Kaweewat Siwanartwong

A long holiday finally gives Bangkok a little room to breath. The city slows down, inboxes stay unopened a little longer and weekend plans don't have to work quite so hard. The extended break does mean a lighter events calendar than usual, but there are still enough gems out there for anyone willing to leave the sofa. This week’s picks move from contemporary art and vintage fashion to classic cinema and late-night dancing. Catch Taiwanese artist Yu Chuan Chang turning Bangkok’s familiar flower garlands into meditative paintings at Stillness in Bloom, step inside Filipino sculptor Jinggoy Buensuceso’s immersive Cosmic Bloom at Luenrit, or spend an evening treasure-hunting at Fazhcon V.3, where more than 300 vendors take over a former riverside tobacco warehouse on Charoenkrung. If the rain clouds roll in, Bangkok City Library’s free classic film screenings make a very civilised escape, with landmark Thai productions including Santi-Vina and Forever Yours on the programme. Once the sun goes down, Detroit minimal techno veteran Daniel Bell lands at Bar Temp., while Off The Map keeps Thursdays moving with heartbreak anthems and 90s throwbacks. Not the busiest weekend of the year, maybe, but a surprisingly good one all the same. Map out the rest of June with our guide to what’s on, and keep an eye on our picks of Bangkok’s best things to do. 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

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

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

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

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

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

We've hit month five now, and yes, May marks the start of rainy season. But rain or shine, events don't wait around. Plans roll on regardless, and this month's looking pretty packed. Bangkok Pride Festival leads the charge with its city-spanning parade and proper programme, joined by Drag Bangkok Festival and Thailand's Drag Star. Coffee gets equal billing as World of Coffee Bangkok lands alongside Thailand AeroPress Championship, bringing brewers, baristas and plenty of caffeine-fuelled buzz. The music lineup's strong this month. Kraftwerk rocks up with a full multimedia show, whilst Hanumankind stops by on his Asia tour. Reggae gets its moment through Reggae Rumble Thailand Tour, and J.I.D delivers sharp lyricism on the God Does Like World Tour. Then Laufey adds a gentler touch with her Bangkok date. Away from the stage, the annual Neilson Hays Library Book Sale offers a slower pace – shelves of secondhand finds inside one of the city's most elegant buildings. Keeping track of what's coming? Our Bangkok’s top concert roundup for 2026 stays updated with the latest gigs worth marking in your diary. Stay one step ahead and map out your plans with our round-up of the best things to do in Bangkok. Subscribe to our free Time Out Bangkok newsletter and get the very best of the city delivered straight to your inbox.

May lands, rain follows, and Bangkok shifts gear. Showers start to roll through, parks turn lush, and the city picks up a quieter kind of energy. Staying in sounds tempting, but galleries aren't having it. Doors stay open, lights stay on, and new exhibitions keep popping up across town. This month's properly busy without trying too hard. Spaces fill with fresh work, each show offering something different – reflective painting here, more experimental setups there. You can dip between them over a few afternoons, ducking out of the rain when you need to, then heading back out once it clears. Not sure where to start? A handful of exhibitions are worth your time right now, each for different reasons. Keep an eye on listings too, as new openings turn up steadily. Consider it a decent excuse to step outside, even when the weather's telling you otherwise. Stay one step ahead and map out your plans with our round-up of the best things to do in Bangkok. Get ahead of the game and start planning your month with our list of top things to do this May. 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.

Want the luxury experience without the eye-watering price tag typical of 5-star hotels in major cities around the globe? Bangkok is home to some of the world’s leading hospitality brands offering levels of service perhaps unmatched elsewhere. But here’s the twist: Bangkok is also incredibly great value for money. Joining the ranks among Time Out’s best cities list, seasoned travellers will be quick to notice that it stands out for being one of the best places to visit in the world at far less than you might expect to pay elsewhere. So we set ourselves a challenge: find the best hotels in Bangkok where a night typically costs B10,000 or less, but the experience feels far beyond the room rate. In places like London, New York or Paris, this price point might barely get you a decent boutique room, but here that same budget unlocks a very different level of hospitality.  Sprawling suites, river views, award-winning dining, museums, galleries and parks all within arms reach – the options are vast but our criteria are simple: exceptional rooms that feel more luxurious than the rate suggests and something you can brag about when you get back home. So, whether you’re visiting the city or planning a blowout staycation, these hotels prove that Bangkok might just be the best place in the world to experience a city stay without that eye-watering check-out bill.  

