Kaweewat Siwanartwong

Keep a folding umbrella in your bag and get off the sofa: Bangkok’s October 8-11 line-up takes you from international galleries at art bangkok 2026 in Siam Paragon to Isan grooves at Molam to the World on Bangkok Island. Start with the art fair’s exhibitions, talks and collecting programmes – you don’t need an art-buying budget to browse the booths. At One Bangkok, Julie Stephen Chheng’s Fortune Teller sends you searching for nature spirits through interactive projections and augmented reality. Over in Song Wat, Hand to Heart Market pairs handmade shopping with traditional floral crafts. Want to get moving? Dream Rotation V4 at LongLai starts with a beginner-friendly pole workshop before opening the floor for freestyle practice. Saturday also brings 10/10 – Seoul Got Soul to SoolHaus in Sukhumvit 12, with ’90s R&B and Korean-inspired cocktails. Or dig out last October’s costume for TUFF’s witch-themed haunted house party, complete with tarot readings. Sunday has young writers taking the mic at Thailand’s National Youth Poetry Slam, part of Bangkok Climate Action Week. For a gentler afternoon, Le Café des Stagiaires pairs crochet with Susha and ambient music from Alex Café . Then there’s the rather larger Sunday-night proposition: The Weeknd starts his three-night Rajamangala run on October 11. Check the forecast, pick a favourite and give the city another go.Still undecided? Browse our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks and galleries, or start ticking off the c

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. This October, follow rain-soaked streets through Alain Callebaut’s photographs at Old Town Gallery, step into Korakrit Arunanondchai’s Love After Death at Bangkok CityCity Gallery in Sathorn or watch painters race the clock at Art Battle Bangkok at The Fig Lobby in Khlong Toei. There’s plenty to linger over – and, in the galleries, perhaps another visitor’s tote bag to dodge. Memory runs through Nostalgia Surfer at KICHgallery, where airbrush paintings revisit old images, sounds, colours and places, and A Place Within a Place at L.O.F Gallery in Samyan, where familiar surroundings take on different meanings. At River City Bangkok, Munins explores emotion, memory and decision-making in STILL : ON, while Kitti Narod’s A Place We Share fills phone-shaped canvases with everyday life and ideas of equality at Tang Contemporary Art. Over at 6060 Arts Space, the lotus becomes a symbol of persistence through difficult circumstances.  Pop Mart marks 20 years of Molly, Kenny Wong's pouting art toy, at Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park. The semi-outdoor display pairs early sketches and original works with Thai craftspeople’s interpretations in Benjarong ceramics and lacquerwork. Check the visiting arrangements , then walk over to Banthat Thong for noodles. For a full crawl or a gallery stop between showers, pick a neighbourhood, pack an umbrella and

Say Song Wat and you might picture old shophouses, Chinese lettering above the shutters and sacks of dried chillies by the door. They’re all still here. Along its roughly 1.2km stretch beside the Chao Phraya, spice wholesalers now trade alongside Song Wat Coffee Roasters, Thai restaurant e-ga, independent shops and bars with river views. Come hungry, but keep your eyes off your phone between stops. Belgian artist ROA’s upside-down elephants cover a car-park wall, PLAY art house occupies a former shoe warehouse and smaller artworks turn up in alleys and shop windows. Made in Song Wat, a local collective that began with 10 businesses in 2022, has since grown to more than 60 members.  The road’s name refers to King Rama V drawing its route on a map. That history is part of the pleasure of walking here: Song Wat still works as a trading street, even as its old buildings find new occupants. Photograph: rongklannuea What's Song Wat known for? Street art helped draw visitors here before the café queues arrived. Now galleries sit among wholesalers, design pieces appear in unexpected shops and restored shophouses hold restaurants, bakeries and bars. You can spend an afternoon photographing the walls and grazing your way down the road, then stay for dinner and a drink. Photograph: rongklannuea Why do the locals love it? Song Wat rewards a slow look. Family-run businesses still sell chillies, star anise and coffee beans from open-fronted shops, while murals cover peeling walls and

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.  

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.

Sunday takes a slower turn at Le Café des Stagiaires, where Yars & Yaps pairs crochet with ambient music and afternoon drink. Susha introduces the basics while Alex Café supplies the DJ set. Grab a drink, settle at a table and work on your stitches at your own pace – no need to arrive as a crochet expert. Check any fee and whether hooks and yarn are provided when you sign up. October 11. Le Café des Stagiaires, 142/21 Sathorn Soi 12. 2pm-6pm. Sign up here. Enquiries: 097-130-7534.

