Kaweewat Siwanartwong

Yay, it’s the first week of November and the festive season is around the corner (time to make plans and check your bank balance). Before Mariah Carey takes over every shopping centre speaker, Bangkok has Thai craft beer at ICONSIAM, open-air films at Chula and plenty of reasons to stay out late. No beer, no life, right? Flavors & Glow by the River brings 15 Thai craft breweries, new releases and cider to ICONSIAM’s second-floor terrace from 4pm daily. Rather play than sip? JAMBOX x Asia Pillars Connection gets musicians and industry folk together at Marshall Livehouse for an open jam – handy if you need a bandmate. SAYAW DHEE KA (sayaw is Filipino for dance) brings Manila and Bangkok DJs to clubs across town. On Friday, Bangkok Riddim Syndicate pairs freestyle MCs with reggae, dancehall and dub at Bangkok Island, while Rotterdam duo Animistic Beliefs join local selectors at HORN in Silom. There’s a quieter option at Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park, where the Chula Open-Air Cinema Festival returns.  Saturday brings Common Signal to Volume Livehouse on B floor at The Street Ratchada, with five homegrown acts including Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band and Makara. Grab dinner in the mall before the opener. Meanwhile, BIGBANG take over Rajamangala National Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. Want more? Browse our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks and galleries, or start ticking off the city’s essential things to do. Planning ahead? Browse our monthly

November 2026: Bangkok’s art exhibitions span the city this month, from the fifth Bangkok Art Biennale, themed Angels and Mara, to DIAGE’s light, sound and movement installations at Cloud 11 on Sukhumvit Road. The biennale brings together 72 artists and collectives from 29 countries, with more than 200 works across 11 main venues. BAB Plus and BAB Fringe extend the programme to Thonburi, Samut Prakan and Suphan Buri. It runs until February 28 2027, so there’s time to spread your visits out. Biennale admission is free, though individual venues may have their own entry arrangements. Cloud 11’s post-festival DIAGE exhibition is listed for November 2-15, with seven installations responding to light, sound and movement. NONOTAK’s fog-filled light work is among the advertised highlights – stick close to whoever you came with. Check the retained line-up and free-entry arrangements with Cloud 11 before heading over. For something more low-key, Art Jewel on Siam Paragon’s fifth floor, beside BTS Siam, hosts Human After All, figurative paintings by eight artists exploring the messier, less flattering parts of being a person. At Soko Gallery on Sukhumvit Soi 32, Butterfly & Fish pairs Pi-near’s  illustrations with papeterie’s papercuts in a show about growth, change and memory. Need more ideas? Explore our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks and galleries, browse our interviews or work through our bucket list of the best things to do in Bangkok. From galleries to creative

Over the past few years, Bangkok foodies have welcomed a number of sushi restaurant openings offering a higher-end dining experience, omakase, which can be simply translated as "leave it all to the chef" meaning that your meal will be prepared by the trained sushi master according to the freshest catch of the day.  Don't know what to want to eat, no problem! Omakase has taken Thai food lovers by storm as plenty of omakase restaurants has opened in Bangkok in the last few years. We gather you the best omakase restaurants in town you shouldn't miss. Love Japanese cuisine? Check out more restaurants in Bangkok here! 

November usually brings Bangkok a little relief from the heat, just as its events calendar fills up. Bangkok Art Biennale brings more than 200 works by 72 artists and collectives to 11 venues, from Wat Arun’s riverside grounds to the malls around Siam, until February 28 2027. The first Time Out Bangkok Nightlife Awards turns Hua Lamphong Railway Station into a party on November 18, while My Chemical Romance finally make their Thailand debut at IMPACT Challenger Hall. Over in the Old Town, the Golden Mount temple fair returns to Wat Saket from November 17. Look out for moo ping skewers, khanom krok straight off the pan and balloon-dart stalls with teddies bigger than your nephew. Check the temple’s final fair dates before planning a late-month visit. Bookworms have the Neilson Hays Library sale and Tsutaya Bookstore, whose first Thai bookshop is now scheduled to open on November 14 at The Storeys, One Bangkok, with more than 50,000 books and magazines across two floors. Still undecided? Browse our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks and galleries, or start ticking off the city’s essential things to do. Planning ahead? Browse our monthly events guide and the latest Bangkok things to do. Subscribe to our free newsletter for the best of Bangkok, straight to your inbox.