This will be the first time a Marley heir has performed alongside Thailand's top reggae artists, which is pretty monumental when you think about it. Julian Marley, the son of Bob Marley himself has linked up with The Uprising for what’s shaping up to be a milestone gig. He and Alexx Antaeus just scored a Grammy nomination for Best Remixed Recording with their amapiano take on ‘Jah Sees Them’. When he talks about dabbling in different genres, he makes it sound completely natural, like it's just part of the journey. And his father's influence? Still there, always present, guiding everything he does. It's not just Julian Marley taking the spotlight. You've got some Thai reggae legends on this bill too. JOB2DO are there with all the tracks everyone knows and loves, doing what they do best with that easy, laidback feel. Malaiman Downtown bring their own unmistakable  flavour, and then there's INJA, who basically shows up to set the whole place on fire. Jamaican reggae heritage meets Thailand's homegrown talent, all on one stage. If you plan to go, here’s what you need to know before the night starts. When is Julian Marley performing in Bangkok? Julian Marley is set to play a one-night-only live show in Bangkok on Friday 22 May. Where is Julian Marley performing in Bangkok? Julian Marley brings his signature sound to the stage at UOB LIVE, located within Bangkok’s EM District and perched atop the Emsphere. The venue can host up to 6,000 guests, accommodating concerts, entertainment

Summer lands in Bangkok’ April with a bit of force, and it has everyone hunting for shade come mid-afternoon. Parks and gardens start looking fuller and greener, though the real action's happening indoors – galleries are filling up with fresh exhibitions just as Songkran creeps closer. The city feels busier without being louder, just more switched on to what's about. Ditching the aircon at home suddenly makes proper sense. Most galleries give you somewhere cooler to breathe, and something decent to look at that isn't glowing at you from a screen. Drifting from one space to another becomes a bit of a routine. Not sure where to kick off? A few exhibitions are standing out across the city right now, each with its own rhythm and point of view. It's worth popping back regularly since new shows crop up steadily, giving you yet another excuse to get outside even when the heat's doing its best to keep you in. Stay one step ahead and map out your plans with our round-up of the best things to do in Bangkok. Get ahead of the game and start planning your month with our list of top things to do this April. 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.

The Italian film industry doesn't do subtle. It rocks up like a Fellini fever dream – all sweeping gestures, crumbling palazzos and someone in outsize sunglasses chain-smoking whilst quoting Sartre. But occasionally it loosens the collar, ditches the silk scarf and lets a few fresh voices slip through. MovieMov – Italian Film Festival is one of those moments. Running April 21-24 at House Samyan, with English and Thai subtitles, the lineup brings just enough introspective angst to properly derail any plans for easy viewing. These aren't your standard arthouse exports either. The festival grows from initiatives involving students, young professionals and local institutions.

June’s wet-weather forecast comes with a silver lining. Bangkok City Library in Phra Nakhon spends the month revisiting some of Thailand’s most significant cinematic treasures through a programme of free classic film screenings. The selection includes Santi-Vina (1954), the first Thai production to win an international prize, alongside enduring titles such as Forever Yours (1955), Hell Hotel (1957) and Sugar Is Not Sweet (1964). Many of these films hold a place in Thailand’s national film heritage, making this a rare chance to catch them on the big screen. Bring a national ID card or passport, grab a seat and spend a few hours in another era. June 7, 14, 21 and 28. Theater Room, Bangkok City Library. 4pm onwards

FV launches its first artist residency exhibition with new work by Deborah Metsch, created following a four-week stay in Bangkok. During her residency, the artist works closely with the Atelier Pichita team, exploring Thai textile traditions, local craftsmanship and contemporary design through research, experimentation and creative exchange. The resulting exhibition brings together collaborative pieces that sit between art and fashion. Rather than simply borrowing visual cues from clothing, Metsch develops a conversation with Pichita’s celebrated approach to embellishment and the female silhouette. Beading, fabric and structural details reappear as layered compositions, where transparency, texture and tension echo the rituals of dressing and adornment. May 24-June 20. Free entry. FV39. 11am-7pm