Remember reciting a poem at school assembly, knees knocking as everyone watched? Now add a microphone, judges and a room full of strangers. Thailand’s National Youth Poetry Slam brings young poets from across the country to Lumpini Recreation Center Hall as part of Bangkok Climate Action Week. Junior entrants are aged eight to 12 and seniors 13 to 17, performing solo, in pairs or in groups of up to four. Every poem must be original and can be delivered in Thai, English or both. The theme, ‘We Destine: The World We Want to Live In’, asks what kind of future they want to create. October 11. Free entry. Lumpini Recreation Center Hall. 11am-2pm. Details and registration.

SoolHaus brings a little Seoul soul to Sukhumvit 12 with 10/10 – Seoul Got Soul, pairing ’90s R&B with Korean-inspired coctials. Patra and In.Se.On take turns behind the decks, while the bar’s drinks include the Seoul Standard, SoolHaus banchan, night transmission and signature soju bomb. The event also promises a first taste of ember dial, a spirit-forward cocktail previewed ahead of an expanded menu planned for later this month. Pick a drink and settle in for a late one. October 10. Free entry. SoolHaus, Canopy Bangkok Sukhumvit. 9pm-1am.

Never touched a pole? Dream Rotation V4 welcomes you anyway. The beginner-friendly night starts with ice-breakers and an introductory workshop before opening the poles for freestyle practice. All experience levels, identities and body types are welcome, so there’s room to explore at your own pace without learning a set routine. If pole dancing has always seemed intimidating or simply outside your usual Saturday plans, this is an invitation to give it a go. Check the organiser’s post for the workshop start time and what to wear. October 10. Pay what you can, with a suggested minimum contribution of B250. LongLai. 9pm-1am.

Molam to the World brings Isan sounds into conversation with music from further afield at Bangkok Island. Presented by Terra Canta and the venue, the programme combines live molam and Isan performances with contemporary beats, drawing on the sounds of Thai khaen and phin, Indian sitar and African djembe. DJs Selecta Rainny, tape jam and saru soul take the DJ stage, with Rainny’s announced selection spanning molam, dub, global bass, cumbia and Indian beats. There’s Isan food to keep you going between dances. October 10. Free entry. Tickets here. Bangkok Island. 6pm-midnight

Wine country gets a dessert makeover at sàat, where chef Saki Hoshino teams up with GranMonte Vineyard and Winery on Terroir to Tart. The vineyard-inspired menu uses Khao Yai wine, grape juice and grape leaves, bringing Japanese techniques together with Thai and Western flavours. The three creations range from raw fish with Spring Chenin Blanc jelly to coconut cheesecake with grape jelly and grape juice. Then there’s GranMonte grape leaf sorbet, served with miso caramel, mochi and toasted rice. It’s a reason to consider the vineyard beyond what’s in your glass. Until January 31 2027. sàat, Maha Phruettharam Road, near Hua Lamphong.  11am-8pm. Closed Tuesday. Reservations: 095-373-1178.

What happens to a memory when the details start to disappear? Trey Hurst considers that question in At the Threshold, a solo exhibition of paintings made between 2023 and 2026. Working directly on canvas, he builds layered surfaces through repeated brushwork, allowing human figures to emerge somewhere between abstraction and recognition. The paintings explore memory, relationships and the passing of time, with earlier marks remaining beneath newer ones. Stay with them a while: the figures resist a neat resolution. October 10-November 8. Free entry. Play Art House, Song Wat Road. Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-5pm; Friday-Sunday, 10am-6pm. Closed Monday.

A spooky Saturday is brewing at lesbian bar TUFF, where A Coven of Witches gives the haunted house party a suitably supernatural dress code. The announced line-up has DJ CKMONAA on the decks and Jade Eva offering tarot and astrology readings. Come as an evil crone, sorceress, Y2K witch, medieval mystic, siren, harpy or Medusa – or invent your own creature. The advertised best-dressed prize is four free drinks, so dust off the cape and make an effort. Entry is free, but capacity is limited; check the event post for admission and reading arrangements. October 10. Free entry. TUFF Bar. From 9pm. 

Plug in your earphones and let Roots Walk introduce you to the stories hiding around Fueang Nakhon Road and Sam Phraeng. Roots Routes’ self-guided ‘From Royal Past to Commercial Present’ tour traces the area’s royal and commercial history, with local voices, an interactive route map and perks at participating shops. Launched around Bangkok Car Free Week, the free-access offer continues until October 11, with special discounts advertised on other Old Town routes. Start before 11am for the best experience and allow roughly one to two-and-a-half hours. Check the campaign’s access instructions before using the standard booking page, which displays the usual B349 price.  Until October 11. Free access under the campaign offer. Fueng Nakhon Road and Sam Phraeng. Route details.