Planning Halloween already? It maybe a little early, but the nights are drawing in, the air feels cooler, and before long, the season’s most mischievous celebration will be upon us. Thailand may not have the same obsession with ghosts and ghouls as other countries, but Bangkok knows how to throw a night worth remembering.  Soon enough, downtown Bangkok will shift into a carnival of costumes, flickering lights and characters that seem plucked from another world. Streets, bars, galleries and rooftops will offer everything from quirky pop-ups to immersive experiences, leaving little excuse not to get involved. It’s never too early to start plotting your own night of mischief, assembling your coven, or deciding which haunted corners of the city you’ll explore. Looking for something strange, eerie or delightfully absurd? Time Out Bangkok has your back. While we might not carry proton packs, we know where the best thrills are hiding. From haunted bars and rooftop rituals to costume competitions and spooky markets, our ever-growing guide will keep you informed and entertained. By the time the last lanterns flicker and the city’s ghosts retreat, you’ll know that Bangkok’s Halloween is not just a night on the calendar – it’s a festival of mischief, style and just enough fright to make it unforgettable.

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

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.

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

Put your phone down, pull up a chair and see how you handle a little friendly competition. TK Board Game Club returns to centralwOrld for a Sunday meet-up, with November’s treasure-hunt theme sending players across the sea, sky and underground. The games include Deep Sea Adventure, Niagara, Forbidden Island and The Vale of Eternity, with options for newcomers and seasoned players. Drop by any time, pick a game and find a few willing rivals. No booking needed. November 8. Free participation; visitors without annual TK Park membership pay B20 daily admission. TK Park. TK Park, eighth floor, centralwOrld. 11am-5pm.

Molam, psychedelic sounds and indie guitars share the stage at Common Signal, a one-night showcase of five acts from Thailand’s independent music scene. Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, bring their take on traditional Isaan music alongside neo-molam act Makara, H3F, Dot.Dot.Dot and NTFOLK. If your playlists jump between Thai folk and guitar-led sounds, there’s good reason to stay for the full bill.  November 7. B950; B700 early-bird tickets sold out. Volume Livehouse, B Floor, The Street Ratchada. 5pm-11pm. Tickets here.

If one dancefloor isn’t enough, DUAL has two under the same roof. Sacristy brings AXCIID and CASSANDRAH to Bangkok for their Thai debut, joined by returning favourite NØSYNC, THE3RD and REIKS, whose slower, hypnotic opening selection eases you towards the heavier sounds. One ticket covers Sacristy’s dark room, strobes and Funktion-One Evolution Series sound system, plus DUAL’s own dancefloor. Respect the house rules: no hate, discrimination or flash photography. November 7. Individual online tickets B400-B600, subject to release; B700 at the door. Three-person group ticket B1,600. The B200 community allocation is sold out and B300 early-bird sales have ended. DUAL, Trinity Complex, Soi Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra 3. 9pm-4am. Age 20+. Tickets and details.

Fancy giving your phone a couple of hours off? Bangkok Offline Reading Club invites you to bring a paperback or e-reader for quiet reading and conversation. Organised by BKKLITFEST, this post-Halloween edition welcomes costumes inspired by favourite authors and literary characters, though dressing up is optional. Bring books to swap if you like. After reading time, the group splits into smaller circles to chat about literature, art and culture. Keep your phone switched off or on silent – the next chapter can have your undivided attention. November 7. Free admission; advance registration required. Public House Sukhumvit 31. 4pm-6pm. Register here.

Dessert first, plans later. 126 Sweet Club at Samyan fills Slowcombo with sweet treats and small souvenirs for three days. Stay after your sugar fix for DJ Mamao on November 6, 5pm-7pm, a screening of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason on November 7, 4pm-6pm or K’Puean live on November 8, 4pm-6pm. Drop by between errands or settle in for an afternoon with a friend. The main programme is listed by Time Out Thailand; check Slowcombo’s final schedule for those individual set and screening times. November 6-8. Free entry. Living Space, first floor, Slowcombo, Samyan. 10am-8pm.

