Kaweewat Siwanartwong

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

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

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

Look, the image of Bangkok as constantly grey and drizzly is probably overstated – but what genuinely can't be overstated is how much there is to do here when it does pour down on your hard-earned day off. Or the whole weekend. Or, well, the entire summer. The city stays packed with worthwhile distractions, even when the skies have other ideas. This weekend, the Changing Climate, Changing Lives Film Festival offers a thoughtful escape through films examining how environmental change shapes communities around the world. Art lovers can spend hours lost among 1,100-plus booths at Illust Fusion Expo, where independent artists, limited-edition releases and festival exclusives take over Siam Paragon's fifth floor. Over at Sala Saneha, Sonic Minds Lab digs into the relationship between sound, wellbeing and human connection through screenings, performances and collective listening sessions. After all that, if a slower pace sounds good, Friends, Records & Sober at STØCKHÖLME pairs vinyl selections with alcohol-free drinks and easy conversation. Prefer your caffeine with a soundtrack? The Coffee Rave from MILKLAB, MP3 Social and BEANS serves specialty brews alongside DJs spinning hip-hop, UK garage and global club sounds. Rain may dominate the forecast, but it hardly gets the final say. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

What is it? At this bar, the mood is unpretentious and a little scrappy, channelling the easy energy of a proper dive where nobody clocks what you're wearing or how loudly you're singing. Why we love it: Beyond the warm welcome, this place actively wants you to make a scene. Ask the staff nicely and they pass over a microphone, turning an ordinary midweek pint into your own sold-out arena tour, diva belters and all. It's the sort of silliness that gets a crowd onside fast. The real clincher, though, is how seriously the bar itself takes things. Whoever builds the drinks list has thought about everyone in the room, lining up non-alcohol and low-alcohol sippers next to full-strength spirits and craft cocktails straight from the tap. Sober, sober-curious or thoroughly off the wagon, you're sorted. Time Out tip: Round up the group chat for a quieter midweek session, when the mic is yours for the taking.  WO Bar Bangkok. Soi Pridi Banomyong 26. Open Wednesday-Sunday, 7,30pm-midnight. Closed Monday.

What is it? Up on the roof, this technicolour newcomer swaps intimacy for skyline swagger and lays on a night of full-throttle lights, colour and sound.  Why we love it: Cocktails come with a celestial gimmick, every recipe drawn from the stars and your sign, which reads gauche on paper but lands as proper silly fun once a Scorpio number is in your hand. The kitchen pulls its weight too, so you line your stomach with something decent before the evening tips into chaos. What really sells the place is its flexibility. It works just as well for a rowdy group celebration as it does for a first date where you both need the view to fill any awkward pauses, or a low-key catch-up that asks nothing of anyone. Time Out tip: Order by your birth chart and get the table comparing notes, a quick way to break the ice with strangers. Head up around sunset, when the sky does half the decor work for free. Les Hi Bar. Vibhavadi Rangsit 8 Alley. Open daily. 8pm-2am  

What is it? Built as a tribute to the beauty, confidence and power of women, the room sets out to make everyone who walks through the door feel suitably divine. Why we love it This one draws a firm line in the sand, running as a strictly women-only space with no men on the guest list. The interiors channel a sleek New York mood, all considered corners and unabashed feminine charm, which makes it a dream for a post-dinner tipple somewhere intimate, warm and reassuringly safe. With room for just 20 at a time, it delivers the sort of privacy that's near impossible to come by elsewhere in Bangkok. It's proof that a tightly kept secret often makes for the best night out, especially when you'd rather sip in peace than shout over a crowd. Time Out tip The clever twist lies at the front door, where you need a daily password to get in, available straight from the bar. Weekdays come free, while Friday to Sunday asks B290 entry, comes with a signature cocktail and bottomless popcorn all night. Goddess Bar. Phahonyothin. Open daily, 8pm-midnight

What is it? A lesbian bar that welcomes all ladies and friends of every gender alike, offering a safe place to hang out and be unapologetically themselves.  Why we love it: Plenty of places slap a rainbow on the door and call it a day, but here the lesbian billing carries real intent. The room leans dyke, though transmascs, dolls, trans women and friends of every gender all find space to gather, feel safe and simply be themselves. A streak of playfulness runs through it too, embodied by Nu Hin, the resident rock-girl mascot who turns that geological backstory into something genuinely endearing. It's the rare hangout that takes its community seriously without ever taking itself too seriously, just the balance Bangkok's queer nightlife has been craving. Time Out tip: Don't stop at one floor. Upstairs on the second you'll find Cake Bangkok, the city's much-loved bear club, while Bottle Rocket pours craft beer at street level, so a single drink easily snowballs into a full three-storey crawl. Tuff Bar. Rama 4. Open Wednesday-Monday, 6pm-1am. Closed Tuesday.

