Tita Honghirunkham

Ahead of his Bangkok return, Yung Kai talks mango sticky rice, the joy of playing Wildflower live, a possible rock turn and exploring more of Thailand ‘I think I had at least, like, five or six.’ That’s Yung Kai’s mango sticky rice count from his first trip to Thailand. He bought a bunch, took it back to the hotel and tucked in. ‘It was very sweet,’ he says, ‘and just, I don’t know, it just tasted, like, different, like really good.’ He’s back on Sunday, November 1, playing Sphere Hall at EmSphere on his stay with the ocean, i’ll find you: Asia 2026 tour. When we speak, it’s 7.30pm where he is and 9.30am in Bangkok, and the trip is clearly on his mind. ‘I can’t wait,’ he says. The plan, as far as it is, sounds much like last time.   Photograph: @loewky, @ykaizzk – yung kaiArtist   ‘I like to just, like, walk around and just go wherever life takes me. I’m not really good at planning, but I love shopping.’ On stage, he’s more decisive. Ask which track he most wants Thai fans to sing back and he goes straight to Wildflower. Watch Wildflower on YouTube ‘Most of my songs are, like, slow,’ he says, Wildflower is ‘one of my, like, faster songs’, which makes it a live favourite.   Photograph: @loewky, @ykaizzk – yung kaiArtist   ‘I really like to see just fans, like, jump and just scream the words. It’s so fun to play that song, you know, because most of my songs are, like, slow.’ He’s keen to pick up the pace elsewhere, too, though a change of direction is still an idea rather t

Too tired to face Bangkok traffic? Put on your favourite series and let dinner come to you. Pizza delivery in Bangkok goes well beyond the usual chains, with hand-rolled sourdough from dough bros., Romana-style squares from Pala Pizza Romana and big New York-style slices from Soho Pizza. There’s plenty of personality in the toppings, too. Royal Pizza’s munchie pizza turns the snack menu into a topping, Kick! Chop! Slice! brings Isan sausage to a New York-style base and MAD PIZZA pairs its soft, chewy crust with truffle and mushrooms. Whether you’re feeding yourself, sharing with friends or ordering for a family feast, these six Bangkok pizzerias are worth bookmarking. Enter your address before choosing your pie – delivery coverage, menus and ordering hours vary by branch.

Updated and expanded for September 2026 – Bangkok’s best Pilates studios get a remix to match growing demand. Club Pilates brings its trusted brand to the city, while other studios explore reformer, mat, hot, clinical and hybrid Pilates. Pilates. A workout that, to the uninitiated, looks like a complex, contraption-based workout that only fitness experts can master. And while Pilates does go heavy on the ‘contraptions’, the workout is surprisingly simple, getting into the smaller muscles most workouts miss.  In a nutshell, Pilates is about building strength, stability and control without beating up your joints. Low impact but the results are high. You walk out standing a little taller, moving a little better. For Bangkok, the trend crept in quietly. Physio clinics, a handful of low-key studios, places you’d find out about by word of mouth dominated for a time. Recovery over aesthetics. Small classes, specific clientele, not much to shout about. That's very much not the story now. What started as a niche has become a lot of Bangkokians' non-negotiable. A big player on the workout scene, and something more and more accessible as the trend develops. Reformers fill light-washed rooms across Sukhumvit. Heated classes push past 37°C with playlists that wouldn't feel out of place on a Friday night. Clinical setups run by actual physiotherapists sit alongside high-energy hybrid concepts and bilingual sessions that have opened the door to a whole new crowd. Reformer slots book out day

Twenty-odd years ago, when Swiss-born Preduce co-founder Simon Pellaux first landed in Bangkok's skate scene. To call it a scene at that time was probably an overstatement. There were no parks, no big brands and precious little backup. What there was: a lot of ingenuity.           Photograph: Janchai Montrelerdrasme – Preduce co-founder Simon PellauxBangkok     To set the scene, it was the early 2000s. Skaters carved out their own spaces and built the scene from the ground up. There were a few shops around, sure, but no homegrown Thai skate brand and no real way to make a living from it. The shared love of the sport was what made the scene what it was (or is?). And then Preduce happened. 'With my friends, we wanted to build the first Thai skate company, so skaters could have a way to keep skating and make a living, as a pro skater, but also working in a store or filming or, as an artist.' Founded in 2002, Preduce became Thailand's first homegrown skate brand. Videos came first, starting with 2005's Smooth, then the Siam Square shop in 2006. It hasn't slowed down since, at home or abroad. It gave local talent a base and backed Thai skaters and artists and the rest of the world took notice.  Today, the Siam Square store has since closed, but not for lack of interest. On the contrary, Preduce broke away from the malls and now runs its own park, Baan Preduce, in Phra Khanong. Simon says the past five or six years have seen the scene keep growing, with more and more skate