Rotterdam’s queer Southeast Asian duo Animistic Beliefs bring their restless electronic sound to NON NON NON at HORN in Silom Soi 4. Mara Lalihatu and Linh Luu draw on their Moluccan and Vietnamese-Chinese roots, moving between experimental electronics, bass, breaks and harder club sounds. Their festival appearances include Rewire, Dekmantel and CTM. This time it’s a DJ set, with JUIINT also on the bill and Issypeople playing back-to-back with Sriracha Czaddy. That’s plenty of room for the night to take an unexpected turn. November 6. Online: B500 without a drink or B600-B700 including one drink; B750 at the door including one drink. HORN, Silom Soi 4. 10pm-3am.  Age 20+. Tickets here.

Freestyle rap meets reggae on the Chao Phraya as Bangkok Riddim Syndicate launches its first riverside session at Bangkok Island. Hip hop, reggae, dancehall and dub underpin MCing in different languages, with the  boat docked opposite Bang Krachao. Owners Yuval and Rainny handle the decks, with Selecta and KatahToni named on the bill. Three MCs take the mic: UK-born Klynton, who has Jamaican roots, US freestyle rapper Vicky Brozay and Thai rapper 11 Fingers, known for his activism and documentary appearances. Arrive before 8pm and entry won’t cost you a baht.  November 6. Free before 8pm; B300 including one drink after. Bangkok Island Pier, Rama 3 Soi 64. 6pm-midnight.

Four nights, four clubs and a crew of Manila DJs on Bangkok’s dancefloors. SAYAW DHEE KA, billed as a collaboration between Manila party collective Thank You For The Music (TYFM) and Bangkok’s More Rice Records, is advertised for November 5-8 at Clutch Bar, Bar Temp, Elsewhere and HORN. The supplied bill includes Shrugs, Duality, Adri Malaki and Horseboyy, alongside Sarayu, Jirus and DOTT. Sayaw is Filipino for dance; the Thai-inspired second half gives the name its cross-city wordplay. Check TYFM and each venue for the nightly schedule, final artist spellings and tickets before plotting your route.  November 5-8. Clutch Bar, Bar Temp, Elsewhere and HORN.

Fancy making music or finding a bandmate? JAMBOX x Asia Pillars Music Connection #09 returns to Marshall Livehouse for an open jam and a spot of industry mingling. Organisers expect more than 150 musicians, music professionals and fans, with players rotating on stage to improvise across genres and instruments. Musicians of all experience levels can join in. The networking session also brings together venue owners, label representatives, promoters and booking agents, so you might leave with a useful contact as well as a tune stuck in your head. November 5. B300. Marshall Livehouse, Charoen Krung 36. 7pm-11pm. Age 20+. Tickets and registration.

Planning a trip to Wonderfruit this December? Here’s your heads-up: the November Sale opened on November 3 at 4pm and runs until November 9. It's the final public sale for five-day full passes and weekend passes before the festival’s 11th edition returns to The Fields at Siam Country Club near Pattaya on December 3-7. A weekend pass costs B11,500 and a five-day pass B12,900. Any remaining door tickets will cost B15,000 and B20,000 respectively, subject to availability. Your bank balance would prefer you made the decision now. November Sale: November 3-9. Book passes via Ticketmelon. Festival venue: The Fields at Siam Country Club, Chonburi.

Planning a trip to Wonderfruit this December? Here’s your heads-up: the November Sale opened on November 3 at 4pm and runs until November 9. It's the final public sale for five-day full passes and weekend passes before the festival’s 11th edition returns to The Fields at Siam Country Club near Pattaya on December 3-7. A weekend pass costs B11,500 and a five-day pass B12,900. Any remaining door tickets will cost B15,000 and B20,000 respectively, subject to availability. Your bank balance would prefer you made the decision now. November Sale: November 3-9. Book passes via Ticketmelon. Festival venue: The Fields at Siam Country Club, Chonburi.