Maitri Chit Project welcomes a true underground veteran this month as Daniel Bell takes over the decks. A key figure in minimal techno for more than three decades, Bell remains a regular fixture at Europe’s most respected clubs, including Frankfurt institution Robert Johnson and Berlin’s legendary Tresor, where he recently appeared as part of the venue’s 35th anniversary celebrations. Bell recently launched Beyond a series of marathon open-to-close performances staged at selected clubs around the world. Joining him on the bill are local selectors Sarayu and Elaheh, rounding out a night geared towards dancers who prefer the deeper end of electronic music. June 6. B400 via here and B600 at the door. Bar Temp.. 9pm onwards

Bangkok’s vintage crowd has a date with Fazhcon V.3, which returns for its biggest edition yet. This time the gathering takes over Nic Factory on Charoenkrung 74, a former riverside tobacco warehouse that now serves as one of the neighbourhood’s more intriguing creative spaces, with views over the Chao Phraya. More than 300 carefully selected vendors set up shop across the venue, offering everything from hard-to-find second-hand gems and archive pieces to independent fashion labels and streetwear brought by sellers from Thailand and the US. New additions include the event’s first-ever fashion show, alongside live performances from four well-loved alternative music acts. June 6-7. B200 at the door. Nic Factory. 5pm-midnight

Seven years is a long run in Bangkok nightlife, and CHUNN marks the occasion with an anniversary party at CHUNNPLAY Ekkamai. What began as a neighbourhood hangout has spent the past seven years serving food, pouring drinks and soundtracking plenty of late nights, building a loyal crowd along the way.  The celebration keeps things simple: music, dancing and familiar faces. The lineup features DJs Kurrypup, Ekception and Meltmode, while Thai artist and performer Gene Kasidit takes the stage for a live set. Entry is B300 and includes a complimentary drink, making this one very easy to add to your Saturday plans. June 6. B300 at the door. CHUNNPLAY. 7pm onwards

Yaowarat welcomes the Bangkok debut of Filipino artist and sculptor Jinggoy Buensuceso with Cosmic Bloom, an immersive solo exhibition taking over Luenrit. Known as one of the Philippines’ leading contemporary sculptors, Buensuceso builds large-scale installations from industrial materials, shaping them through an origami-inspired visual language that explores motion, tension and constant change. Spread across multiple levels, Cosmic Bloom follows a journey of entry, expansion and release. Here, sculpture becomes an environment to move through rather than something viewed from a distance. The result is a striking exploration of perception, consciousness and our place within the wider universe. June 4-July 28. Free entry. Luenrit Yaowarat. 9am-5pm

Bangkok’s humble flower garland takes on a new form in Stillness in Bloom, a solo exhibition by Taiwanese artist Yu Chuan Chang. Drawing on a sight found all over the city, Chang creates contemporary paintings that move between Eastern and Western artistic traditions while reflecting on beauty’s short life. His blooms stay forever at their peak, suspended in paint long after their real-life counterparts fade. Presented as a Garland of Eternity dedicated to Bangkok, the works weave together time, memory and emotion. Layer upon layer of pigment works almost like needle and thread, binding petals to canvas with quiet precision. If a garland’s meaning comes from accepting impermanence, Chang’s paintings offer a softer counterpoint: preserving one perfect moment and letting it linger. May 23-July 12. Free entry. Maison JE Bangkok. 11am-7pm

Bangkok’s vintage crowd has a date with Fazhcon V.3, which returns for its biggest edition yet. This time the gathering takes over Nic Factory on Charoenkrung 74, a former riverside tobacco warehouse that now serves as one of the neighbourhood’s more intriguing creative spaces overlooking the Chao Phraya. More than 300 carefully selected vendors set up shop across the venue, offering everything from hard-to-find second-hand gems and archive pieces to independent fashion labels and streetwear brought by sellers from Thailand and the US. New additions include the event’s first-ever fashion show, alongside live performances from four well-loved alternative music acts. June 6-7. B200 at the door. Nic Factory. 5pm-midnight

