaurant becomes Casa Bacardi for three months, the first flagship of its kind in Thailand. And no, we’re not talking a couple of logos on the menu. The house pours change. So do the cocktail list and weekly events, built around the brand’s own rum plus Patrón tequila, Grey Goose vodka and Bombay Sapphire gin. Ask for a G&T and watch the bartender reach for the blue bottle. Everything else stays the same. Cooks still work the wood-fired grill in full view of the dining room, and the open-air Yard Bar fills up once plates are cleared, with Dean Oram behind the decks. Word to the wise, the terrace gets loud, so book a table indoors if you’re after a proper catch-up. Why three months? The run lasts until December, timed around EDC Thailand’s return to Rhythm Park in Laguna on December 18-20, a short drive away. We’re calling it now, festival wristbands at the bar that week. Casa Bacardi at Mrs B runs from September 24 until December. Entry is free and reservations are recommended on 093-586-9828.