Can a photograph capture the scent of a flower? Can paper ever return to its original shape after years of folding? Italian artist Renato Leotta takes those questions into Gift to Entropy at Bangkok Kunsthalle. Curated by Stefano Rabolli Pansera, the installation exhibition uses concealed flower films and folded paper slowly relaxing under gravity to explore nature, memory and time. Leotta works across photography, film, sculpture and installation, paying attention to shifting light, tides and landscapes. This residency project also offers a first look at ideas behind his forthcoming work at Khao Yai Art Forest.  October 30-December 30. Free entry. Bangkok Kunsthalle. Wednesday-Sunday 2pm-8pm; closed Monday-Tuesday.

If you’re an AAA24 member with a shelf of A24 screenplay books and a stack of tote bags, you know the drill. You spot a new drop online, add it to your basket and wince as the overseas shipping fee creeps close to the price of the item itself. Those days may be numbered, because Fearfolks plans to open an A24 Bangkok Pop-up, the first of its kind in southeast Asia. The space is set to carry officially licensed merchandise and special collections from the New York indie studio that gave us Lady Bird, Talk to Me and Everything Everywhere All at Once. That means trying a T-shirt on for size before you pay, then taking it home on the Skytrain the same afternoon. Photograph: Major Group | 365 Days of Fear: Fearfolks 2027 Line-Up Press ConBangkok The news comes from the 365 Days of Fear: Fearfolks 2027 Line-Up Press Con at Paragon Cineplex, where the company also runs through its slate of Thai and international releases due between January and June 2027. Most of us know Fearfolks for its horror and thriller titles, but it now wants a hand in other kinds of entertainment too, and A24 is the biggest name on that list so far. Imported stock is only half the story. Fearfolks also intends to work with Thai creatives, which could bring limited pieces by local artists you won’t find on the A24 website. For now, the opening date, address and what goes on the racks remain under wraps. As for the neighbourhood, we have a few guesses. Siam makes sense, with Chulalongkorn University students

Missed the full-dress rehearsals in October? Don’t worry, the main event is only days off. On Friday November 6, 52 gilded barges and 2,200 navy oarsmen leave Wasukri Pier at around 2.30pm for the 4.2km trip down the Chao Phraya to Wat Arun, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) now confirms where to sit. The flotilla forms part of the royal Kathin robe-offering ceremony, honouring Queen Suthida’s 48th birthday on June 3, her fourth 12-year cycle. Across six designated sites, the BMA provides 7,400 seats. Here’s the lineup, from north to south. Photograph: TATBangkok Beneath Rama VIII BridgeMore than half the seating, 4,000 chairs in all, sits at the top of the route, so you get the first look at the fleet. An LED screen on the Thon Buri side shows the action up close. Santichaiprakan ParkThe grassy park by the white, octagonal Phra Sumen Fort takes 1,500 people and has two big screens. Grab noodles or an iced coffee on nearby Phra Athit Road beforehand. Beneath Somdet Phra Pinklao BridgeJust 200 places, the smallest allocation of the six, so turn up early. 72nd Birthday Anniversary Park, Siriraj HospitalOver in Thon Buri, the lawn in front of the hospital holds 1,000 spectators. Kill time at the Siriraj Medical Museum, a few minutes on foot. Wat Rakhang KhositaramNear the Wat Arun finish, the temple has space for 300. Its grounds are hung with rows of bells that visitors ring for good fortune. Bank of Thailand Learning Centre The BMA also lists a learning cent

That wobbly stack of unread paperbacks on your bedside table? Clear a shelf. The 55th National Book Fair and 25th Bangkok International Book Fair return to Queen Sirikit National Convention Center from March 24 to April 4, 2027, taking over Halls 5-7 on the LG floor for 12 days. If this year is any guide, expect company. The latest edition drew over 1.3 million visitors (around 100,000 a day at weekends), with Gen Z making up the biggest share of the crowd. Weekday mornings are your safest bet for quieter aisles. Photograph: P.S. PublishingBangkok Last time round, 360-plus booths sold everything from Thai literature and translated novels to comics, children’s titles and imported reads, so pack a sturdy tote. Plenty of regulars roll up with wheeled suitcases, and not because they have a flight to catch. Set a spending limit now, too. With doors open until 9pm, ‘just one more’ gets very easy to justify. Take the MRT Blue Line to the station of the same name and use Exit 3, where an underground walkway leads straight to the entrance, so you skip the April heat. The National Book Fair runs March 24-April 4, 2027 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.  It opens daily 10am-9pm. Dates may change, so follow Thai Book Fair on Facebook for updates.

