Tita Honghirunkham

Something exciting is happening in Bangkok’s restaurants: the food is only half the story. Walk into the right place and you’ll find a building with a century of memories in its walls, ingredients a chef drove three hours to bring back or a family recipe they have dared to reinvent. These five restaurants make every meal part of a bigger, deeply personal narrative. What stayed with us wasn’t the plating or the price tag, but the radically different ways they interpret ‘Thai food’ – and how a grandmother’s cooking, an old family pharmacy  or a cache of nearly forgotten recipes found its way to our table. Here’s where to find them and why they’re worth crossing town for.

Every August 12, Bangkok turns a soft shade of blue as flags go up, jasmine garlands bloom on car mirrors and shopfronts, and the city celebrates Wan Mae – Thailand’s Mother’s Day The date honours the birthday of the late Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother. First observed in April 1950, Wan Mae moved to August 12 in 1976 to coincide with her birthday.  Queen Sirikit, whose death in October 2025 was mourned across Thailand, spent decades championing rural craftspeople and traditional textiles. Revered as the ‘Mother of the Nation’, she helped turn her birthday from a public holiday into a wider celebration of motherhood. That brings us to the word แม่ – mae. One of the first words most Thai children learn, it carries affection, authority and the promise of comfort food all at once. It appears not only at home but on shopfronts, sauce bottles and restaurant signs across Bangkok, usually signalling something made with care from a recipe nobody is allowed to mess with. A mae brand suggests a woman behind it who started small, got the recipe right and kept going. Here are five Thai food names that wear their mae proudly – and the stories of the women behind them.

Bangkok changes after dark. Malls dim, street stalls stack their tables and joggers drift out of Benjakitti Park. Then another city begins to stir. After dark, the grass in Bangkok's green spaces starts to feel less like a lawn and more like a jungle. Trimeresurus macrops – a startlingly green pit viper – emerges from its daytime hiding place. Vine snakes stir in the treetops. Somewhere along a canal, a python longer than a tuk-tuk slides through water that few people notice by day. The friends behind Bangkok Herping Tour spent years exploring this side of the city with torches and cameras before it became a business. What began as a private obsession among people who found snakes beautiful is now a Friday-night ritual for curious travellers willing to swap the tourist trail for tall grass and mosquito spray. We caught up with the team to talk about fear, fireflies and falling for the animals most people are taught to avoid. A hobby before a business   Photograph: BangkokherpingBangkok Herping Tour reveals the city’s wild side For one founder, the story began with a childhood spent returning to Thailand – around 30 visits before moving here permanently – followed by nights exploring Bangkok’s backstreets with Thai friends who shared the same fascination.‘For years, we would walk around different parts of Bangkok at night to observe and photograph the animals we love, particularly snakes,’ they say. ‘It began as a hobby shared by friends fascinated by the wildlife living all

Bangkok has mastered the double-take business name. You laugh, you question it, then walk in anyway. Behind these baffling shopfronts is some of the city’s best food, drinks and fashion. A coffee stall in on its own innuendo. A restaurant built around contraception. A bar that poisons you on purpose. Yet none is a gimmick propping up a mediocre business: the food, drinks and ideas behind the names hold their own, making the joke land even harder. Here are ten Bangkok spots proving a great name doesn’t have to make sense to work.

Photograph: Khong BangkokKhong founder Sophie Schuemers-Rogers This Bangkok story begins where fashion meets faith: with someone distracted by a Buddha stall outside a temple. This time, the distraction became a brand. Khong founder Sophie Schuemers-Rogers describes herself, without much ceremony, as a ‘straight-A catholic girl’ who skipped class and never got caught. She grew up in Bangkok as the daughter of a gemologist, so gemstones and jewellery-making were always in the background – familiar, but not yet hers. She later moved abroad and settled into a quieter life as a housewife in Switzerland. Oddly enough, that was where she found her calling. Nine years ago, she launched Pacharee, a pearl-led jewellery brand that took off faster than even she expected. By most measures, that could have been the whole story. It wasn’t. The stall that changed everything Photograph: Khong BangkokThai jewellery brand Then, in 2025, life handed her a rough patch. She’s candid about it without dwelling on the details. ‘My belief was shattered early 2025,’ she says.  ‘Personal issues led to self-doubt and I got completely stuck. Nothing inspired me the way it had,and my brain felt clogged.’ Friends took her to a local temple by the river, hoping to help. What was meant to be a moment of reflection became something else when she wandered past a Buddha stall. It wasn’t the Buddhas themselves that stopped her, but everything around them: neon-coloured robes, geometric shapes and the chains h

Y2K's sparkliest comeback has arrived and this time it's living rent-free on people's molars and canines. Tooth gems have been glinting through Bangkok's fashion scene for a while now, but lately the whole city seems to be baring it – teeth flashing harder, bolder and everywhere you look. Here's the appeal in one word: commitment-free. The process itself is oddly zen – these little dental rhinestones bond on with specialised adhesive, no drilling, no filing, nothing permanent about it. Go subtle with one crystal cutie or go full faux grill, no hardware, no anxiety, no regrets. Treat them right – brush as normal, resist the urge to pick – and they'll ride with you for six to twelve months before fading out. Which, conveniently, is about how long our attention spans last before craving the next design anyway. That's the whole point, really. Beauty right now is fluid, playful and entirely ours to mess with – no pressure to make anything last forever. Try the sparkle, live in it a while then pivot the second inspiration hits. Sometimes the best style decisions are the ones you can undo without a trace, smile fully intact. Here are the studios ready to gem up your grin.