Missed The Kid LAROI the last time he rolled through Bangkok? Consider this your second chance. The Sydney-born singer, born Charlton Howard, exploded globally with 2021 megahit ‘Stay’ alongside Justin Bieber before spending the following years stacking up collaborations, arena crowds and emotionally chaotic singalong tracks.  Earlier this year he returned with Before I Forget, a heartbreak-heavy record packed with moody R&B confessionals and perfect material for staring moodily out taxi windows at night. Bangkok now lands a stop on the accompanying tour, with the 22-year-old set to take over Samyan Mitrtown Hall.June 29. B3,500-11,000 via here. Samyan Mitrtown Hall. 7pm onwards

Calling all book lovers and drink enthusiasts.  Bangkok’s chillest book festival returns with free entry across  10 leisurely days of reading, browsing and casual day drinking. Vistors are encouraged to settle in with a book and a cold drink while exploring craft markets, workshops, live music sessions and talks from fellow literary obsessives. Honestly, it feels less like a festival and more like a very well-organised excuse to keep adding books to your already dangerous reading pile while staying pleasantly hydrated.  June 26-July 5. Singha Complex. 11am-10pm

Fresh from its 19th edition earlier this year, the cult-favourite market returns for round 20 with a new indoor home at Pat Arena, the stomping ground of Port Futsal Club in Khlong Toei. Air-conditioning, tighter walkways and a more compact setup slightly change the energy, though regulars still come for the same reason: over 250 vendors selling vintage fashion, vinyl, handmade goods, books and wonderfully unnecessary things you absolutely do not need but somehow buy anyway.  Food stalls keep everyone fed, DJs soundtrack the day and stylish regulars roam the venue with equally stylish dogs trotting beside them. June 19-21. B160 at the door. Pat Arena. 1pm-11pm

Inspired by France’s beloved Fête de la Musique, this free city-wide festival returns after attracting nearly 7,000 music lovers last year. More than 30 Thai and international acts now take over five stages across One Bangkok and Alliance Française Bangkok, covering indie, pop, hip-hop, jazz, mor lam, electronic sounds and late-night DJ sets.  One of the biggest draws comes from the Ballroom showcase celebrating Voguing culture, promising fierce dance battles and unapologetically theatrical performances. Food stalls, busking corners and interactive activities keep the atmosphere lively all day long. Fancy wandering Bangkok with a soundtrack? This easily earns a place on June’s social calendar. June 13. Free entry. One Bangkok and Alliance Française Bangkok.2pm onwards

Bangkok fans who missed out on the first two dates have been handed another chance. Organisers have confirmed a third night for The Weeknd's After Hours Til Dawn Tour, with Tuesday October 13, 2026 joining the October 11 and 12 shows at Rajamangala Stadium. The three-night run marks a significant upgrade from the initial single-date announcement. The show forms part of a wider Asia run that also takes in Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and South Korea. Support across the regional dates comes from Creepy Nuts, the duo behind viral track 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born'. The production promises to be a large-scale affair. His previous Bangkok stop was contained within an arena. This time the staging expands across a full stadium, with cinematic visuals, towering structures and tightly choreographed lighting built around the darker aesthetic he has developed across After Hours, Dawn FM and Hurry Up Tomorrow. Tickets for October 13 Fanclub Presale: June 4, 2026, 10am to 10pm, at bit.ly/afterhourstildawnbkk General Sale: June 5, 2026, from 10am onwards, at bit.ly/afterhourstildawnbkk A maximum of six tickets per transaction applies during the general sale. Buyers purchasing online on June 4 are advised to join the virtual queue at thaiticketmajor.com at least one hour before sales begin. Each attendee is allowed to hold only one ticket under one full English name. Duplicate names will not be accepted. Organisers also note that visibility in certain zones and seats may be re

A morning commute this is not. On June 3, the State Railway of Thailand rolls out one of its rarest excursions of the year, inviting passengers aboard a historic steam locomotive for a one-day trip from Bangkok to Chachoengsao.  Running just six times annually, the journey swaps air-conditioned convenience for something far more memorable: the whistle of a heritage train, drifting clouds of white smoke and a leisurely ride through the countryside that recalls a different era of travel. Steam locomotives once formed the backbone of Thailand's railway network. Today, seeing one in action is an event in itself, drawing railway enthusiasts, photographers and curious travellers eager to experience a mode of transport that survives largely through preservation efforts.  The route from Hua Lamphong to Chachoengsao Junction offers plenty of opportunities to admire the scenery along the way, with green fields, canals and small communities passing by at a pace that encourages you to look out the window rather than at a screen. Part of the appeal lies in its sense of nostalgia. Modern transport gets you where you're going quickly; this trip reminds you that the journey can be the attraction. For anyone who misses old-world travel or simply fancies a change from the usual weekend routine, it makes for an easy escape from the capital. The train departs Bangkok Railway Station (Hua Lamphong) at 8.10am and arrives in Chachoengsao at 9.50am, leaving the rest of the day free to explore before