Sometimes you've got a situation. The urgent evenings, the spontaneous detours, the surprise non-vanilla desires. And you need way more than four walls and a lock. So off you go: love hotels. They exist purely for that sweet zone between naughty and practical. Bangkok's got them scattered around town – themed rooms, playful touches and cheeky purpose-built spaces designed exactly for steamy occasions like yours.

Thai cinema is no longer the thing you’ll get round to eventually. From the family heartbreak of How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies to Hunger’s fine-dining pressure cooker and The Medium’s Isaan folk horror, these Thai movies on Netflix Thailand give you plenty of reasons to clear an evening. This year’s additions include scam-revenge thriller The Red Line, action romance My Dearest Assassin and crime thriller The Debt Collector, alongside classics such as My Girl and The Overture. Netflix says more than nine in ten of its members in Thailand watched local content in 2025. If your watchlist hasn’t caught up, start here. Streaming catalogues change, so check the title in your Netflix Thailand account before settling in.

'Thai taste' isn’t confined to carved wooden trim and a whisper of xylophone any more. At Bangkok’s new wave of Isaan restaurants, vinyl cafés and music bars, it might mean larb with a proper kick in Bang Kapi, mor lam records spinning in Nang Loeng or live Thai music over cocktails in Ari. Six new places have joined this guide, bringing more reasons to follow your ears as well as your appetite. Food may bring you through the door, but music often keeps you there: the crackle of a mor lam record, a room singing along to reggae-ska, classical Thai melodies or a properly romantic jazz set.  Some places put food first – fiery som tam, clay-pot chicken and grilled lamb ribs – while others are worth visiting for the records or live bands alone. Here’s where to start. We update this guide regularly, so check back for the latest.

Thai fabric has moved well beyond the temple wardrobe. Designers across Thailand are turning Hmong embroidery, northern sinh, southern pha thung and handwoven silk into mini skirts, slip tops, dresses and ready-to-wear pieces you can put on today. Chalay’s Manora embroidery even reached Tyla, while smaller labels are making local weaving easier to wear without losing the work behind it. There’s plenty to look for: Kahlong’s northern prints, Malinee’s adjustable skirt made from Nan’s mud-dyed cloth and Angelmæd’s Isan pha khao ma, a chequered cotton wrap, reworked with an eye on waste. Ketsarin offers made-to-measure batik skirts, while Sanæ, Cherlyn Ornika and Sirimon bring Thai silk into contemporary wardrobes.These eight brands give the craft – and the people making the cloth – a place in everyday fashion. These eight brands give the craft – and the people making the cloth – a place in everyday fashion.

 

      Photograph: Time Out Bangkokkhao Yai Art Forest   The day starts in a building that still smells faintly of its own history. Bangkok Kunsthalle sits down a lane off Soi Nana in Chinatown inside the old Thai Wattana Panich printing house. The building burned, stood empty for two decades and now holds art without hiding the damage. Its staircases are scorched and its beams remain exposed. At 9.45am on Saturday, the light falls through the upper windows in long, flat slabs. The whole place feels like a room left alone to think. At 10am,a B500 round-trip shuttle leaves from outside, Thursday to Sunday,. Book ahead because seats are limited. It is an unusually civilised arrangement: turn up at a Chinatown gallery and, a few hours later, step into a forest three provinces away without driving or making another decision. We sleep for the first hour, as you do. The road out of Bangkok is dull until it suddenly isn't. Flyovers give way to billboards, warehouses and car dealerships, then limestone appears somewhere past Saraburi. The land stops looking flat before you quite register the change. Approaching Pak Chong, the roadside becomes unmistakably Khao Yai: corn stalls, sunflower fields, garden centres, a farm advertising alpacas and plenty of Tuscany rendered in Thai concrete.   Stop for Isan lunch at Penlaos Photograph: Time Out BangkokLunch and coffee at Penlaos Stop at Penlaos on the way in. What began more than a decade ago as a street stall is now a barn-like restau