Thinking further ahead than Sunday?  EDC Thailand returns to Rhythm Park in Phuket on December 18-20. Three-day Early Owl passes are listed at B10,490 for general admission and B16,490 for VIP. Prefer to pick one night? Check the  official ticket portal for December’s single-day availability and prices before booking. Entry is strictly for festivalgoers aged 20 and over, with valid photo ID required. December 18-20. Rhythm Park, Phuket. Official December ticket portal.

Hand to Heart Market gives your Song Wat wander a crafty detour.  Alongside handmade goods, craft products and vintage fashion, the announced workshop activities include folding lotus flowers and making a floral hair garland. Try your hand at the traditional techniques, then browse the stalls before heading back out among the neighbourhood’s old shophouses, small cafés and independent shops. Market entry is free; check with the organiser for floral workshop times, fees and booking requirements. October 5-13. Free market entry. Songwat Lane. 10am-8pm.

French artist and illustrator Julie Stephen Chheng brings Fortune Teller to One Bangkok, with interactive projections and augmented reality that reward a little curiosity. Presented with Alliance Française Bangkok, the exhibition introduces eight nature spirits linked to water, fire, sky, earth, thunder, shadow, light and green leaf. Download the free Fortune Teller AR app to search for hidden characters around the complex, then explore creative workshops covering paper crafts, ceramic painting and DIY keychains. A book corner curated by The Independent Print Club rounds out the programme. Check the workshop schedule before visiting if you have a particular activity in mind.  October 2-November 15. Free exhibition entry. Second floor, The Storeys, One Bangkok. 10am-8pm.

Doing the Bangkok Art Biennale properly means plenty of Grab rides, sweaty walks between sites and a phone full of half-read wall texts. City to River, a one-off outing on Sunday November 1, hands the planning to the team behind the show. It starts at 2pm at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), opposite MBK, where curators walk a small group up the spiralling ramps to a handful of highlights. Some of the artists come along, so you can ask them what they had in mind. Next comes Wat Pho at 4.30pm, home to the 46-metre reclining Buddha with mother-of-pearl soles. New work sits among its tiled chedis and cloisters of gilded statues, which is half the appeal. Cover your shoulders and knees. Photograph: Siri Sala Private Thai VillaBangkok From there, you hop aboard a private boat on the Chao Phraya around sunset. The skipper turns off at Khlong Bangkok Noi, where wooden houses on stilts have steps running down to the water, and pulls up at Siri Sala Private Thai Villa for drinks and dinner with everyone you’ve met along the way. The route nods to this year’s theme, Angels & Mara. Bangkok’s Thai name begins with Krung Thep, or City of Angels, while Mara is the demon who tried to distract Siddhartha from enlightenment. The fifth edition runs from October 29 until February 28, 2027, with 72 Thai and international names across temples, museums and public spaces. Apinan Poshyananda leads as chief executive and artistic director, alongside a curatorial team of Adulaya Hoontrakul,

Lumphini Hall is having a busy year. After years of sitting quiet, the old hall in the middle of Lumphini Park now runs a regular line-up of Thai arts, including a free evening of khon and classical dance back in July. The next date for your diary is October 18. More than 80 young volunteers from the Mathurasin and Siam Rak Silp troupes perform Youth Khon 2026 at Lumphini Hall, the old hall in the middle of the grounds. Ballroom dancers packed its floor in the 1950s and ’60s, and after years of sitting quiet, it now hosts Thai music and dance again. Photograph: MathulaslipKhon Show The chosen episode, Akhra Nari Sida, translates roughly as ‘Sida, the Supreme Lady’. Most Ramakien retellings follow Hanuman’s mischief or Phra Ram’s battles, but this one stays with Sida after the war in Lanka, when accusations about her faithfulness force her to prove her dignity and honesty. In the classic version of the epic, that test sends her walking through fire. The heroine also takes centre stage in this year’s royal khon production from the SUPPORT Foundation, so consider this a handy primer. Never seen khon live? The staging does most of the explaining. Expect gold-threaded costumes, hand-carved masks, slow and precise hand movements and a steady clang of gongs and drums. Doors open at 4.30pm and it’s free. MRT Silom Exit 1 puts you at the southwest corner, a short stroll away. Youth Khon 2569 is at Lumphini Sathan, Lumphini Park, on Sun Oct 18, 4.30pm-7pm. Entry is free. The nearest