Time Out Bangkok in collaboration with Central Group Pride Month is here and Bangkok is already ready. June means marches, club nights, real conversations and community gatherings marking the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. Rainbow flags stretch across shopping districts, drag queens take over stages and streets start buzzing long before sunset. In recent years, Pride in Bangkok grows far larger than a single parade.  At the centre of it all, centralwOrld positions itself as one of the city's biggest Pride hubs with its 2026 campaign, ‘We Are Many: Proud To Be Pride’. This year's programme shifts away from straightforward rainbow branding and puts more attention on identity, relationships, belonging and the many different ways people shape community in modern Bangkok.   Photograph: Central GroupPhotograph: Central Group   Why it matters now Under the concept ‘Celebrate Every Identity, Every Expression’, the shopping complex turns its sprawling central plaza into a public gathering space for performances, talks, screenings and community-led events running throughout the month. The message is fairly clear: Pride does not belong to one type of person, one generation or one story. It belongs to everyone finding space to exist openly. One of the campaign's biggest moments arrives with the unfurling of a giant rainbow fabric covering more than 4,000 square metres across the venue's outdoor area. Designed as a symbolic gesture welcoming Pride Month while reflecting the sc

Books rarely get a road trip of their own. That’s exactly what’s happening with Somelee Booktruck, a white mobile bookstore from P.S. Publishing that is setting off on a journey through all 77 provinces of Thailand.  Photograph: P.S PublishingP.S Publishing Anyone familiar with the publisher’s red-doored Somewhere Bookshop or the ice cream-slinging Something Blue Library already knows that P.S. Publishing has a knack for creating spaces people want to linger in. Somelee Booktruck brings that same spirit to the road, transforming cafe forecourts, markets and neighbourhood corners into pop-up literary pit stops across the country. Instead of waiting for readers to find the books, the books now come to the readers. One day the truck might pull up beside a cafe, the next it could be parked near a market, a seaside community or a neighbourhood gathering spot. Wherever it stops, it becomes a temporary bookshop and an easy excuse to strike up conversations with fellow readers. Photograph: P.S PublishingP.S Publishing The truck also carries a broader mix of titles. Alongside Thai-language books, the truck carries English-language editions, including all about love: new visions by feminist writer bell hooks, available in both the original English and Thai translation. More than a travelling bookshop, Somelee turns each stop into a temporary community of readers. Books change hands, recommendations are exchanged and strangers end up discussing their latest favourite reads over coff

  After years of tearing up festival stages, viral freestyle clips and sold-out hometown gigs, MILLI is finally taking things across Asia properly. The rapper gears up for her first full-scale concert tour, MILLI Jaa Ehh! Asia Tour 206, with dates across eight countries including Indonesia, Taipei, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand. A few more cities are still under wraps. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MILLI ASIA TOUR (@millijaaehhtour) Named after one of the standout tracks from HEAVYWEIGHT – the album that snags Album of the Year at the Toty Music Awards 2025 – the tour marks another big moment for the Thai star. The record pairs MILLI's rapid-fire delivery with heavier production and collabs from ATARASHII GAKKO!, Awich, Knock2, Gong from H 3 F and Hugo. Photograph: phuckitolMILLI Jaa Ehh! Asia Tour 206 The run kicks off in Indonesia at the end of July before sweeping across the region and landing back in Bangkok on October 3 at Samyan Mitrtown Hall. Booming bass, crowd chants and the kind of unfiltered stage presence that makes MILLI one of Thailand's most unpredictable live acts right now. Keep an eye on MILLI's and YUPP!'s socials for updates as more details drop.  