Over the past half-decade or so, much has changed in the way we live, work and play in our cities. It wasn’t too long ago that lockdowns rendered the city centre all but obsolete and brought to the fore the vital role of our immediate neighbourhoods and communities.  Now, the balance has been restored. Our local neighbourhood remains fundamental: mini-villages where the barista knows your order, where local restaurants, bars and indie businesses thrive, and where communities continue to band together for all sorts of cool stuff, from art walks and day festivals to creating greener streets and pedestrian-friendly spaces. And six years on from the pandemic, the city centre is seeing a renaissance, with brand-new music venues, galleries, coffee shops and more opening up and welcoming a new generation of hybrid workers and the back-to-the-office crowd (and, of course, city-breakers and tourists).  On this year’s list of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods, you’ll see this mix play out. There are downtown hubs and seaside strips, homely enclaves and warehouse districts, all nominated by our global network of on-the-ground experts. This lucky lot spends their time exploring every corner of their hometowns to discover the best places to eat, drink, shop and hang out right now, so you can trust we know what we’re talking about. To decide the final ranking, a panel of Time Out editors vetted each neighbourhood against a range of criteria, including food and drink, nightlife, unique loc

Khalid last played Bangkok in 2018 – back when our interviewer was still in high school. Eight years on, the singer is older, a little wiser by his own admission, and very ready to see what the city does after dark. This time he plays UOB Live, EmSphere on November 29 with the It's Always Summer Somewhere' Tour, and he intends to fit more than soundchecks and setlists into the trip. Photograph: thegr8khalidKhalid - Exclusive interview The songs you grew up with If you were near a phone speaker in the late 2010s, you know Khalid. The El Paso-raised singer built his career on warm R&B and songs that include ‘Location’, ‘Young Dumb & Broke’, ‘Talk’, and ‘Better’. Four studio albums and seven Grammy nominations later, he is bringing the full catalogue back to Bangkok. Khalid’s latest, After the Sun Goes Down, arrived in 2025. As he puts it:  ‘It's really an album about freedom – letting your hair down, going out there and having fun, embracing the night for the mysterious experiences it has to offer.’ The tour name comes from the same impulse. ‘Summer, to me, is an emotion,’ he explains.  ‘It means feeling your most fun, free, going out, exploring the night, celebrating life with your friends and bringing the heat wherever I go.’   He remembers playing a show at around -1°C and still willing summer into the room:‘'We really are bringing this summer with us wherever we go.’ The man commits to the concept. Photograph: thegr8khalidKhalid - Exclusive interview Khalid wants a prop

What is it? A long-standing Italian restaurant and deli at BTS Asok//MRT Sukhumvit interchange, known for Roman-style pizza cut into square slices. The fermented dough has a crisp base, soft middle and a gentle olive-oil fragrance without feeling greasy. Individual slices make it handy for a quick lunch or dinner to take home. Published reviews have listed slices from B90, though current counter and delivery prices should be checked.  Why we love it: The generose toppings and substantial slices. Tartufo-funghi, with truffle and mixed mushrooms, is the pick for mushroom lovers, with enough aroma to announce itself before the first bite. A slice makes a satisfying light meal , and staff can warm it before  you eat. Time Out tip: Find it beside Terminal 21, between BTS Asok and MRT Sukhumvit exit three. Listed hours are daily 7am-10.30pm. Tel: 02-259-1228. For delivery, look for Pala Pizza Romana on LINE MAN and check the available slices.

What is it? A New York-style pizza shop with a crisp crust and soft, foldable middle, plus a dose of Brooklyn street attitude. Its Song Wat branch sits in historic Trok Saphan Yuan, with a raw, hideaway feel that suits a quick slice between exploring the neighbourhood. Seating is limited, so check ahead if you want to eat in.  Why we love it: The meeting of New York pizza and Isan flavours. The Isan beef sausage pizza brings garlic and black pepper, with house-roasted dried chillies adding a serious kick. The streetwear influence extends to the merchandise,, including caps, T-shirts, long-sleeved tops and aprons. Time Out tip: Choose between 1086/18 Charoen Krung Road, Bang Rak, open 1pm-9pm, and Trok Saphan Yuan, Song Wat Road, open noon-8pm. Both open Wednesday-Monday and close on Tuesdays. Order delivery through GrabFood or LINE MAN.