If your knowledge of Thai beer starts and ends with a big bottle of Leo in a bucket of ice, the next fortnight at ICONSIAM is a good chance to widen it. Campaign group Beer People, the team behind September's Sato So Good festival, has teamed up with the riverside mall on Flavors Glow By The River, a tasting zone that's part of ICONSIAM Bangkok Illumination 2026. Photograph: Prachachon BeerBangkok The line-up splits evenly between 15 craft breweries and 15 community distilleries, plus more than 50 other producers from around the country. Makers run their own booths, so you can ask where the rice was grown or how long a batch ferments before bottling. Beer has the first week (November 1-8), with ciders and other fermented drinks alongside. Look out for Khon Khon Craft from Nakhon Si Thammarat, Wiset Beer from Chiang Mai and Hop Beer House from Nakhon Ratchasima, plus a table of award-winning brews from Rachaphruek Brewery and a few brand-new releases. The second week (November 9-15) switches to community-made liquor. Expect sato (Thai rice wine) from Thepphanom and Mr Sato; bottles from Isan distillery The Spirit of Chaiyaphum; and gin, rum, vodka, plum liqueur and cocktails mixed with Thai-grown ingredients. Photograph: Prachachon BeerBangko The whole thing sits on the second-floor terrace in front of the Apple Store, so you sip with ferries and long-tail boats chugging along the Chao Phraya below. Musicians from Mahidol University's College of Music play two sets an even

If you’re already planning New Year’s Eve, you know how it usually goes. Grab prices surge after 10pm, the crowds around Ratchaprasong slow to a shuffle and the good rooftop tables go early. Sindhorn Midtown Hotel Bangkok, Vignette Collection by IHG offers an easier plan. It sits on Soi Langsuan, a short walk from Chit Lom BTS. On December 31, all four of its bars and restaurants go red and gold, and each one sees out 2026 in its own way. Most packages include free-flow sparkling wine, wine, beer, spirits and soft drinks. Prices are net, so the number you see is the number you pay. Photograph:Sindhorn Midtown Hotel BangkokBangkok ANJU Korean Rooftop Restaurant & Bar The loudest night of the four happens on the roof. ANJU’s kitchen sends out a hansang, the Korean custom of covering a table with shared plates. Expect yellowtail and sea trumpet wraps topped with avruga caviar, and smoked beef short rib on potato pancake. Bartenders put on a soju bomb show, and staff set up ddakji, the paper tile-slapping game from the first episode of Squid Game. You can also play cham cham cham, where you try not to turn your head the way your opponent points. DJs play from 9pm-2am. Entry alone is B3,099 per person. Tables for up to five with the platter cost B31,490-35,490, and the priciest adds two bottles of Champagne. Photograph: Sindhorn Midtown Hotel BangkokBangkok Veha Veha suits a slower evening. The buffet starts at 6pm with a carving station for beef tenderloin wellington, Austral

Eight seats. One pale wooden counter. A pot of rice cooked fresh for each sitting. Sushi Kuuya makes little noise, and that’s rather the point. Find it on the second floor of Vivre Langsuan, on the leafy soi linking Ploenchit Road with Lumpini Park, behind a light timber door set against clean white walls. Photograph: Sushi KuuyaBangkok Photograph: Sushi KuuyaBangkok The man in charge is chef Goji Kobayashi. He was born in Los Angeles to a family from Fukuoka, and his CV covers around 18 years in kitchens across Japan, the US and Thailand, including a stint at Michelin-starred Wako in San Francisco. Kyushu remains his main reference. Most of the seafood and produce arrives from Fukuoka via suppliers he knows personally, and the menu shifts with Japan’s seasons. Photograph: Sushi KuuyaBangkok The restaurant’s motto is ‘Simplicity, Precision, Respect’, and you can watch each word at work. Simplicity is the room, bright and uncluttered, with bare wood and nothing to distract you. Precision begins with that rice, prepared in a traditional hagama pot on a custom-built stove, then seasoned with a blend of vinegars, aged red among them. Respect shows in the sourcing. Goji wants to know where each ingredient originates and who caught, grew or made it. Don’t expect a straight run of nigiri, either. Having worked alongside kaiseki-trained chefs, he opens with otsumami (seasonal appetizers) and a few cooked plates, so the meal moves between warm and cool, soft and crisp. Photogra