Anyone who still hums ‘Glue Song’ on their morning commute can start counting down, because beabadoobee returns to Bangkok next year. The Filipino-British singer-songwriter, real name Beatrice Laus, heads to UOB Live at Emsphere on April 2 2027 as part of The Powerlines Tour. It marks her third Thai show since the Beatopia tour first brought her here in 2022. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Live Nation Tero (@livenationth)   Photograph: Pylonbeabadoobee This time she arrives with a new record. Pylon, her fourth album, is out now and follows This Is How Tomorrow Moves, which gave her a first UK number one in 2024. The title refers to the electricity pylons she watches pass along the roads between gigs. For her, they're reminders of the family and friends she leaves behind whenever she tours.   Photograph: beabadoobeeThe Powerlines Tour Most of the 14 tracks begin as diary entries, written on the road and during breaks at home, about homesickness and the uncertainty of time away from the people she loves. ‘A lot of the songs on this record are things I wish I could have said to someone,’ she says. The guest list is strong too. Paramore’s Hayley Williams sings on ‘Nothing to Prove’, Turnstile’s Brendan Yates joins her on ‘Powerlines’ and the 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel produce ‘Write Me A Letter’. Expect older favourites like ‘the perfect pair’ and ‘Coffee’ alongside cuts from Pylon, including lead single and opening track ‘S

Make music even if nobody buys it. That’s the idea behind Black Music History… before the market, a talk on the third floor of The Corner House, the century-old orange building where Charoen Krung Road meets Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem. People sang long before record labels and streaming apps, and they’ll keep singing after them. Your guide is Julian Cary, academic director at 1500 Sound Academy Thailand and a former lecturer at Silpakorn University’s Faculty of Music. Students call him Ajarn Julian. A working producer, he’s also easy company and quick with a joke. His story of Black music, born of struggle, runs from work songs, songs of comfort and calling songs in churches all the way to hip hop and K-pop. And why did we ever split it up by category in the first place? Because music and art come from people living side by side. Photograph: Julian CaryBangkok Afterwards, No ref left club opens the floor, asking which stories, scents and sounds the room craves right now. Expect a proper back-and-forth rather than a polite Q&A. Such A Small World usually runs as a co-playing café, with board games, a 16-seat cinema and a listening station stocked with more than 6,500 records, so turn up early and flick through a few sleeves. The bar sells drinks and snacks for breaking the ice, a photobooth handles the souvenirs and the crowd mixes mates, crate-diggers and solo Bangkokians after some company. Come alone if you like. You probably won’t leave that way. The talk runs on Sat Oct

Remember reciting a poem at school assembly, knees knocking while the whole year group stared back? Now add a mic, judges and a room full of strangers. That's the challenge facing the kids at Thailand's National Youth Poetry Slam, which closes Bangkok Climate Action Week on Sunday October 11. Organised by Empathy For Youth Academy and Retro Recess, the competition brings young poets from across the country to Lumpini Recreation Center Hall. Teacher Illya Sumanto hosts the junior category (aged eight to 12), while Sabrina Dcates looks after the seniors (13 to 17). Entrants can go solo, work in pairs or form groups of up to four, and speak in Thai, English or a mix of both. Every line must be their own. Photograph: Bangkok Climate Action WeekBangkok This year's theme, 'We Destine: The World We Want to Live In', borrows from the citywide 'We Define Our Destiny' campaign and asks contestants what future they're building. Expect verses about flooded sois and plastic bags, neighbourhood life and hope, plus a few sharp questions for the grown-ups listening. Notep provides the music. Everyone who takes part gets a certificate, and the best win prizes. Arrive early and take a lap of Lumpini Park first, when joggers still circle the lake and monitor lizards sprawl along the banks. Then grab a seat, silence your phone and give every performer a proper cheer. Thailand's National Youth Poetry Slam is at Lumpini Recreation Center Hall on Sun Oct 11, 11am-2pm. It's open to the public. Reg

If Song Wat were a museum, its shophouses, family businesses and Chinese shrines would be the permanent collection, open every day of the year. Walk the road on a weekday morning and you'll dodge trolleys stacked with sacks of dried chillies, peanuts and coffee beans, while shopkeepers whose families have traded here for generations sit out front with a glass of iced tea. RECOMEMMED: Your ultimate guide to Song Wat Road Photograph: Song Wat WeekBangkok Song Wat Week is the temporary exhibition. The festival confirms its return on November 19-22, bringing a fresh round of activities, creative projects and brand collaborations to the same stretch of road, a short walk from Ratchawong pier. Old stories from the neighbourhood meet the ideas of a younger crowd, so the faded charm of the street sits alongside something new and playful. Expect to see familiar corners differently, whether that's the back room of a spice wholesaler or a shrine you've walked past a dozen times without stopping. Photograph: Song Wat WeekBangkok Last year's standout was Made in Song Wat: The Longtable, a shared dinner that told the story of the area through its food. Leading chefs teamed up with 21 restaurants and cafés on the street to create more than 24 dishes, each built around local ingredients and the people who cook with them every day. This year's line-up is still under wraps, but we'd block out the dates now and turn up hungry. Song Wat Week runs November 19-22 along Song Wat Road, Bangkok.