RD Resort keeps the focus on a private place to spend time together. Its love-hotel setup favours a low-key escape over the elaborate fantasy sets elsewhere on this list. It’s on Arun Amarin Road in Bangkok Noi, making it an option on the Thonburi side of the river when you want to slip away from the evening’s bustle. Location: Arun Amarin Road, Bangkok Noi, Bangkok

Romrudee takes the themed-room thing and gives you an entire world to choose from. Standard rooms come in Morocco, Safari, China, Venice, Mexico and USA. Deluxe rooms offer Zen and Nordic themes; the Exclusive rooms move on to Roman, Phra Nakhon, Harlem and The Emperor. Choose a setting and settle in. The hotel is in Nonthaburi, so allow time to get there. This is a place to pick for its range of rooms and its unabashed enthusiasm for a theme.  Location: Soi Liang Mueang Nonthaburi 13, Nonthaburi

If the full-scale fantasy sets aren’t your thing, G Boutique has a more contemporary look. It still makes room for a little theatre: options include a Love Themed Suite and an Executive Suite with an outdoor, cave-style jetted hot tub. Its Surawong Road address makes dinner and drinks in Silom easy to fold into the night. No elaborate journey required. Location: Surawong Road, Bang Rak, Bangkok

Follow Somsak’s story to Ekkamai Somsak is built around a fictional London cab driver who wins the lottery and comes home to open his dream Isaan restaurant. The team behind Fatboy Izakaya and Kim Jeong Grill tells the story in hot pink, yellow and neon, with village-pop touches throughout. On the table, look for grilled lamb ribs marinated in makwaen, herbs and spices, and smoked-beef koi with pickles, cha plu leaves, chilli peanuts and jaew. The food gives rustic Isaan flavours a playful, city-ready turn. Somsak G/F, Ekkamai Corner, Sukhumvit. Open daily 11am–11pm. Tel. 083 262 9154

Bring your appetite to Jae Bank Jae Bank’s Emsphere dining room takes Gen-Z village maximalism for a spin: a golden horse overhead, lucky charms, corrugated tin and film posters spoofing chef Wichanu ‘Bank’ Premphak. Its cheeky tagline is ‘Where the somtum is more violent than your ex’. Start with koi goong koi jai, bouncy fresh prawns tossed in a punchy dressing, then follow with fiery tom saep. DJs and live bands turn up on some nights. Jae Bank 5/F, EmWonder, Emsphere, Sukhumvit. Open daily 5.30pm–2am. Tel. 081 110 0569

Turn up the heat at Dao Rung Dao Rung wears its Sakon Nakhon influences all over its Sathon Soi 12 space. Luk thung-pop graphics and beauty-pageant glamour sit alongside bamboo fish traps, rows of sato bottles and a glass kitchen where crispy-skinned clay-pot chicken roasts in view. The food has the same bold streak: som tam Dao Rung comes with soft khanom jeen to soak up the pla ra, while juicy suea rong hai works especially well with sato. The zesty larb moo is another good call. Dao Rung Sathon Soi 12. Open Mon–Fri 11am–2pm and 5pm–midnight; Sat–Sun 11am–midnight. Tel. 096 154 9696

Gather the larb people at Labkrung Social Club At this Sathon clubhouse, som tam, larb and koi are taken seriously, though the mood is anything but solemn. The owner’s love of cooking Isaan food grew into two branches, and the Chan Road spot makes a strong case for sticky rice alongside koi suea khua and punchy tam puu pla ra. There’s also a Melbourne-style steak made with marinated, grilled beef striploin. Order a chilled chrysanthemum tea, settle into the after-work chatter and leave room for another plate; prices are friendly. Labkrung Social Club Chan Rd., Thung Wat Don, Sathon (in Vanilla Moon). Open daily 4pm–midnight. Tel. 094 717 9161

Get in early for Isaan food at Fung Lam Bang Kapi’s Fung Lam fills up fast, so arrive early for the larb, koi, soi jub and tom saep – sour, spicy, salty dishes loaded with fresh herbs. The raw space sits somewhere between a village house and a building site, with the easy feel of eating and drinking at a mate’s place. The owner had kept the name ‘Fung Lam’ on the shelf while opening two other venues, then returned to it because this style felt most like home. Come for the food and stay for the room-wide sing-alongs. On Wednesdays, the bar opens but the kitchen takes the night off, so you can bring in food from neighbouring stalls while you sip and listen. Fung Lam Happyland Soi 1, Bang Kapi. Open daily 6pm–1am. No reservations or phone number. Line Official: @funglambkk