Scroll through Thai social media this week and you’ll probably spot a national ID card that looks a little different. The newest hotspot is the registration office at Phitsanulok Municipality. Locals now queue up there in full traditional Thai dress to apply for or renew their IDs. Photograph: Phitsanulok City MunicipalityBangkok Wait, is that even allowed? Yep. Ministry of Interior rules permit traditional attire, contemporary Thai-style looks and clothes made from Thai fabric. The only catch is that your face stays fully visible, so no hats, sunglasses or anything covering it, and you need to look neat and appropriate. Photograph: Phitsanulok City MunicipalityBangkok If this rings a bell, you’ve got a good memory. Back in 2018, the hit period drama Love Destiny had fans asking to pose in Ayutthaya-era costume, and officials gave it the green light. This time the trend comes as Thailand pushes for chut thai to join UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. Fancy trying it next time your card expires? Raid your mum’s wardrobe, or shop these Thai labels reworking traditional fabrics for everyday wear.

Bangkok’s parks get a few gigs every cool season, but few come with a headliner this good. On November 28, British acid jazz veterans Incognito play the amphitheatre in Benchakitti Park, with much-loved Thai singer Neung ETC. joining them on the bill. The show is how MedPark Hospital marks its sixth birthday, and it puts it on with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Now in its fifth year, MedMusic in the Park rests on one simple idea, that live music is good for your health. After a week stuck in Sukhumvit traffic, we’re not about to argue. Photograph: MedPark HospitalBangkok Anyone raised on ’90s soul and jazz-funk knows Incognito. Bandleader Jean-Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick formed the group in London in 1979, and their run of UK hits includes ‘Always There’ and a slick take on Stevie Wonder’s ‘Don’t You Worry ’Bout a Thing’. Live, they bring a full horn section, busy basslines and a rotating cast of big-voiced singers, so staying seated on your picnic mat is harder than it sounds. Neung, frontman of Thai band ETC., gives the home crowd plenty to sing along to. His smooth mix of Thai pop, soul and R&B suits a balmy night outside. Photograph: MedPark HospitalBangkok Gates open at 4pm, so turn up early and claim a spot on the amphitheatre steps. The first act starts at 5pm, around the time joggers on the elevated skywalk slow to a stroll and cyclists loop Lake Ratchada one last time. By 6pm the sun is down, and late November nights usually hover around 25C, which is about a

Demon wings on a weeknight. Pigs in blankets in shorts weather. Free-flow Champagne 32 storeys above the traffic on Ratchadamri Road. That’s roughly the next 10 weeks at Moxy Bangkok Ratchaprasong, the hotel stacked on top of The Market Bangkok and linked to Chit Lom BTS by skywalk. Plan ahead and it’s cheaper, too. Photograph: Moxy Bangkok RatchaprasongBangkok Halloween runs October 22-31. On the ninth floor, the Moxy Truck swaps its usual street food for blackout calamari, bloodbath nachos and zombie-brain panna cotta. Sato San Rooftop Bar goes for Japanese yokai folklore, with nekomata gyoza, takoyaki and cocktails named after the fox spirit and the spider woman. Nab a seat at the long counter facing the city. Photograph: Moxy Bangkok RatchaprasongBangkok Then ghouls give way to gravy. The truck serves loaded fries with pulled turkey and cranberry, the kitchen sends out sticky toffee pudding and the roof hosts festive dinners on December 24 and 25. The real draw comes at the end of the month, when the CentralWorld countdown crowds fill the junction below. Downstairs at Moxy Bar & Restaurant, B6,000++ buys a buffet of smoked brisket, Thai seafood barbecue and tandoori from 7pm (kids six and under don’t pay). Upstairs, the B9,500++ pass gets you in from 10.30pm with bottomless booze until 1am, while a VIP zone for 12 costs a cool B250,000++. Now, the useful bit. Book a Christmas or New Year’s Eve package directly by November 30 and you knock 15 percent off. Payment is up