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

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

Good news for anyone who missed out first time round: The Weeknd's After Hours til Dawn Tour reaches Bangkok this October and demand is so high he's added two more shows. This is the second time the tour has come to Bangkok. Abel Tesfaye built it around a trilogy that came to define an era – After Hours (2020), Dawn FM (2022) and Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025). It already ranks among the best-attended and highest-grossing tours ever staged, and more than two dozen dates still remain before it wraps in October 2026. Off to see The Weeknd? Chasing a last-minute ticket? Here's everything worth knowing about the After Hours til Dawn Tour, from stage times and the setlist to what's left on ticket availability.       Photograph: theweekndThe Weeknd Tour   When is The Weeknd playing Bangkok?What started as a one-off on October 11 is now a three-night stand. Organisers have confirmed The Weeknd's After Hours Til Dawn Tour plays October 11, 12 and October 13, well beyond the single date first put on sale. Where is The Weeknd playing in Bangkok?For a show on this scale, he takes to Rajamangala Stadium – home of the Thailand national football team and the biggest sports venue in the country by capacity. Can I still get tickets?Yes! The October 11 and 12 shows have sold out, but tickets for October 13 are still up for grabs at Ticketmajor. Prices run from B2,835 to B5,225, rising to B11,935-B21,935 for the VIP zones. When do doors open?Gates open at 5pm on the remaining date. When does The W

Got plans on Sunday night? You will have one more. On October 4, Saturn reaches opposition, when the sun, Earth and the ringed planet sit in a straight line. That places it directly across the sky from our star, so it stays up until morning and makes its closest approach of the year. The gap still measures roughly 1.26 billion kilometres, meaning the light you see set off about 70 minutes earlier. When to lookSaturn rises in the east at dusk, peaks around midnight and sets in the west before dawn. The moon doesn’t come up until late, which keeps things properly dark for the first few hours. How to spot itFind a balcony, rooftop or park away from streetlights and give your eyes 10 minutes to adjust. You want a steady, creamy-yellow dot that doesn’t twinkle like the stars surrounding it. It’s the most distant planet you can see unaided. The ringsFor these, you need a telescope, though even a small one with 25x magnification picks them out. Edge-on and barely there in 2025, they now tilt open again. They also shine brightest at opposition, with sunlight hitting the icy particles head-on and bouncing right back. That faint speck close by? It’s Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Borrow a telescopeObservatories and astronomy groups host public viewing sessions, usually with a queue waiting for a turn at the eyepiece. Check the forecast first, as thick cloud is the only real spoiler. Saturn’s opposition falls on Sun Oct 4, with the planet visible to the naked eye all night, weather permi

If you check the Asian Games medal table on your phone between meetings, you’re not the only one. Japan is just two hours ahead of Bangkok, so most finals from Nagoya air at a sensible time back home, and Thai fans have plenty to cheer about. With the Games in their final stretch, the national team is doing far better than most of us expected. The latest standings, updated on October 1, put Thailand fifth with 12 golds, 10 silvers and 12 bronzes, 34 medals in total. The only nations above are China (150 golds), Japan (50), South Korea (24) and Uzbekistan (16), which is serious sporting company. Still, the tally only tells part of the story. Behind those numbers are long droughts ending, records falling and a brand-new sport Thailand already rules. Here are the results worth knowing about. Photograph: Teqball Association of ThailandAsian Games 2026 TeqballThe sport makes its Asian Games debut in Nagoya and Thailand wastes no time, taking top spot in three of the five events. Pakphoom Detcharoen and Suphawadi Wongkhamchan win the mixed doubles, Suphawadi returns with Jutatip Kuntatong to claim the women’s title and Sorrasak Thaosiri and Jirati Chanliang finish the job on the men’s side. All three finals, against Japan, Myanmar and Lebanon, end 2-0, which means Suphawadi now has two golds to her name. Sepak takrawFew sports matter more in Thailand, and the men’s team regu final delivers the fixture everyone hoped for, with old rivals Malaysia on the other side of the net. The

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