Pull up a chair at Chamnan Kan Sura This tiny, old-school grocery-shop near Phahon Yothin Soi 1 is an easy after-work stop, whether you arrive with friends or on your own. Drinks, inexpensive snacks and a soundtrack that keeps the evening moving do most of the work. When the inside fills up, chairs spill onto the pavement. Keep an eye out for the uncle who cycles by selling ground squid – you can order some straight to your table. Chamnan Kan Sura Phahon Yothin Soi 1, Phaya Thai. Open daily 6pm–1am. Tel. 082 954 0754

Lisa's latest footwear choice came from PACE Shoes, the Bangkok label founded in 2014 by Pimpisa ‘Patty’ Promfang. Its handcrafted sandals and sculptural heels have the feel of art objects rather than mass-market accessories, with shapes you will not find on every shop floor. The label grew from Promfang’s ‘make them yourself’; to see the pieces in person, make an appointment at Casa De Pace in Wang Thonglang. Casa De Pace (appointment only), 70 Soi Lat Phrao 80, Lane 20, Khwaeng Wang Thonglang, Khet Wang Thonglang, Bangkok 10310.

Cool-breeze season is nearly here – prime time to take movie night outdoors. Skyline Film Bangkok returns to the River City Bangkok rooftop in Talat Noi on November 13-15 and 20-22 2026, with 12 films across six nights. The mix runs from classic rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You to the cracking soundtracks of La La Land and Singin’ in the Rain, with The Dark Knight, Trainspotting and Whiplash bringing a darker edge. Here’s the full line-up. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @skylinefilmbkk Friday November 13 6.30pm – 10 Things I Hate About You 9pm – La La Land Saturday November 14 6.30pm – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 9pm – The Dark Knight Sunday November 15 6.30pm – 13 Going on 30 9pm – Twilight Friday November 20 6.30pm – The Proposal 9pm – Me Before You Saturday November 21 6.30pm – Singin’ in the Rain 9pm – Good Will Hunting Sunday November 22 6.30pm – Trainspotting 8.50pm – Whiplash The November listing advertises a drink included with each ticket, with popcorn and additional drinks on sale. Skyline has also offered special activities on selected occasions, though no November extras have been confirmed. Seats are unreserved, so arrive early if you have a particular spot in mind. At earlier River City screenings, tickets were non-refundable, with admission carried over to a future event if rain disrupted the film. Check the November booking terms for drink inclusion, any additional charges and the current rain policy before paying

Bangkok’s next date night might be written in the stars. On Saturday October 17, the Thai Astronomical Society hosts a free Star Party at Bangkok Planetarium in Ekkamai, with telescope viewing from 6pm to 9pm. The main targets are Saturn’s rings and Titan, the planet’s largest moon, with Moon craters and constellation spotting also on the programme. The telescopes will be set up on the futsal in front of the swimming pool building, beside Building 4 in the Bangkok Planetarium complex. Curious first-timers are welcome alongside seasoned stargazers, with astronomers on hand to talk visitors through what they’re seeing. You don’t need your own telescope or any previous stargazing experience. Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, is the evening’s headliner. You can see the planet with the naked eye, but you’ll need a telescope to make out its rings. Titan and other celestial objects are also on the viewing programme. The timing helps. Saturn reached opposition on October 4 2006, when Earth lay between the planet and the Sun. Around opposition, Saturn appears particularly bright and is visible through the night. The Star Party falls almost two weeks later, but October remains a good month to get a telescope on it. You can also explore the Moon’s craters, learn to identify constellations and try the society’s two-sided Chalawan star chart. The programme includes photographing Saturn and the Moon through telescopes, conversations with Thai Astronomical Society astronomers and a vid