Bangkok’s gallery scene gets a provocative new arrival this month. Tucked among Yaowarat’s old shopfronts, Adult Material opens as a contemporary art space championing queer voices, with a programme that treats art as a starting point for conversation rather than decoration. Founded by Swiss-Chinese curator and critic Olivier Chow, the gallery occupies a space between exhibition venue and collecting platform, bringing together artists who question conventions and push at established narratives. Opening show Against The Grain gathers practitioners from Thailand and abroad, exploring intimacy, desire and identity through works that are thoughtful, challenging and refreshingly unsentimental. Catch it from June 18. June 18 onwards.  Free entry. Adult Material. 11am-8pm

Pride Month signs off with one final glitter-soaked send-off as YUMM throws its post-Pride party, swapping campaign slogans and civic drama for sweat, strobe lights and a dancefloor packed until dawn. Leading the charge is New Zealand selector HALFQUEEN, whose high-energy sets stitch together gqom, footwork, Jersey club, techno and other club sounds built for maximum release. Founded by Sriracha Czaddy and Soup SnakeS, YUMM has become one of Bangkok’s most vital queer nights, championing LGBTQIA+ communities, young creatives and people of colour while keeping the atmosphere welcoming, inclusive and unapologetically joyful. July 3. B300-600 via here. Mustache Bangkok. 10pm onwards

By Sunday, Bangkok’s rainy season often wins the argument. Plans shrink, energy runs low and staying home starts sounding increasingly sensible. This event at STØCKHÖLME offers a pleasant alternative. The gathering swaps loud nights and packed schedules for vinyl records, alcohol-free drinks and the simple pleasure of listening to music with other people. Guests spend the afternoon browsing collections, sharing recommendations and taking turns behind the decks, whether they arrive with years of crate-digging experience or none at all. Soul, funk and downtempo selections soundtrack the day, while conversations drift between favourite albums, forgotten discoveries and the enduring appeal of analogue sound. A calm end to the weekend, before Monday makes its return. June 14. Free entry. STØCKHÖLME. 2pm-9pm

Bangkok Art Walk returns to the historic streets around Chakkraphatdiphong and Lan Luang. Instead of white walls and gallery labels, artworks line the route, giving visitors a chance to meet artists, browse their creations and perhaps take a piece home. The market stretches well beyond paintings and prints. Expect vintage treasures, houseplants, pet accessories and gentle live music drifting through the neighbourhood. Four-legged companions are welcome too. Better still, every purchase contributes to a good cause, with part of the proceeds supporting rescued wildlife and rehabilitation efforts at the Central Wildlife Rescue Center in Nakhon Nayok. June 13-14. Free entry. Chakkraphatdiphong and Lan Luang Road. 4pm onwards

Sonic Minds Lab asks you to listen. Presented by Wonderfruit and MSCTY_Studio at Sala Saneha, the two-day programme explores how sound shapes the way we experience places, people and ourselves through performances, screenings, discussions and participatory sessions. Created by James Greer and Nick Luscombe alongside Wonderfruit, the ongoing project examines the relationship between mind, nature and listening. Across the weekend, visitors can encounter works in progress, field recordings and graphic scores, while meeting the artists behind them.  June 13-14. B600-1,000 via here. Sala Saneha. 1pm-9pm

Bangkok’s music community gains a new gathering point this month as MŌCANA Sound launches its first edition. Built around the city’s deep-rooted listening culture and ever-shifting underground scene, the one-night event places sound at the centre of the experience, giving equal weight to careful listening and late-night movement. Maft Sai, Tam Bryce, Tom Aquilina, Mumsfilijayja, DOTT and Meltmode guide audiences through vinyl rarities, Thai experimental works, house, disco and Southeast Asian club sounds. Expect a journey that values curiosity as much as dancing, with discoveries waiting at every turn. June 13. B1,000-1,200 via here. Trinity Silom Hotel. 8pm-3am

