Philipp Meier

As Pride Month bows out, Phuket is not exactly slipping into low-power mode. This weekend keeps the island moving with afro-electronic club sets, speed chess, wellness rituals, beachside networking and a cabaret dinner show that sends up local life with a wicked grin. Floyd Lavine brings afro-house, disco-leaning grooves and techno textures to Café del Mar, while DOPA turns chess into a Friday-morning social with ice baths and sauna sessions on the side. Junkyard Theatre, meanwhile, goes all in on a chaotic parody of Thai, tourist and expat Phuket life. Over at TANN Beach Club, Skål Phuket’s June networking evening gives travel and tourism professionals a reason to swap cards by the sea. And for a big-room finish, Ministry of Sound brings its 35th anniversary world tour to Illuzion Phuket. Whatever your weekend speed, Phuket has a plan for it.

‘Spin, spin, sugar . . .’ If you were anywhere near a dancefloor in the ’90s, you can probably still hear Kelli Dayton’s moody vocals cutting through Armand van Helden’s dark, bass-heavy speed garage mix. The connection with Ministry of Sound feels spot on. The global dance-music powerhouse turns 35 this year, bringing its anniversary world tour to Phuket for a night at Illuzion. DJ heavyweight Darius Syrossian leads the charge, with Riva Starr and Jesse P also ready to deliver a rock-solid run of kick-driven house and tech. As Syrossian puts it: ‘I was inspired massively back in the ’90s by the way Armand van Helden would make you want to move with a kick, snare and bassline. Today, I’m writing tracks as a tool to make people lose themselves on the dance floor. June 26. B500. Ministry of Sound, Illuzion Phuket. 9pm-4am

Don’t let the ticket price fool you into expecting a formal sit-down dinner. Skål Phuket’s June networking evening keeps things casual, cocktail-style and close to the sea, bringing together travel and tourism professionals with under-30 students looking to make industry connections. Sunset drinks, pass-around gourmet and live cooking stations keep the mood breezy, before fire spinners turn up the spectacle. The catch: reservation and payment are required via Google Form two days in advance. June 25. B1,300 (members), B1,700 (non-members). Skål Phuket, Tann Beach Club. 6pm-9pm

‘Do you have any annoying kids?’ asks Junkyard Theatre on its website, which tells you plenty about the tone. Children are not banned, exactly, but this Saturday-night cabaret is best suited to ages 16 and up thanks to its drag skits, naughty jokes and gleefully irreverent take on Phuket life. The 2.5-hour dinner show throws together live music, breakdancing, powerhouse vocals and a madcap send-up of expats, tourists and local culture, all staged inside an upcycled theatre built from recycled materials. Dinner leans Thai with a modern twist – think snapper with mango salad – while the show does the rest.  June 27. From B1,500. A Night at Junkyard Theatre. 7.30pm-10pm

Chess is having a moment, and DOPA is making it social. The wellness club’s monthly tournament keeps things fast with short, five-minute games and a three-second increment, so expect quick decisions, sharper focus, a few dramatic clock-watching moments and possibly a trophy. Entry is free and all levels are welcome, from curious beginners to serious players, though places are limited to around 20. After the final move, stick around for discounted sauna sessions or an ice bath if you fancy cooling down in the most literal way possible.  June 26. Free (chess tournament only; pre-booking required on Instagram). DOPA Chess Tournament & Ice Bath, DOPA Sauna & Wellness Club Phuket. 10am-1pm

Drawing on his South African roots and his Berlin base, Floyd Lavine moves between deep house, afro-house and afro-futuristic techno with the ease of someone who knows exactly how to build a room. Expect hypnotic percussion, warm basslines, vocal chants and a sound that keeps one foot in house music heritage and the other in African club culture. His remixes and releases, including work on Innervisions, the melodic ‘Kusimama’ and his own Afrikan Tales label, have taken him to Hï Ibiza and onto platforms including BBC Music, Mixmag and Beatport. Catch him at Café del Mar this Friday for a night built on rhythm, soul and serious dance-floor lift. June 26. B300. Roots presents Floyd Lavine, Café del Mar Phuket. 10pm-3am

KUDO Beach Club is not going subtle for Pride Month. Its Pride Foam Party brings together poolside bubbles, drag performance, non-binary dancers, live drummers, fire spinners and a soundtrack of afro and deep house from DJs Alex A, Too and Dac.  The show leans into glitz, glamour and heavy make-up, with stylised costumes and lip-sync performances that play with gender roles rather than politely hint at them. Add full-service dining, drinks delivered  to your sun lounger or cabana and a beachfront setting in Patong, and you have one of the island’s louder, splashier Pride picks. June 21. Free entry. Pride Foam Party, KUDO Hotel & Beach Club. 2pm-10pm