Bangkok has landed ninth among the world’s friendliest cities in Condé Nast Traveller’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2026. Nobody remembers a city’s friendliness as a number, though. They remember the stranger who walked them to the right station exit or the restaurant owner who translated the menu with a lot of enthusiastic pointing.  Melbourne tops the table with 98.52, ahead of Porto (98.33) and Seoul (97.94). Bangkok scores 96.16, just behind Buenos Aires (96.37) and just ahead of Cape Town (96.00). For the full top ten and who beat Bangkok to it, see Time Out's global round-up of the world's friendliest cities. What the ranking measures The ranking reflects readers’ experiences of a warm welcome, with each city receiving a score out of 100. Think help with an unfamiliar menu or directions when a metro map has defeated you. It’s a reader survey, so treat it as snapshot of visitors’ impressions. For Bangkok, the magazine points to a welcome that lives up to Thailand's ‘Land of Smiles’ reputation. The table has had a shake-up. Melbourne, Lisbon and Cape Town return from 2025’s top ten, while last year’s winner Quito drops out. Bangkok is back after a year away, having ranked fourth in 2024 with 92.00. Even that year’s winning score – Singapore’s 94.84 – would fall below this year’s top ten. Go easy on year-on-year comparisons: a higher score doesn’t tell us how much friendlier a city has become. Our take: where the friendliness happens The ranking doesn’t measure the following –

Thai fans, it's your turn again. Olivia Dean is returning to Thailand for LaLaLa Presents Bangkok 2027 on January 20 2027 at IMPACT Challenger Hall 3. The singer’s honeyed voice shares the bill with English band Jungle’s groove-heavy sound and three Thai acts: MILLI, KIKI and CYNDI SEUI. View this post on Instagram A post shared by LaLaLa Bangkok (@lalala.bangkok) Dean last performed in Bangkok at Centerpoint Studio in February 2025, so anyone who missed that show gets another chance. This time, she’s part of LaLaLa’s first  Thailand edition, with a line-up that gives you plenty of reasons to stay beyond her set. Photograph: lolamansellLaLaLa Bangkok 2027 Tickets are scheduled in three rounds, each opening at 10am Bangkok time:  artist presale on October 21–22 2026, local sponsor presale on October 23–24 2026 and general sale on October 25 2925, Listed prices start at B2,900 for GA Standing B, rising to B4,500 for GA Standing A and B6,900 for Platinum Standing. Prefer to sit with your group? A VIP Sofa for six costs B150,000.  Follow LaLaLa Bangkok for booking links, presale eligibility and updates on show times. Check whether booking fees apply before paying. Set your alarm for the ticket release – January can wait, but October’s booking dates are much closer.  

Midnight My Love (เฉิ่ม),  Kongdej Jaturanrasamee’s quietly aching 2005 film about a taxi driver and a massage-parlour worker finding each other in Bangkok after dark, has joined Thailand’s National Film Heritage list for 2026. Starring Petchtai Wongkamlao – better known as comedian Mam Jokmok – and Woranuch Wongsawan, it’s a love story with the city’s night shift running through it. The film is one of 12 films and moving-image works selected in the programme’s 16th annual registration. The announcement was made on October 4 at the Thai Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, on Thai Film Conservation Day. For a film that spends so much of its running time driving through Bangkok at night, the recognition feels particularly apt. The archive describes Midnight My Love as a record of the city during a major period of change, as well as a love story and a significant work in its director’s and lead actors’ careers. Petchtai plays Smbat, a taxi driver attached to old songs and AM radio. One night he meets Nuan, played by Woranuch, who works at a massage parlour. Their relationship grows in a city changing faster than Sombat’s carefully preserved world. And Bangkok is never really just the backdrop. Photograph: SahamongkolfilmMidnight My Love Its night roads, taxis and passengers become part of the film’s emotional landscape. The archive notes that Kongdej often weaves the social and political conditions of his time into his films. Here, Bangkok is a destination for people seekin

Thailand has its first-ever Tom Thailand. Khru Me – full name Methisa Suphaphoem – won The Tom Thailand 2026 on October 3 at Calypso Cabaret, Asiatique The Riverfront in Bangkok. Organisers billed the debut as the country’s first national pageant for toms and trans men, with talent performances and on-stage questions deciding who took the crown.   Photograph: THE TOM THAILANDThe Winner All 54 finalists performed a talent showcase before the field was cut to 10 for the question round. Khru Me came out on top, with Michelle, Georgia, Mee In and Aom named first to fourth runners-up respectively. ‘Tom’ is widely used in Thailand for masculine-presenting lesbians and women with a masculine gender expression. The competition was open to entrants aged 18-40 who identified as a tom or a trans man. The road to the final began with auditions on July 25–26, which drew more than 200 hopefuls from across Thailand. Of those, 55 made the cut, with 54 competing in the final. Organisers say contestants received free workshops along the way, with guidance from pageant masters including make-up artist Winit Bunchaisri and singer Keng Thachai Prathumwan. Thinking, conduct and way of life were part of the judging criteria alongside appearance. Behind the stage are Bunnada “Lek’ Thippibal, who holds the rights to the pageant, and pageant directors Wilailak ‘Nan’ Sirisakhon and Mae Not Maxim. Lek has said the idea began with a question: why wasn’t there a stage for toms? Nan, who has worked in ni