More than 16,000 people turned up last year, so it’s hardly surprising that Illust Fusion Expo returns even bigger for 2026. For one weekend, the fifth floor of Siam Paragon becomes a playground for independent creativity, with 729 artists spread across 1,108 booths packed with original prints, handmade objects, limited-edition merchandise and festival-exclusive collectibles. This year’s theme, Shine in Your Own Way, celebrates individuality through the image of a lantern, highlighting the distinct voices shaping Thailand’s illustration scene. Alongside the shopping, expect artist talks, live drawing sessions, copyright discussions and a playful pop-up cafe by Joojee World that adds an extra layer of charm to the proceedings. June 13-14. B120 for one day or B220 for a two-day pass at the door. Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon. 10am-8pm

Coffee culture and club culture have spent years circling each other, and this weekend they finally share the same room. MILKLAB, Melbourne-born collective MP3 Social and BEANS join forces for a free Coffee Rave, swapping late-night habits for caffeine-powered daytime dancing. MP3 Social has built a loyal following through its coffee-fuelled gatherings across Australia, and for its Bangkok stop brings Australian DJ Crystal Cartier alongside local selectors Chaddubb and Danny Luseo. Expect free-flow specialty coffee, limited-edition merchandise and a soundtrack that jumps from hip-hop and UK garage to baile funk and global club sounds.  June 12. Free entry. Register via here. BEANS, Songwat. 2pm-5pm

Still get the chills when the Interstellar score swells? Spellbound by the world of Harry Potter, or grinning the second that Pirates of the Caribbean theme kicks in? The Ballet Soundtrack Show hands you all three at once, in a shape you probably haven't seen before. This one-night spectacle on August 9 pulls cinema, memory and raw emotion together through contemporary ballet, a live orchestra and a stage loaded with atmospheric lighting and visual effects.   Photograph: Freed BalletBallet Soundtrack Show The evening splits across two acts. The first, 'Birth Struggle Path', traces birth, growth, hardship and self-discovery, set to music from Pirates of the Caribbean, Dune, Tron, Interstellar and The Last Samurai – plus Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Air on the G String' for good measure. The second, 'Destruction Rebirth Freedom', turns to collapse, renewal and the chase for freedom, reimagining scores from Oppenheimer, Kung Fu Panda, Avatar, Gladiator and Harry Potter through the language of modern dance. The cast is the real thing: former soloists from the Mariinsky Theatre, dancers from the Novosibirsk Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre and artists from the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus. A pop-symphony orchestra performs every film score live, while projections and lighting shift the mood behind each note. Shows that braid this many worlds together rarely come around twice, so get a ticket sorted early. Catch it at SiamPic Hall on Sunday August 9, with two sittings: 2pm-4pm and 6.3

Pride Month hands us the perfect excuse to clock a brand-new spot for anyone who loves boundary-pushing art and a bit of stylish gallery-hopping. Adult Material throws open its doors on Thursday June 18, tucked down the lantern-lit lanes of Yaowarat, and its debut show Against the Grain gathers seriously striking work from Thai and international names alike. Craft obsessives, diversity champions and the plain nosy all walk out inspired, buoyed by the warm, generous energy of the place. Photograph: adultmaterialgalleryAgainst the Grain Photograph: adultmaterialgalleryAgainst the Grain Spanning sculpture, photography, installation and design, the artists here push against inherited ideas of identity, masculinity and cultural expectation. Through performative acts of discipline and submission, queer subjectivity turns transformative, forever renegotiated across space, memory, matter and the body. Domestic interiors, bodily adornment, architectural motifs and handed-down symbols become charged sites where intimacy, vulnerability, desire and power get contested and reimagined. The upshot frames queerness not merely as a subject but as a whole way of living in and remaking the world. Photograph: adultmaterialgalleryAgainst the Grain Look out for pieces by Shen Wei (New York), Oat Montien (Bangkok), Dylan Chan (Singapore), Gregor Jahner (Berlin) and Thyme Neelaphanakul (Bangkok). The gallery is the brainchild of Olivier Chow, its founder and director – a Swiss-Chinese curator,