Bangkok's International Festival of Dance and Music is back for another season of grand productions, towering sets and performances that genuinely earn their standing ovations. Running throughout September and October at the Thailand Cultural Centre, the festival gathers renowned ballet companies, opera houses and contemporary performers for two months of theatrical spectacle in the capital. This year's programme stretches from timeless romance and classical opera to visually ambitious contemporary work. Picking your seat matters more than you'd think. It isn't just about price or comfort. The right vantage point genuinely shapes how a show lands – how much the emotion hits, how fully you're swept up in the whole thing. The gap between ‘watching a performance’ and ‘watching from exactly the right spot’ can be vast. So choose wisely, and here's what's on. Photograph: Bangkok’s International Festival of Dance & MusicNew York City Opera September's lineup includes: September 5 – New York City Opera September 9-10 – Romeo & Juliet by Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus September 12–13 – Cinderella by Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus September 17 – Rite by Deborah Colker Dance Company September 19 – Murmuration by Sadeck Berrabah September 25–26 – Alice in Wonderland by Wing Show Production September 29 – The Great Gatsby by Enrique Gasa Valga Dance Company October continues with: October 5 – The Icon, The Legend, COCO CHANEL by National Theatre Brno October 8 – La Traviata by Helikon Opera

They say the right book finds you the right people… Hidden Book Bar, a festival that carries the mood of a secret drinking spot tucked behind an unmarked door, is back with a new edition called 'Hidden Stories', taking over MunMun Srinakarin on the first floor of Seacon Square Srinakarin from May 29 to June 7, it runs daily from 11am to 9pm with free entry throughout. Behind it is Book Festival, the group behind Read Fest, Pause & Play and Book & Beer, who've made a habit of making literary culture feel less like homework and far more like somewhere you'd actually want to spend a Saturday. No endless stacks or fluorescent lighting here. Just dim corners, soft music, warm lamps and people quietly nursing drinks while flipping through dog-eared paperbacks. Photograph: Book FestivalHidden Book Bar This year circles around the small stories people rarely tell out loud. Old crushes, strange encounters, embarrassing memories and the occasional emotional spiral all find a home here, especially at 'Drink Your Story', where guests share a personal anecdote, secret or heartbreak with the bartender, who builds a custom drink around the tale. Everything's alcohol-free, so nobody's dramatically texting their ex on the ride home, and each order comes with a small Story Token to take away. The Book Zone ditches traditional categories entirely. Shelves run by emotion instead of genre, with sections labelled 'Healing', 'Escape' and 'Sad'. It sounds slightly unserious until you catch yoursel

Bangkok's indie calendar still looks a little odd without the full return of Maho Rasop Festival. After last year's success, the team keeps things moving with Maho Rasop Series, a run of standalone shows spread across October to December that trades festival-scale sprawl for something tighter. Smaller rooms, carefully picked acts and nights that hold their own. View this post on Instagram A post shared by HAVE YOU HEARD? (@haveyouheard_live) First up is Caribou, the long-running project of Canadian producer Dan Snaith, coming to Ambience Space on November 27. Since the early 2000s, Caribou has quietly helped reshape electronic music, folding together hypnotic dance rhythms, warm synth textures and indie sensibilities without ever sounding pinned to one scene. Even if the name doesn't immediately click, tracks like ‘Can't Do Without You’, ‘Odessa’, ‘Sun’ and ‘Home’ tend to do the work within a few opening seconds. Photograph: Ringer illustrationMahorasop Bangkok crowds already know what to expect from a Maho Rasop booking. The organisers have a habit of picking artists that don't sit comfortably within one category, and Caribou slots right into that tradition. His live sets move between intimate and euphoric without tipping over into overproduced territory, the kind of night that works just as well for quiet swaying as it does for full-body dancing. Photograph: Maho RasopMaho Rasop Series Regular tickets are B2,700, with sales opening Friday May 29 at 4

Anyone living for a dirt-cheap airfare deal might want to brace themselves. Airports of Thailand (AOT) has officially confirmed a hefty rise in the international passenger service charge, better known as airport tax, which means flying abroad from Thailand soon costs noticeably more. Right now, travellers pay B730 per person for international departures. From June 20 2026, that jumps to B1,120 – an extra B390, or roughly a 53 percent increase. The charge already comes folded into ticket prices at checkout, so nobody escapes it at the payment screen. Domestic flights stay put at B130 per passenger, which at least spares local weekend getaways. The revised fee applies across AOT's six major airports handling international routes: Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX) Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport (CEI) Phuket International Airport (HKT) Hatyai International Airport (HDY) Photograph: Rainer Viertlböck, Gauting (DE)Departure Tax Increasing So whether it's a quick Tokyo city break, a Seoul shopping weekend or a long-haul summer holiday, the added cost quietly tags along. Even with the increase, Thailand still ranks among Southeast Asia's more affordable travel hubs. But for anyone already plotting post-2026 holidays, this is a good nudge to watch airfare prices before they creep up. Booking early, cashing in airline miles or locking in a promotional fare sooner rather than later suddenly sounds