Your thighs have had a long break. Phu Kradueng National Park in Loei reopens its summit for hiking and overnight stays on October 1 2026, with the season scheduled to run until May 31 2027. That puts the climb to Wang Kwang, sunrise at Pha Nok Aen and the cliff walk towards Pha om Sak back on the itinerary – subject to the park’s route and safety rules. The summit has been closed since June 1 to allow the ecosystem to recover and to keep visitors off the trails during the wetter months. Pick your route You can start the climb between 6am and noon; descents are permitted from 7am to 1pm. On the summit, the cliff zone opens at 8am, including the route towards Pha Lom Sak. If you’re heading there for sunset, leave the viewpoint by 6pm. You can also visit Pairat-Thanchai Reservoir from 6.30am to 5pm, and Tham Yai Waterfall and Lan Phra Srinakharin, home to the Phra Phuttha Metta Buddha image, from 8.30am to 2pm. These areas are listed for independent visits.  Two outings require a park guide, with one departure each day. For sunrise at Pha Nok Aen, meet at Wang Kwang Visitor Centre at 5am; the walk runs until 7am. The waterfall route to Phen Phop Mai, Phon Phop and Phen Phop meets at the same centre at 8.30am and runs until 2pm. Rangers can close any route they judge unsafe, so check the day’s instructions before setting out. Allow time for the climb  It's about 5.5km (3-5 hours) uphill to Lang Pae, followed by roughly 3.5km across the summit to Wang Kwang – around 9km before an

If ‘the baddest b! ain’t in LA’ has been all over your FYP, there’s now an offline sighting in Bangkok. ADÉLA’s advertising display for her debut album PRIMA is up at Union Mall in Lat Phrao from September 22-29. If you’re passing through, here’s your chance to see the campaign before it disappears. Photograph: Universal Music ThailandBangkok   ADÉLA, real name Adéla Jergová, is the 22-year-old Slovak singer who appeared on HYBE and Geffen’s The Debut: Dream Academy, the competition that formed KATSEYE. She missed the final line-up, then struck out on her own. ‘Ain’t in LA’ took off on TikTok and made her the first Slovak artist to enter the Billboard Hot 100. The song appears on PRIMA, her 11-track debut album, released through Capitol Records on September 4. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number four and topped the US Top Album Sales and Vinyl Albums charts. It also reached number one in Slovakia and the Netherlands, and the top 10 in the UK and Australia. She has played Lollapalooza too. If you’re already near Union Mall, the display makes an easy detour for a fan photo – and you have until September 29. Where: Union Mall, Lat Phrao, BangkokDates: September 22-29What to look for: ADÉLA's advertising display for PRIMA and ‘Ain't In LA’

Thailand’s book world rarely does things quietly. The 31st National Book Fair – officially Book Expo Thailand 2026 – takes over Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre from October 23-November 1, with ten days of books, comics, manga, BL titles, children’s reads, second-hand finds and foreign-language editions. The numbers from the previous edition set a fairly daunting benchmark. The 30th National Book Fair in March drew more than 1.5 million visitors over 11 days and generated more than B474 million in sales – both record figures for PUBAT, the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand. More than seven in ten visitors were Gen Z, while horror and detective fiction were among the strongest-selling genres. So much for the image of book fairs as hushed affairs populated mainly by people browsing poetry . This edition is slightly shorter at ten days, filling  Halls 5-7 on QSNCC’s LG floor. The familiar seven-zone format returns, covering general books and fiction, Wonder Y – the fair’s dedicated BL/yaoi section – Book Wonderland for comics and teen reads, children’s and educational books, second-hand titles and a foreign-language section for anyone looking to stock up on English or Japanese books . This year’s theme is ‘Unread Messages’, playing on the idea that opening a book can feel like finally around to a message that has been waiting for you. PUBAT has carried the concept through its ‘you've got a new message’ campaign, including a competition to design the fair