Whether you're a devoted disciple of Taiwanese cinema, a documentary obsessive or simply after a chance to discover brilliant films you won't catch at the multiplex, this festival stays one of the year's unmissable screen events. The Taiwan Documentary and Film Festival in Thailand 2026 rolls back round for its eighth edition, gathering more than 12 features and docs from July 22-26, with screenings across Bangkok and Khon Kaen. Over eight years the event has grown a devoted following among Thai audiences hungry for contemporary Taiwanese storytelling and top-tier Asian non-fiction. It hands you a rare shot at seeing hard-to-find work on the big screen and acts as a proper bridge between viewers, makers and the cinematic cultures of both nations. The 2026 outing comes courtesy of Taiwan's Ministry of Culture, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand (TECO Thailand), the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute, Taiwan Docs and the New Taipei City Government, joining forces with Documentary Club and Movies Matter. Photograph: Pushing Hands, 1991Taiwan Documentary and Film Festival Punters can look forward to four feature documentaries, two short-doc strands and six fiction titles, with the complete line-up landing soon. Eagle-eyed fans poring over the early promo reckon this round might resurrect classics from legendary director Ang Lee – namely his Father Knows Best Trilogy of Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman. These early gems from the Osca

The wait is finally over for fans of one of the world's most beloved animated franchises. This is 'House of Toy Story 5', one of the year's biggest happenings and a love letter to the living toys that have charmed audiences across the globe for generations. Step through the doors and a whole world of imagination opens up again, ready to sweep you back to where it all began. Photograph: CentralwOrldHOUSE OF TOY STORY 5 Wander inside a giant recreation of Bonnie's Room and you'll swear you've shrunk to action-figure size in the blink of an eye. Crane your neck at the towering Lily Pad Gate, snap away at exclusive photo spots and gawp at celebrity-owned collectibles you won't clap eyes on anywhere else. A dedicated shopping zone comes stuffed with officially licensed goodies – plushies, keyrings and the kind of figurines that'll test your willpower – plus premium freebies for anyone who spends enough to hit the magic number. Photograph: DisneyToy Story 5 Once you've had your fill of selfies, carry the fun over to the big screen. 'Toy Story 5' lands in cinemas nationwide on Thursday June 18, though die-hard fans needn't wait that long – early screenings kick off from 5pm on Wednesday June 17, so you get a proper cry in before everyone else does. (Yes, you will cry. These films always get you.) So round up your friends, wrangle the little ones and set off on another adventure with Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the whole crew at the 'House of Toy Story 5'. At Outdoor Square C, Cent

Bangkok's cycling crowd has somewhere proper to be this June, as ChangChui Creative Park hands over two full days to a festival built for anyone who loves bikes, film and a good knees-up. Across June 27-28, from 3pm ‘til 11pm, the venue throws open its grounds to riders, film buffs, creative types and weekend pedallers, with screenings, sport, art, music, food, workshops and markets all crammed under one roof. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @bbff.bicycleflimfest The action kicks off with a short film competition and screening, where cycling-themed shorts from Thailand and abroad go head to head for cash prizes – so grab a seat and cheer on your favourite. If you'd rather watch people throw themselves about, the Extreme Bicycle Contest delivers, with a Balance Bike Drag Race, BMX Flatland, BMX Box Jam, Fixed Freestyle and a Bunny Hop High Jump, where riders gun for the highest leap of the year. Then comes the Bicycle Show, a proper beauty pageant on two wheels with more than B30,000 up for grabs. Categories run the gamut – MTB Vintage, Road Bikes, OS BMX, Mini Velo, Mini Chari, Touring, Cargo, Fixed Gear and Fancy – so whatever you ride, expect a class to suit. Photograph: ChangChui Creative ParkBicycle film festival Skint or just browsing? The Swap Buy and Sell market gathers importers, shops, independent sellers and brand owners flogging tasty deals, while the rest of the site keeps you busy with art, live music, street food and hands-on wor

