Kaweewat Siwanartwong

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

The weekend is yours – now you just need to decide what to do with it. Bangkok has plenty on, from Japanese heritage and hands-on printmaking to rooftop barbecues, photo walks and late-night parties steeped in digital nostalgia. You won't need a plane ticket for a taste of Japan. Siam Paragon hosts 'The Wondrous Japan Heritage 2026' at Parc Paragon, complete with samurai sword displays, ninja performances and workshops. Over in Living Hall, seven bonsai go on show, including one more than 500 years old. Fancy making something yourself? Thailand Printmaking Festival 2026 at Central Chidlom supplies the tools, alongside live demonstrations, interactive stations and a market featuring more than 16 studios. Photography fans can meet Varun Gupta of Chennai Photo Biennale at Fotoclub BKK, then join an Infinity Photo Walk connecting Bangkok and Chennai through analogue film. On Saturday, Upper Deck Sports Bar fires up an all-you-can-eat grill, while Maha Niyom welcomes bartender Marina Kishida for an afternoon of DIY cocktails. After dark, Blindspot combines retro games, projectors and light installations with sets from Accidental District, Em-J, mellecvm, Reilly, savemekilly and Tom Aquilina.  Still undecided? Fall back on our guides to Bangkok's best bars, restaurants, parks, galleries and interviews, or tackle our bucket list of the best things to do in Bangkok.Plan the rest of August with our monthly guide, and keep an eye on our latest picks of Bangkok’s best things to do. Subs

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.

The rainy season may be the perfect excuse to stay curled up in bed, but unfortunately, August's lineup is too good to miss.  This month's calendar is packed with everything from dance performances, concerts, book festivals and expos to vintage markets and lively carnivals. Better yet, most of the events are indoors, so you can dodge the downpour without missing out. From indie and acoustic pop to alternative rock, music lovers have plenty to look forward to this month. Catch Matt Maltese and Phum Viphurit at Road to Melt Festival, swoon over Matthew Ifield's Close to Your Heart Tour, or bid farewell to Kodaline as they hit the stage for their final tour. Prefer something a little slower-paced? Head to the Bangkok Speculative Literature Festival for offline reading sessions, author talks and a book and craft market. If you've ever been curious about MBTI, ‘Type to Meet You’ is a community event where the four-letter personality types become a starting point for new friendships and fresh insights about yourself. And for those looking for a dance, join the swing dance classes at Lumphini Grand Ball, compete for a spot on the dance floor or simply enjoy the performances. The Siam Carnival Funfair brings classic thrills with roller coasters, games and carnival treats, while Nippon Haku offers a taste of Japan through a dedicated expo for anyone dreaming of a trip or work opportunities in the Land of the Rising Sun. Keeping track of what's coming next? Our Bangkok concert roundup

The rain is turning up almost every evening, so Bangkok’s wet season is well and truly here. Need an excuse to duck the next downpour? Go gallery hopping. August’s art calendar is packed with reasons to head out, from major openings and long-awaited reunions to hands-on installations and quietly compelling solo shows. Several new creative spaces are opening their doors, too, while standout exhibitions continue their runs. Got an hour between coffee stops or a whole Saturday afternoon to spare? These are the exhibitions to catch across Bangkok this month. Need more ideas? Browse our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks, galleries and interviews, or start ticking off the best things to do in Bangkok. Regular gallery-goer or just art-curious? Follow our guide to live the art life. From alleyway masterpieces and paint-splashed corners hiding in plain sight, seek out Bangkok’s 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.

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.

Fried chicken belongs to everyone. From the United States to Korea and Taiwan, almost every country and culture has a version. But ask Bangkok diners where Thailand’s best comes from and one answer rises above the rest – Hat Yai.You know the type: skin that shatters, meat still steaming underneath and fried shallots piled so high they border on showing off, with sticky rice to catch whatever survives. It is Southern Thailand’s great contribution to the fried chicken canon, and the rest of the country has happily claimed it.The strange part is that half of Bangkok advertises Hat Yai fried chicken, yet very little tastes as it should. The marinade lacks depth, the oil goes tired or the shallots come straight from a packet. Anyone raised down south can tell in one bite.We went looking for the real deal. Four proper Hat Yai and Songkhla-style specialists made the cut, joined by one Bangkok fried chicken institution too good to leave out.Order at the counter, wait for the batch that is still spitting and eat with your hands. Obviously.   What is it?Hat Yai fried chicken begins long before the oil gets hot. Garlic, coriander root and white pepper worked are worked into the meat, which is left to marinate for hours before frying to a deep gold: crisp skin outside, juicy flesh within. Unlike fried chicken that depends on the dip, the seasoning runs through the meat – peppery, savoury and faintly herbal. Crisp, sweet fried shallots are scattered over the top by the fistful. Att a road