Bangkok’s newest hair trend draws on a centuries-old tradition. Known as  malai klao phom, or ‘garland-wrapped hair’, it has sent a fresh wave of visitors to Pak Khlong Talat, Thailand's biggest flower market. According to the story circulating online, the trend began when a Gen Z influencer asked a vendor to fasten a garland around her bun instead of her wrist, then shared the clip. It spread across TikTok and Instagram almost overnight. Within days, women of all ages were queueing to try it. Pak Khlong Talat has already had one viral flower moment this year: in April, visitors posed holding a single lotus stem. The malai trend feels less disposable because phuang malai garlands are deeply rooted in Thai life. Strung by hand, flower by flower, they are offered to monks, hung from taxi mirrors for safe travel and placed over couples’ hands during wedding water blessings. Uusually fragrant with jasmine, sometimes roses or marigolds, they carry ideas of luck and respect. Wearing one in the hair gives a familiar tradition a fresh, highly photographable twist. Start at Pak Khlong Talat Photograph: Tonson H.Bangkok’s viral flower-garland hair trend Pak Khlong Talat sits where Khlong Ong Ang meets the Chao Phraya, on Chak Phet Road in Bangkok’s old city. It sold produce and fish until the 1950s, when the city moved the flower trade here. Today, it is reportedly one of the world’s largest wholesale flower markets and runs 24 hours a day. Daytime is gentler than the famous 3am deli

Ask a Talat Noi local for directions and you may be sent past a mechanic elbow-deep in a carburettor, a 200-year-old shrine wreathed in incense and a queue for filter coffee. The neighbourhood has never felt the need to choose between grease, history and flat whites. Apparently, that’s exactly the point. Time Out Global has revealed its 40 Coolest Neighbourhoods in the World for 2026, with Talat Noi at No.14 – Bangkok’s best-ever result on the annual list. The riverside neighbourhood has spent roughly 150 years changing jobs, from port to engine-parts district, while newer cafés, bars and creative studios have moved in around the old guard rather than pushing it out. Who else made the cut? Here’s the global top 15, with Bangkok between Lisbon and Stockholm. The coolest neighbourhoods in the world 2026 – top 15 Jongno 3-ga – Seoul, South Korea L'Ocean District – Rabat, Morocco Neos Kosmos – Athens, Greece Chinatown – Los Angeles, USA Govanhill – Glasgow, UK Kitakagaya – Osaka, Japan Chapinero Alto – Bogotá, Colombia Koenji – Tokyo, Japan Downtown – St. Catharines, Canada Esquilino – Rome, Italy Russafa – Valencia, Spain Tân Định – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam São Bento – Lisbon, Portugal Talat Noi – Bangkok, Thailand Slakthusområdet – Stockholm, Sweden See the full 40 on Time Out Global → Why Talat Noi, why now? If you haven’t made it down to Talat Noi, the appeal is simple: it’s the slice of riverside Bangkok that never quite decided what it wanted to be – and stopped apologis

If your For You Page has served up a steady stream of indie-pop heartbreak over the past two years, Malcolm Todd needs little introduction. Bangkok can now hear it live: the American singer-songwriter brings the Do That Again Tour to UOB LIVE at EMSPHERE on December 6, setting up one of the year’s louder breakup singalongs View this post on Instagram A post shared by Malcolm Todd (@malcolmtodd)   Todd built his following the modern way, with early singles going viral on TikTok before he signed to Columbia Records. His warm, melancholic sound moves between indie pop and alternative R&B – made for replaying after a breakup you’re not quite over. His 2024 single ‘Chest Pain (I Love)’ was his breakout hit after taking off on TikTok, while ‘Earrings’ became a global sleeper hit and reached the top 20 in Thailand and several other markets. He also has a track simply called ‘Thailand’ on his Sweet Boy mixtape, making this Bangkok date feel rather overdue. View this post on Instagram A post shared by UOBLIVE (@uoblive_bangkok) ‘Earrings’ and ‘Chest Pain (I Love)’ should get the loudest reception at UOB LIVE, though the setlist is likely to draw from across Todd’s back catalogue – plenty of breakup-diary material to choose from. Tickets start at B2,500, with VIP packages rising to B10,900. Sales open in three stages from September 28. Where: UOB LIVE, EMSPHEREWhen: December 6 2026Tickets: Fanclub Presale: September 28, 10am–10pm Live Nation Tero Pr