Full-bodied reds, thick-cut T-bone steaks, olive groves, clay soil and medieval hill towns – Tuscany has a pretty strong case. COAST Beach Club is making its own version on Karon Beach with a Sunday brunch that leans into Tuscan cooking, seafood and slow living.  Expect antipasti, grilled meats, cheeses, olives and pickled vegetables before the heavier regional comforts arrive, including pappardelle al cinghiale with slow-cooked wild-boar ragù. There are live cooking stations, sea views and access to the resort’s pool and waterpark if you want to fight the post-brunch slump. Or you could simply stay put and wait for the creamy peach tiramisu to roll past on the chef’s trolley. Sensible choice.  June 21. Monthly. From B1,590. Tuscany Sunday Brunch, COAST Beach Club & Bistro, Centara Grand Beach Resort. noon-3pm

Like the idea of a run, but not the part where you have to destroy yourself before breakfast? Azizi Beach Run 2026 keeps things light with a three-kilometre morning jog from Jungceylon to Azizi Phuket Cafe & Grill. The motto is ‘run, connect and recover’ which tells you most of what you need to know: this is less PB-chasing, more beachside reset. The early start comes with Patong views, wellness energy, a post-run coffee party, beach lounge tunes, bottomless brunch bites, signature smoothies, a lucky draw and professional event photography. In other words, a reason to be smug before most of the island has woken up.  June 20. From B399++. Azizi Phuket, The Lantern Resorts Patong. 6am-9am

Try not to hold your breath as riders clear rails at speed, then switch gears for the almost meditative control of dressage. Niran Farm’s in-house equestrian competition brings two days of show jumping and dressage to Manik Valley, with riders demonstrating the kind of balance, power and precision that looks effortless until you remember there is a large, opinionated animal involved. The event is open to spectators, horse lovers and riders across levels, with countryside air, green views and creature comforts on site. Whether you are there for the sport, the setting or just the horses, it is one of the weekend’s more polished ways to get outdoors.   June 20-21. Free for spectators. Niran Equestrian Center Competition, Niran Equestrian Center at Niran Farm. 8am-5pm

Bimini does not exactly do quiet. ‘One minute it’s jungle, the next it’s a rogue Kylie remix that sends the room into orbit,’ says the non-binary DJ-producer, whose sets can move from house and electro to breaks, drum’n’bass and left-field club sounds without losing the room. That makes them a strong fit for He.She.They., the award-winning event series built around inclusivity, self-expression and properly sweaty dancefloors. After residencies at Amnesia Ibiza and the International Music Summit Ibiza, the clubbing brand takes over Illuzion with Bimini joined by a squad of performance artists, transgender DJ Sriracha Czaddy and DJ-producer An!ka, known for an uplifting Thai touch of house, disco, minimal and techno. Call it counterculture club night, queer rave cut or just a very good excuse to stay out late. He.She.They. welcome everyone – and entry is free. June 18. Free. He.She.They., Illuzion Phuket. 9pm-4am

Sabai returns to Shelter Phuket, the club inside Illuzion, with a late-night session for anyone who likes their house music deep, dark and a little less obvious. The monthly underground electronic night brings together local and international selectors, with Portuguese artist  Spencer leading this round through South American and African rhythms, house and afro-tech. He is joined by Sami Galetto, the name behind Baba Loop, plus Nutnai and Tissanai from Rec.’n Cue, the collective that has helped shape southern Thailand’s underground scene. Think rolling percussion, minimal house, warehouse pressure and no rush to go home. Jun 13. B500. Sabai at The Shelter Phuket, midnight-4am

The Slate’s Brazilian BOLD – Amazonian Fire Ritual is not pretending to be a quiet dinner. The resort’s BOLD series goes full Brazil this weekend, with open-fire grilling, churrasco-style meats, suckling pig, big beef cuts and caipirinhas built for a smoky night out. Rivet & Rebar supplies the dramatic industrial setting, while samba dancers and live energy push the whole thing closer to dinner theatre than a standard hotel buffet. Expect fire, colour, meat and a fair amount of movement between the tables. Jun 13. From B2,000 food only. Brazilian BOLD – Amazonian Fire Ritual, Rivet & Rebar, The Slate Phuket. 6.30pm-midnight