 What beats a margarita or two after a long day? Not much, honestly. And this month, Bangkok gets a whole run of them. PATRÓN launches Margarita Your Way, a month-long love letter to the world's most famous tequila cocktail, on now until July 31 and turning the city loose on flavour, discovery and a proper bit of self-expression. The heart of it all sits on the M Floor of Siam Paragon, where the Margarita Your Way Pop-Up poses one simple question. Which one are you?  Four personalities set the tone – classic, fruity, spicy and cool – each a different attitude, a different flavour, a different way of drinking. Are you the purist? The fruity show-off? The one who orders a chilli rim and dares the table to keep up? Photograph: PATRÓNMargarita Your Way Come Friday evening, the guest shifts hand space to some of Bangkok's sharpest bartenders, who reimagine the drink their own way. And the fun spills out across town. All July, PATRÓN teams up with a hand-picked cast of bars, restaurants, hotels and lifestyle spots. Sunset rooftops, buzzy nightlife dens, tucked-away cocktail hideaways and plush hotel lounges – each one shaking up its own take on the classic. So, thirsty yet? Here’s where to go.

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.

You've probably seen the look before you've heard the name. The head tilts back, the eyes go wide, there's a held beat of silence, and then the camera swings up to a neon skyline or a stretch of white sand. The man doing the looking is Travis Leon Price, and at 35, the Donegal-born creator has spent the last five years in Bangkok, amassing more than 500,000 followers across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram who tune in for that signature slow, upward gaze of awe before a skyline or a shoreline reveals itself. Photograph: Travis LeonTime Out Bangkok His tagline, 'Bringing you the magic of Asia', sounds like marketing until you realise he means every word of it. He has slept in a 24-hour Chinese spa for the price of a takeaway, crawled the bars of Yaowarat and built a whole second life on an iPhone and a refusal to film anything corny. As busy as you would imagine, we never actually speak on the phone. The whole conversation is over WhatsApp, his replies are in clusters from elsewhere while Bangkok goes grey around me, then the little 'typing…' that flickers and stalls and starts again. He writes the way he talks on camera: warm, fast, unbothered by punctuation, a 'haha' dropped in before he's finished a thought. So, everyone, pour yourself a rooftop something and settle in. What follows is a love letter to a city that refuses to let him leave. Photograph: Travis LeonTime Out Bangkok A long way from a famine village Donegal to Thailand is not exactly a casual commute, and Travi

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

Food is often a good reason to travel, and A Journey of Taste and Culture makes that the main event. Presented by Thairath Group and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the festival brings dishes, ingredients and culinary traditions from all five regions together under the theme ‘Taste Journey Starter’. Expect Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand picks alongside much-loved local restaurants, giving visitors plenty of ideas for their next food trip.The festival also puts a spotlight on Thailand’s lesser-known ingredients, with an exhibition exploring the idea of ‘Food as Medicine’ and the traditional knowledge behind eating for wellbeing. Over at the TAT travel zone, you can browse routes built around signature provincial dishes and the places where their key ingredients originate. Live cooking demonstrations round things off, with chefs preparing regional recipes and offering samples. Daily giveaways add another reason to stop by, with prizes including wild forest honey, herbal inhalers, ginger cookies and dried snacks.August 22-25. Free entry. EM Market, EMSPHERE. 10am-9pm

Fotoclub BKK welcomes Varun Gupta of Chennai Photo Biennale and CPB Darkroom for a conversation about how photography communities grow, connect and create opportunities for artists. Gupta has spent more than a decade developing one of India’s leading photography platforms, bringing photographers, artists and audiences together in Chennai. The free morning session, ‘Community Beyond Borders’, focuses on community-building rather than camera settings or technical tips. That afternoon, a limited Infinity Photo Walk takes participants through Bangkok; the film will be processed and scanned by CPB Darkroom in Chennai, then returned as finished images – a simple exchange between two photography communities thousands of kilometres apart. August 22. Free; registration required via Fotoclub BKK. 2/F, Fotoclub BKK. 11am-1pm