Bangkok rarely sits still. The capital is forever adding new green spaces, plugging gaps in its public transport and working out better ways to look after the people who live here. And the people best placed to say what actually works? The ones walking its streets every day.  That is the thinking behind Bangkok Active Festival,  free three-day gathering at Lumphini Park from June 19-21, organised by Thai PBS Centre for Social Agenda and Public Policy Communication with a network of partners. Under the park's big rain trees, just a short walk from the Silom and Lumphini MRT exits, residents are invited to imagine, debate and help shape a better Bangkok – from greener neighbourhoods and wider transit coverage to support for vulnerable communities and a more serious crack at urban poverty. Photograph: The ActiveBangkok Active Festival The line-up makes room for plenty of voices. On the central stage, Vision in the Park brings people together to swap ideas about where the capital goes next, while Bangkok Open Mic hands the microphone to artists and locals with their own take on the city. The exhibition zone, Bangkok Has Come Far, But Can Go Further, looks back at the capital’s past and asks what still needs fixing through displays such as Bangkok Timeline: 50 Years of Bangkok Governors and Interactive Data: Four Years of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council. A Policy Market gives younger generations space to pitch fresh ideas for everyday city life. Photograph: The ActiveBangkok A

Remember when HAVE YOU HEARD? dropped the first Maho Rasop Series 2026 line-up with Caribou on the bill? Well, the promoter has now lifted the lid on its second wave, and the headline name is one that'll make a lot of Bangkok music fans go a bit misty-eyed. Kings of Convenience are coming to town, playing SiamPic Hall on Tuesday December 1. Photograph: Kings of Convenience- KOCErlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe make the kind of music that rewards a proper listen, delicate guitar lines, unexpected melodic turns and hushed vocals that wrap around you like a warm jumper. Their debut, Quiet Is the New Loud, turned heads at the turn of the millennium, with 'Winning a Battle, Losing the War' becoming the gateway track for a whole generation. It broke big in the UK first, then earned an unusually loyal crowd across Asia. Here in Thailand, those songs have practically soundtracked a decade of cafe culture. After more than 12 years away, the pair came back with Peace or Love, a record that reunited them with Feist, so this gig serves up a generous mix of old favourites and fresher cuts, plenty of which Thai audiences have never caught live. Photograph: haveyouheard.liveKOC Tickets land on Friday June 12 at 12pm, here. You're looking at B3,600 for Level 1 Zones A and B, B3,100 for Level 1 Zone C and B2,600 for Upper Level Zones D and E, all seated. This is just the opening salvo. Maho Rasop Series 2026 – a joint effort from HAVE YOU HEARD?, Seen Scen

Anyone who missed Bangkok Book District Fest the first time around gets a second chance. The festival returns on July 25-26, bringing books, ideas and a healthy dose of urban exploration back to Phra Nakhon. This year’s edition invites visitors to wander through Phan Fa, Wang Burapha, Fueang Nakhon, Sao Chingcha, Tha Tien and Nang Loeng. These historic neighbourhoods are being reinterpreted through independent bookshops, creative events and the communities that continue to prove reading still has a place in city life. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @bkk.bookdistrict One of the festival’s biggest draws is its network of more than ten independent bookstores spread across the district. Each with its own character, carefully curated shelves and a distinct point of view. The conversations between booksellers and readers are often just as rewarding as the books themselves. You might arrive looking for a novel and leave with a recommendation, a new perspective and a conversation you’ll remember. Photograph: bkk.bookdistrictOld Town The previous edition filled the neighbourhood with second-hand book markets, discussion circles and reading walks. One standout was Reading in the Park by the Bangkok Literature & Arts Festival, which transformed Rommaninat Park into an open-air reading room. The event showed how public spaces can become cultural gathering points, bringing together readers, local history and community life beneath the trees. Photograph

The community surrounding zines keeps growing, and Pubpeab Zine Fair grows right alongside it. Back for its third outing with a new theme, ‘The Maker Space’, the fair reimagines GalileOasis as a working print house where artists, publishers, collectors and curious first-timers all come together under one roof. Not the sort of print house filled with conveyor belts and fluorescent lights. Organised by GalileOasis and Wuthipol Designs, the event also welcomes fabric-printing specialists Studio2B and risograph producer Haptic Editions, turning the venue into a temporary workshop where ideas move as freely as ink on paper. Photograph: Pubpeab Zine FairGalileOasis What sets this year apart is the emphasis on making rather than merely displaying. The centrepiece is ‘Make Some Zines’, a hands-on workshop area where visitors follow a publication from start to finish. Pick your papers, test materials, experiment with layouts and stitch everything together yourself. Never folded a single page before? Photograph: Pubpeab Zine FairGalileOasis Elsewhere, Space Bar Zine and Wuthipol Designs present selections from their own collections, showing just how broad the format can be. Personal diaries, political statements, artist books, travel journals, playful visual experiments – part of the appeal is never quite knowing what waits on the next table. And, naturally, the beloved zine swap returns. Bring a publication, exchange it with someone else and watch it begin a new life in another pa