Muggles, this one’s for you. If you still half-expect an owl at the letterbox every September, or you can sort your mates by house faster than you can remember their birthdays, clear some space in the diary. A replica of the Great Hall from Hogwarts takes over Central Park this November, and it arrives in full festive mode. Running November 1-15 in The Sky Hall on the first floor, the pop-up rebuilds the dining room where Harry first sat under the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Anyone who queued outside a bookshop at midnight for the next instalment knows exactly why that scene matters. Christmas decorations dress the space for the season, and a handful of photo spots copy other interiors from the school. For the group shot, a dedicated photobooth zone does the job (house scarves optional, though encouraged). Then comes the shopping. More than 15 well-known brands bring their wizarding merch together in one place, so collectors can work through a wishlist in a single afternoon instead of trawling half the malls in town. It also sorts out presents for the Potterhead in your life, and spending over a set amount earns you an exclusive gift to take home. Ten points to whoever came up with this one. The Hogwarts-inspired Great Hall runs Nov 1-15 at The Sky Hall, first floor, Central Park.

Five and a half hours by road from Chiang Mai, then another two or three bumping along dirt tracks through the mountains. No electricity, no running water and not one bar of phone signal. That’s the trip to Pasemuta, a small village in Mae Tuen, and the beans grown up here end up in flat whites some 1,000km south on Koh Phangan. Photograph: Bubba’s Coffee RoastersKoh Phangan Photograph: Bubba’s Coffee RoastersKoh Phangan Robin Vos, founder of Bubba’s Coffee Roasters, Koh Phangan, heads north to see his growers every year. He meets farmer Chang Plao in 2016 at the Farmer Village section of Bangkok’s Thailand Coffee Festival, where producers pour samples of their own harvest. Chang Plao is there with his wife and daughter, dressed in traditional clothing. ‘He was incredibly kind, and the coffee was very flavourful,’ says Robin. The pair keep in touch until Chang Plao invites him up to see the farm. Photograph: Bubba’s Coffee RoastersKoh Phangan Phuket locals know how it goes when an island gets reduced to one nightlife strip. Koh Phangan has the same problem with the Full Moon Party. Spend a morning here, though, and you meet yoga teachers, divers, DJs, long-term expats and Thai families grabbing breakfast before work. Plenty of them start the day at Bubba’s. Photograph: Bubba’s Coffee RoastersKoh Phangan Robin first visits the island in 2006, aged 15, on holiday with his parents. At 21 he moves to Melbourne and takes a job in coffee, picking up the city’s brunch habit.

Lately, our life revolves around one thing – buying concert tickets. Saying we book them every weekend is honestly not an exaggeration. Another dream comes true this autumn though, and this one's been a long time coming. We're finally watching Interstellar with a live orchestra performance by the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra. Interstellar Live returns Christopher Nolan's Academy Award-winning epic to the big screen, scored live by Hans Zimmer's masterpiece, the soundtrack Zimmer himself calls the best work of his career. Martin Gellner conducts, organist Charles Andrews takes the keys, and the full 170-minute theatrical cut plays out while every note happens in the room with you. The organ alone runs through your chest. Nolan makes something rare here. Released in 2014, the film is action-packed and poetic, an epic the press ranks among the finest of the early 21st century. Audiences haven't stopped agreeing. It lands on countless best-of lists, takes a Top 10 spot for its year and picks up five Academy Award nominations, including Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design and Best Original Score. We already know how this goes. The seats fill, the lights drop, someone near you sniffles through the docking scene and nobody judges them for it. No headphones, no pause button, just Zimmer's score filling the hall and Matthew McConaughey ageing decades in seconds. If you haven’t been yet, UOB LIVE is on the sixth floor of EmSphere, the newest of the three Em District malls o