Remember when games came with chunky controllers, scratched discs and menus that took forever to load? Blindspot turns that digital nostalgia into a party, using old-school games, projectors and light installations to evoke the internet and media we’ve left behind. Screens and interactive installations become part of the night rather than mere background decoration, tapping into the strange pleasure of rediscovering things that once felt ordinary. Accidental District, Em-J, mellecvm, Reilly, savemekilly and Tom Aquilina provide the soundtrack.  August 22. B300 at the door. AVVE. From 10pm

Maha Niyom revives its DIY Cocktails session, with Marina Kishida taking over the bar for an afternoon of shaking, stirring and hands-on mixing. Born in Yokohama, Kishida began her career in the corporate world before moving into food and beverage. A barista job introduced her to coffee cocktails and eventually bartending; now she brings that experience to Bangkok for a one-off session where guests can make drinks alongside her. Since opening in 2022, Maha Niyom has built its cocktail menu around Thai ingredients, local produce and traditional craft, proving flavours such as lemongrass and chilli belong at the bar. August 22. From B1,350. Maha Niyom. 2pm-5pm

Movie night gets a dinner-table upgrade with La Famiglia Legacy: Table and Screen, a collaboration between Century Theatre Sukhumvit and Avani Sukhumvit Bangkok. The evening pairs The Godfather with an Italian meal, letting you watch Michael Corleone navigate the family business as plates arrive. Begin with a welcome drink before settling in for pasta, cannoli and other Italian dishes from Avani’s kitchen team. The film supplies most of the drama; the setting stays relaxed. If you’ve ever wanted to watch a mafia classic while eating what its characters might order, here’s your excuse.August 22-September 13. B1,550-1,650.  Book here. Century Theatre Sukhumvit. 7pm-10pm

Jazz and art meet in Jazz Conversation, an exhibition of oil paintings inspired by the look and atmosphere of the post-World War I era. Deep black, brown, indigo, rusty orange, wine red, muted yellow and olive green give the show its vintage character. The standout works explore  ‘Rawness’, using thick, forceful brushstrokes and distorted figures to capture the physical freedom of improvising musicians. Rather than simply recording a performance, the artist uses movement, colour and texture to suggest what happens when players abandon a fixed structure and respond to one another in the moment.  August 16-September 6. Free. Joyman Gallery. 11am-6pm

Groovy Doopy heads to Buddha & Pals for a special Isaan Groove session, blending the region’s khaen and phin traditions with jazz, soul and laid-back funk. Nueng Saran plays khaen and phin, while Rachael McMillan brings rich, soulful vocals, joined by special guest Joel David. Sunny on keys, March on bass and Palm on drums keep the groove moving. Grab a drink, settle in and let the musicians do the rest.August 20. B350 at the door. Buddha & Pals. 9pm-11pm

Thailand’s underground electronic scene gains an international platform this August as Dudesweet, supported by the Department of Cultural Promotion, launches ThaiBeats. More than 380 tracks arrived from artists nationwide; 12 made the final vinyl compilation, which will be distributed to DJs and music-industry figures overseas. The launch lands at Speakerbox Livehouse on August 20, opening with a panel titled ‘What’s Next for the Thai Electronic Music Scene?’ featuring Maft Sai, Tul Apartment Khunpa, Note Dudesweet and Pascal Karier of Germany’s Kerala Dust. Two selected artists perform before Tapejam closes with a cassette-only set. Further showcases follow at Melt Livehouse and Cloud 11 on August 21, then The One on Khaosan Road on August 22. August 20-22. Free. Tickets here. Speakerbox Livehouse, Melt Livehouse and The One.

Siam Paragon celebrates Thailand’s long-standing ties with Japan this August with Siam Paragon The Wondrous Japan Heritage 2026, a cultural festival running from August 20-30. Head to Parc Paragon from August 20-23 for live samurai swordsmanship, ninja performances and hands-on workshops, with plenty to see even if you only have an hour between shopping stops. From August 20-23, the main stage hosts Awaken the Samurai between 2pm and 5pm, featuring sword school Shidenryu Tokyo and performers from Iga, known for its association with Japan’s ninja tradition. There are also demonstrations exploring the discipline and techniques behind these historic warrior cultures. Craft sessions cover origami, maneki neko making and the strategy board game Samurai. For something quieter, Living Hall presents A Living Legacy of Time, a bonsai exhibition featuring seven prized masterpieces, including one more than 500 years old. Guided tours happen on weekends, while bonsai workshops take place on August 22 and 29. The wider programme also brings Japanese food, fashion, books and design to the mall, with familiar names such as Kinokuniya, Loft and Nintendo alongside Japanese restaurants and cafes. Admission to the main festival activities is free. August 20-30, 10am-8pm at Siam Paragon