The rain spends most of the week dumping extra baggage on your shoulders. Work stacks up, messages go unanswered, your mood drops somewhere between the flooded pavement and the grey sky outside the office window. By the time Sunday rolls around, Bangkok starts looking less like a city and more like a giant excuse to stay horizontal all day. Still, hiding under the duvet only works for so long. This Sunday afternoon, June 14, STØCKHÖLME opens the doors for Friends, Records & Sober, a gentle gathering built for anyone craving a slower pace before Monday barges back in. Good records, alcohol-free drinks and a room full of people who genuinely enjoy sitting around listening to music properly. View this post on Instagram A post shared by STØCKHÖLME (@stockholmebkk) Guests browse stacks of vinyl, swap recommendations and take turns spinning records across the afternoon. A few collectors and music obsessives stick around to chat analogue sound, hidden gems and beloved albums that somehow always sound warmer through old speakers. You don't need a rare Japanese pressing tucked under your arm, either. Curious first-timers fit right in. While the weather outside does its dramatic rainy-season thing, mellow DJ sets drift from soul and funk to downtempo grooves. Soft lighting, the crackle of vinyl and a decent sober cocktail later, Sunday suddenly seems much easier to handle.

Remember when indie festivals meant spending an entire day sprinting between stages, sweating through your shirt and accidentally discovering your next favourite band? Bangkok's music crowd gets that hit again this July as Colorists Music Festival returns for its fifth edition, taking over UNION HALL with a stacked line-up across two stages. Four years in and the festival comes back bigger, louder and far more ambitious. Organisers What The Duck and H.U.I. Team Design sharpen the production this time around, with a booking list that swings comfortably between established names and newer acts still quietly gathering cult status through late-night playlists and packed club gigs.   Photograph: ColoristsFestivalTime Out Bangkok Expect singalong moments from Polycat, dreamy melancholy from Safeplanet and polished pop-rock theatrics courtesy of The Parkinson. Purpeech, Dept and Mirrr bring softer moods before veterans Silly Fools inevitably turn the volume right back up. Whal & Dolph, UrboyTJ, Yented, Yonlapa, Cornboi, Television Off, Ayla's, WAV, Loserpop, Pami and Pae Arak round out a bill that leaves very little room to breathe. Colorists Music Festival 5 lands on July 4 at UNION HALL. Tickets are B1,500 with no extra fees.  Pre-sale kicks off May 29 at 10am via TrueMoney only, with general sale opening May 30 through Eventpop. For more details, follow Facebook: ColoristsFestival or Instagram: coloristsmusicfestival.

Ari spends this weekend turning its streets, cafes and community corners into one giant neighbourhood get-together. Think Fest, billed as the area's biggest hopping festival yet, spreads across the district with art installations, live music, workshops and enough reasons to keep you wandering long after sunset. The whole idea is simple: making Ari more walkable, social and connected, while spotlighting the creatives, small businesses and community groups that already give the neighbourhood its personality. Among the standout events is Swap Weekend, a three-day trading session that swaps shopping bags for second-hand treasures and neighbourly small talk. Each day follows a different theme, so the line-up changes as quickly as the crowd passing through. Friday kicks off with a T-shirt swap. Bring along clean, wearable tees you no longer touch and exchange them for someone else's forgotten favourite. One shirt in, one shirt out. Anyone happy to travel lighter can leave extras behind for donation. Saturday shifts to kitchenware – plates, mugs, cooking tools that deserve more than sitting untouched in cupboards. Sunday wraps things up with a book exchange, offering everything from dog-eared novels to coffee-table finds another reader might love. Once the swapping winds down each evening, the garden outside Tempo The Social Bar keeps going with intimate concerts and casual talks. Just another excuse to stick around for a drink and a chat, really. Swap Weekend runs May 29-31 from 4p