Barely a month after we got wind of the first official Pokémon Center landing at Central World, here comes another bit of news worth a celebratory fist-pump: Pokémon Run. The whole thing rolls out to mark 30 years of the cartoon most of us grew up glued to, with UNIQLO backing the party. Mark your calendar for January 9-10 next year, and keep half an eye out for registration, which should open before 2026 wraps up. Pokémon Run 30 makes seven stops across Asia – the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand – and it's a long way from your average Sunday slog. You're a Trainer here. You pick a starter partner to run alongside, and every creature you cross paths with gets logged in your Pokédex. Rack up enough and you trade that haul for rewards once you're done. The more ground you cover, the more experience you earn, and your little sidekick evolves as you go. Here's roughly how a lap unfolds: – Pick your partner and go: The start line is where you choose your first companion and brace yourself for what's coming. – Take on the Gyms: Scattered along the way you'll find ‘Pokémon Gyms’, cheeky obstacles that test your grit and earn you those Trainer stripes. – Refuel at the Pokémon Center: A hydration stop to catch your breath and load up for the next chunk. – Meet, collect, evolve.:Gather Pokédex entries and exclusive stickers off the characters you meet, then watch your partner evolve as you cross the finish. There's a Pokémon Center Bangkok Po

When Ireland comes up in conversation, most people picture emerald landscapes, windswept coastlines and a fiddle drifting out of a countryside pub. Equally enduring, though perhaps less obvious, is the country's literary legacy.  For centuries, Irish writers have shaped the way we tell stories, wrestle with big ideas and make sense of everyday life – from the modernist experiments of James Joyce to the razor-sharp observations of Sally Rooney and the quiet brilliance of Claire Keegan. Ireland's contribution to world literature is astonishing. Photograph: Jim Thompson Heritage QuarterIrish Literature Festival That rich tradition arrives in Bangkok this month as the Embassy of Ireland in Thailand presents the Irish Literature Festival 2026 at the Jim Thompson Art Center on June 20-21. Held in celebration of Bloomsday, the annual tribute to Joyce's monumental Ulysses, the two-day festival casts a much wider net. The programme explores why writing from a small island nation continues to resonate across generations and continents. Expect lively conversations led by academics, translators and publishing figures, including Professor Dr Paige Reynolds, Associate Professor Dr Verita Sriratana and members of the Moonscape literary collective. Together, they’ll unpack the themes, traditions and cultural forces that have kept Irish literature firmly on bookshelves around the world. Photograph: The Jim Thompson Art CenterIrish Literature Festival   Highlights include a discussion of

Pride Month brings a significant healthcare milestone for Thailand's LGBTQ+ community. As the country continues to broaden healthcare access and strengthen legal recognition for gender-diverse people, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) has announced that hormone therapy medications under the Universal Coverage Scheme will be available from June 10.  The rollout begins across 50 participating healthcare facilities nationwide, marking a quietly significant step for gender-affirming care within Thailand's public health system. Photograph: National Health Security OfficeThailand's Gold Card What is the Gold Card? For anyone unfamiliar with it, the Gold Card – often known as the B30 scheme – sits at the heart of Thailand's Universal Coverage Scheme. It provides free or low-cost healthcare for Thai citizens who are not covered by other government programmes or private insurance, spanning routine treatment, emergency care and prescription medication. The programme also extends to many marginalised groups and ethnic communities awaiting citizenship verification, helping to bridge longstanding gaps in access. Foreign visitors, expats and most migrant workers remain outside the scheme. Photograph: Rory DoyleThailand's Gold Card What does the benefit package cover? That coverage now expands to include medically supervised hormone therapy. The new package covers eight medications across four categories: Oral female hormones, including estradiol Injectable testosterone Oral a