Running since 2013, 808 Festival fills BITEC Bangna with strobe lights and heavy bass for one weekend a year. The 2026 edition comes on October 2 and 3, roughly two months earlier than its usual December slot, and drops to a pair of days across two stages, down from three nights last year. Phase one puts Illenium at the top, alongside W&W, Argy and Ben Nicky, plus back-to-back sets from Slander and Nghtmre and from Adam Beyer and Chris Avantgarde. More acts get added closer to the date.  Line-up includes: ADAM BEYER B2B CHRIS AVANTGARDE, Argy, Ben Nicky, Ian Asher, Illenium, Mary Droppinz, Rivo, SLANDER B2B NGHTMRE, W&W and more. BITEC. October 2-3. Tickets. 

Seoul-born collective CARDIAC returns to Bangkok this Friday with ‘Never Say Tired’, a late-night gathering at Bar Temp that brings together DJs, producers and creatives from across its growing network. Since launching with a party in Paris last year, the crew has made stops in Taiwan, Bangkok and Wonderfruit, building a reputation for music-led events that attract a mix of artists, designers and nightlife regulars. Expect a soundtrack that moves between house, disco and club-focused sounds, plus the sort of crowd that arrives for one drink and ends up staying until close. If your weekend plans involve a dance floor rather than a sofa, this is a solid place to start.August 14. B300 at the door. Bar Temp., 9pm onwardskawe

Polish guitarist Marcin Patrzałek brings his one-man-band approach to Bangkok, using a single acoustic guitar for bass lines, percussion and melody. Known simply as Marcin, he combines flamenco techniques,  percussive tapping and modern production until one instrument sounds like several musicians at once. He won Must Be The Music in 2015 before reaching a much wider audience on America’s Got Talent, where his rapid, rhythmic playing earned millions of online views. Tom Morello, Paul Stanley and Steve Vai have all praised his work. If acoustic guitar suggests gentle strumming, prepare to have that idea dismantled. August 15. B2,000-3,500 via here. MGI Hall, Bravo BKK. 7pm

If December 26 was already blocked out in your calendar for a big night at Supachalasai Stadium, take a breath, because we've got some genuinely sad news to pass on. Fujii Kaze's Prema World Tour in Bangkok, set for December 26, right in the middle of the holiday break, is off. The performance has been cancelled due to an unexpected issue, and the organisers haven't said exactly what went wrong. Plenty of you had been counting down since the day tickets dropped. The tour follows Prema, the Japanese singer's first English-language album and his third full-length record. It's the one that wins him fans well past Japan and right across Asia, so the letdown here lands hard. Photograph: Live Nation TeroBangkok Organisers Live Nation Tero and HEHN RECORDS have offered their sincerest apologies to everyone who bought a ticket, and they've set out exactly how to get your money back: Paid by credit or debit card: No action needed. Refunds return to your original card automatically within two billing cycles. Paid another way: Bring your proof of purchase to any of the 11 main Thai Ticket Major branches from August 28 to October 31, 2026, during opening hours. For what it's worth, the team and Fujii Kaze himself say they hope to make it up to Thai fans and come back soon. For anything else, ring Thai Ticket Major on 02-262-3456 or email cs@thaiticketmajor.com.

If you have been keeping tabs on Thai electronic pop band KIKI, you already know how big this year is for them. Fresh from landing a slot at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival on July 26, the group adds another major booking to the calendar, the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2026. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 大浪漫唱片 BIG ROMANTIC RECORDS (@bigromanticrecords) A quick word on the Singapore race, in case you have never watched it. It runs at night, under floodlights, with the cars threading past the skyscrapers and hotels around Marina Bay. The weekend also comes with a serious music programme, spread across several stages inside the circuit park. Once the track action wraps for the evening, ticket holders move between the grandstands and the stages, drinks in hand, the heat still hanging about long after dark. This year the bill includes Lana Del Rey, The Killers, Janet Jackson, JJ Lin, Mark Ronson and DJ Snake, with more names still to land. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KIKI 🐸 (@kikidoyoumind) And KIKI sit right there among that company, the one Thai act on the roster. It marks a proper milestone for a band still fairly early in their run, and another sign of a new generation of artists from Thailand reaching listeners a long way from home. From a festival field in the Japanese mountains to the streets of Singapore a few months later.  The Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix

You've done the sunrise run club and the golden-hour walking tour, but have you ever wondered what Bangkok looks like at midnight, when most of the city has gone to bed? Is it bright? Is it safe? What sits quietly out of sight until the sun comes up? Walking tours rank among the capital's favourite weekend habits right now, second only to run clubs. Most start early, before the heat sets in, or wait for the cooler evening. 'Bangkok Midnight City Walk' does neither. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nakhonsawan Movie Club (@nakhonsawan.movieclub) 'Film I Trust', an independent film group that stages screenings in all sorts of spaces, runs this one. Everyone meets at midnight and stays out until morning, tracing the stories the capital keeps to itself while the rest of us sleep. The loop starts at Café Velodome on Phra Sumen Road and takes in Siam Paragon, Lumphini Park, Silom, Bangrak, Talat Noi, Yaowarat, Pak Khlong Talat, Wat Pho and Sanam Luang before circling back to where it began. Along the way you swap notes with strangers, comparing how each neighbourhood reads by day and by night. Photograph: Film I TrustBangkok Organisers use 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' as the thread that runs through the route, borrowing scenes from it to frame the parts of Bangkok most people never see. It's a neat match. The film tells New York through emotion, class, dreams and the people who live there, and this one does much the same for a city on the other side of t

A new sound from Thailand, turned up loud enough to carry to dance floors around the world! 'ThaiBeats' is a fresh project driving local electronic music onto the international stage, arriving alongside the 12 selected artists. Photograph: DUDESWEETBangkok Dudesweet, with support from the Department of Cultural Promotion and the Ministry of Culture, launches the whole thing to champion underground makers and electronic sounds from home, giving them a way to reach clubs, festivals and listeners well past the border. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dudesweet (@dudesweetnation) After opening submissions to artists nationwide, the project takes in more than 380 tracks and picks 12 for the 'ThaiBeats Vinyl Compilation', a record that gets to DJs and industry types abroad. Give local electronic music, particularly the stuff that mixes cultural roots with a modern outlook, a real shot at being heard. The 12 chosen are Amberleaf, Electric Piphat, ErrorMonday & April Summer, HIAKEMDESHO, JIPI & Nannue, Meltmode, Morlamboi, Ninja Dandruff, Pradit Saengkrai, Sounds of Future Siam, Sunju Hargun and The Thai Loyd Corporation. Some you will know from late Bangkok nights, some are brand new. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dudesweet (@dudesweetnation) To mark the launch, three days of events run across Bangkok from August 20-22: On August 20, 2pm, ThaiBeats Press Day takes over Speakerbox Livehouse on the first floor of Li

Ever found yourself moved by a song you couldn't quite put words to? That's roughly the territory Kornrawee Trakarnratanakul stakes out in 'Jazz Conversation', a new exhibition at Joyman Gallery where painting and jazz strike up a wordless chat. Photograph: Joyman GalleryArtist The works channel the spirit, memories and lived experiences of musicians mid-improvisation, translated through loose, expressive brushwork. Distorted forms tangle with line and colour, rendering the vibrations of music as something you can actually see. They capture what makes jazz tick, where no single sound stands alone and every note becomes an energy born from listening, responding and freely following desire within the shape of a melody. Photograph: Joyman GalleryJazz Conversation No soundtrack plays through the gallery, which is rather the point, since the music happens in your head as your eye travels across each canvas. Kornrawee describes the heart of the collection as an invitation to slip past the limits of language and settle in a state without restraints, the same rhythm and spiritual charge musicians tap on stage. Think of it as a conversation between two hearts that understand each other perfectly, no words required. Art and music lovers get to experience the pleasure of drifting and open themselves to a soundless exchange that lands somewhere deep.  Joyman Gallery from August 16-September 6, 2026, and entry is completely free.

We all know the Ramakian. The battles, the ten-headed demon, that monkey army marching across the sea. But how often do we watch the whole saga unfold through the eyes of the woman at its centre? This year, the SUPPORT Foundation hands us that chance. Its grand annual Khon spectacle returns to the Main Hall, Thailand Cultural Centre, running November 5 to December 10. Drawn from King Rama I's royal composition, Ramakian: 'Sita' follows a woman born of pure heart, whose beauty and love spark the great war of the epic before her life turns to separation, long waiting and the delicate task of proving her innocence through faithfulness and loyalty.  Photograph: Khon PerformanceBangkok It's a love story, yes, though a bruising one, beautiful and painful at once, carrying an ache that plain words can't quite reach. In performance, all of this arrives through masked dancers, live narration and the slow, hypnotic precision that makes Khon unlike anything else you can see on a Bangkok stage. Photograph: Khon PerformanceBangkok Here's the thing, though. Khon is never only the drama on stage. Behind the grandeur sits a vast body of Thai craftsmanship, lovingly preserved and handed down across the generations – the hand-built sets and props, the stage decorations, the fearsome masks and those gilded, intricately stitched costumes. Just as vital, the organisers carve out room for young artists to learn these skills and carry them on, so a centuries-old art keeps breathing rather than

The Silent Film Festival in Thailand hits its 10th edition across two weekends, with celebrated accompanist Stephen Horne at the keys. The Silent Film Festival in Thailand is back for a landmark 10th edition, and it puts classic silent-era pictures back on the big screen where they belong. Every screening comes with live music, exactly how films of this vintage are meant to be seen, and the whole run spans two weekends. Catch it at the Sala Cinema Theatre on August 29 and 30, then Nang Loeng Cinema (Sala Chalerm Thani) on September 5 and 6. Photograph: Stephen HorneBangkok If a dialogue-free night at the cinema sounds like hard work, think again. With a pianist reacting to every gag and gasp in real time, this is about as lively as the flicks get, and no two screenings sound quite the same. Leading the charge is Stephen Horne, a British musician widely regarded as one of the world's finest silent-film accompanists. He has played for Thai crowds once before, at the festival's 2nd edition in 2015, and this time he scores four programmes, each pitched in a completely different mood. First up is the comedy, Keaton's Our Hospitality (1923), an early showcase for the king of the straight face at his stunt-loving best. Next comes a trio of shorts starring the era's biggest child star, Baby Peggy, in A Muddy Bride (1921), The Kid Reporter (1923) and Peg O' the Mounted (1924). For drama, Song (1928) stars Anna May Wong, the first Chinese-American star Hollywood ever produced. And fo

Fancy a night that treats desire as art rather than something to whisper about? A good film about longing rarely stops at the body. It reaches for love, dreams, identity and the little private spaces people once carved out just to be themselves. Photograph: James BidgoodBangkok That is the spirit behind 'Sala Leture', a new run of talks and screenings from Sala Saneha that opens its first edition with queer artist Oat Montien. He walks us through the world of erotic cinema and the American queer underground via three key figures, James Bidgood, Kenneth Anger and Steven Arnold. Each one conjures lush, surreal dreamscapes from almost nothing (Bidgood shoots much of Pink Narcissus inside a cramped New York flat), making private fantasy tangible enough to touch. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sala Saneha | ศาลาเสน่หา (@sala.saneha) This is not a chat about 'porn' in the literal sense. The evening looks at the work through art and history, tracing the knotty ties between imagination, hidden lives, cult belief and a scene that thrives on the fringes. Photograph: Steven ArnoldBangkok Because in certain eras, simply loving, dreaming or picturing a world you actually want to live in counts as resistance. Across two hours, the session asks us not only to watch, but to look back at human wanting itself, the delicate stuff that is deeply personal and completely universal, still travelling across time to reach us now. Catch it at Sala Saneha on Saturda

So, did you make it to the last one? And more to the point, what exactly did you get up to while you were there? A few hundred people rocked up to do nothing together last two times, and now 'Do F**ing Nothing' returns for its third outing. It happens on September 5 and 6 from 5pm to 6pm at Playground 1, Rod Fai Park, and if you've done it before, you already know the score. For everyone else, here's how it goes. You get an hour. No reading, no writing, no phone, no chatting, no music. You simply sit and stay with the stillness, and that's the entire thing. Honestly. The organiser suggests turning up around 15 minutes early so you can claim a spot where your body and mind settle. Come 5pm, everyone goes quiet and there's no clock-watching needed this round. When the national anthem strikes up, take it as your signal that the still part's done. From here you carry on sitting, wander off or stay for a chat, entirely as you please. And a chat is half the fun. If you fancy meeting a few strangers afterwards, the method is delightfully low-tech. Save the event poster to your phone, raise your hand nice and high with the poster on show, then wait for someone to mirror you. When they do, just ask, 'Interested in sitting and talking together?'  Photograph: PatchaReeBenjakitti Park Groups of five to ten tend to work best, with one person guiding things using a pair of prompts. Why did you come to sit still, and what happened while you did? You take turns answering, share only as muc

Some films stay with you long after the credits: a father’s hidden sadness, a love that unsettles everything or the quiet beauty of an ordinary Tokyo morning. This September, House Samyan is devoting a weekend to stories like these. Running for two days, the Longevity For All Film Festival & Talks brings cinema and matters of the heart together in a programme by OKMD, Documentary Club and the Media for Change Association. Alongside three films are talks and hands-on workshops exploring memory, love and healing. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Documentary Club (@documentary_club)  Here’s what’s screening: Aftersun (2022) – a tender portrait of childhood, pieced together from a daughter’s memories and the sadness her father hides behind his smile. The Bridges of Madison County (1995) – a sweeping romance that weighs desire against duty and asks how we live with the choices we make. Moriyama-San (2017) – a delicate documentary that finds magic in the everyday and helped inspire Perfect Days. Photograph: Moriyama-San (2017)Bangkok Plan your weekend: Saturday, September 5 1pm-2pm | Sensory Experience Talk – a session on reawakening the senses to the world around us. 2pm-3.15pm | Screening of Moriyama-San Sunday, September 6 12.30pm-2.45pm | Screening of The Bridges of Madison County 2.45pm-4.30pm | Workshop: How to Write Like a Writer – a session designed to draw words from the heart. 4.30pm-6.15pm | Screening of Aftersun 6.15pm-7pm | Talk: M

Say the words Lakhon Nok and plenty of us picture a stiff, ceremonial Thai performance lifted straight from a primary-school textbook. The reality is far cheekier. This centuries-old folk dance-drama, born in the Ayutthaya era, runs on playfulness and freedom above all else, handing performers a stage to pull stories from their surroundings and spin them out as parody, satire and gleefully colourful digs at the rules, the red tape and the people in charge. Call it an art form that has never much fancied staying inside the lines. Photograph: Rukchat NakharatBangkok Now the Chomphoonuch Theatre Troupe reunites to prove the point, taking the world's most famous fairy tale, Cinderella, and reworking it as contemporary Lakhon Nok. The show comes stitched with the genre's trademark song, sharp comic timing and loose improvisation, and it asks you to set aside everything you assume about the glass-slipper princess and meet her again through the lens of Thai theatre. This is the first time the troupe draws on foreign literature and builds a full production around it. And while the plot hails from the West, its bones sit closer to home than you might guess. Separation, disguise, a sudden shift in status, the overlooked soul who finally gets noticed. All of it runs through countless Thai and Asian legends. Strip away the ballgown and the pumpkin, and she could almost pass for one of our own. Photograph: Rukchat NakharatBangkok Need a quick example? Think of Sang Thong, the Prince o

Ever get that Sunday-night feeling that you're just going through the motions, waiting for something to click? You're not the only one, and House of Films reckons the right film makes brilliant company for it. The crew is back with a fresh season under the name 'Somewhere to Belong'. Five films across three nights, each one circling loneliness, love and the restless search for whatever it is we're all missing. Some characters drift through everyday routines, some tangle themselves in relationships they can't quite read and a few give it all up to chase the meaning of life across mountains, motels and deserted islands. thecornerhouse.bangkokBangkok Here's what's on: American Beauty (1999)August 21 at 6.30pm A middle-aged bloke, bored stiff by his marriage and his job, jolts back to life the moment a teenage girl has him questioning everything he's settled for. Into the Wild (2007)August 22 at 6.30pm A young man walks away from money, safety and every possession to his name, then sets off alone to seek freedom and meaning out in the wild. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)August 22 at 9.30pmA thirty-something singleton starts a diary and vows to sort herself out, from her career to her love life to a little more faith in herself along the way. Cast Away (2000)August 23 at 8.50pm A shipping company worker survives a plane crash and washes up on a deserted island, where simply staying alive becomes a daily test of patience and nerve. Up in the Air (2009)August 23 at 9.30pm A frequen