You know that feeling when your little cousin uses a word, you nod as if you understood, then Google it in the toilet three minutes later? Consider this your toilet Google, done in advance. Worth knowing before you scroll: many of these words weren’t born on TikTok. They came from Thailand’s queer and drag communities, where language has long been a playground for wit, performance and reinvention. The internet caught up later, and the expressions are now part of everyday Thai vocabulary, especially among younger generations. The words travel far, but their roots deserve to travel with them. We’ve started on easy mode with eight Thai words we hope are simple to pronounce, even if you don’t speak the language.

Tattoos are often described as art on skin, with each piece uniquely connected to the person who wears it. Some tattoos hold deep, soul-stirring meaning, while others are playful mementos of a spontaneous moment. Either way, they turn skin into a bold canvas for human creativity. If today feels like the day to walk into a tattoo shop and express yourself on your own body – even if you're simply flirting with the idea – here are our recommendations for standout Bangkok tattoo parlours that give peace of mind with their clean and efficient expertise and their caring attitude to this ancient form of personal artistic expression.

Between the traffic, the heat and the sheer sprawl of the place, riding here has always demanded a bit of stubbornness – and stubbornness, it turns out, is a great foundation for community. Over the past few years, that stubbornness has hardened into something more permanent: clubhouses, signature routes, brand collaborations, even in-house merch lines. What started as small groups of friends chasing an excuse to get out of the house has become a proper subculture, with its own aesthetics, rituals and Wednesday-night regulars.  Here are seven of the clubs shaping how Bangkok rides.

Ask what makes great sushi in Bangkok and most people will point to tuna air-freighted from Toyosu, overnight salmon belly and uni from Hokkaido. For years, that was the whole conversation. Now a small, largely word-of-mouth scene of restaurants and fishmongers is proving that Thailand's own waters can produce sashimi-grade fish. The appeal is partly practical. Thai fish costs less than anything flown in and, when handled properly – bled quickly, processed using the Japanese ikejime method, then carefully chilled or dry-aged – can hold its own on texture and flavour. Species once unlikely to reach a sashimi board, from sea bass and squid to fish many Bangkokians have never tried raw, are now appearing on omakase counters described with the same reverence usually reserved for otoro. There is a sustainability case too, even if flavour tends to lead the conversation. Fish caught locally by small-scale fishermen and hook-and-line operators avoids the fuel and food miles cost of daily imports. Several people driving the movement also talk openly about supporting Thai fishing communities and keeping more of the supply chain at home. This is not a Michelin story – not yet, anyway. It is unfolding everywhere from family-run neighbourhood spots to ambitious omakase kitchens. Here are the places putting Thai-caught fish on Bangkok’s sushi map – plus a few just beyond the city worth the trip.

Bangkok’s best film nights rarely happen in a multiplex. They might take over  a Shanghai-style mansion on Yaowarat or an old printing house on Charoen Krung.  The city’s screening calendar has become one of its more interesting cultural offerings – not only for the films, though some are rare, but for where and how you watch them. Think of this less as a listings page than a running diary of Bangkok film nights worth pencilling in: screenings where the setting is as memorable as the screen, the story behind the film is part of the draw and the evening offers more than simply sitting through a movie.  Use it as a starting point, and check the latest booking details before heading out.

 Somewhere in Bangkok – or halfway around the world – there is a cinema screen where it is still 2007. Mew is 18, about to walk through Siam Square with somebody's hand in his. He does not yet know that Scala will close, that Lido will shut and return as something else entirely, or that the cassette tapes and CDs he grew up with will give way to entire music libraries carried in a pocket. He knows none of it because he never gets any older. Every time Love of Siam begins, Mew is 18 again.Witwisit Hiranyawongkul – Pchy to almost everyone now, Mew forever to a generation of Thai cinema-goers – is nearing 40 and has spent much of this interview thinking about that other, unageing version of himself.   Photograph: Love of Siam2007   ‘Cinema has a way of freezing time,’ he says.  ‘For Mew, it is 18. He will never grow any older than that.’ He says with the fondness you might reserve for a much younger sibling.  Then, almost without meaning to, he begins talking directly to him, ‘If I could tell him anything, I would say thank you – most of who I am today, I owe to him. And also: it is okay. This is only the beginning. In the future you will meet plenty of men who will walk you through Siam.’ It is a strange, tender exchange with a version of himself who was never quite like him: a boy who existed only on film, wearing Pich’s face for two hours at a time. But Love of Siam was never simply a family drama. It became something people held onto, a defining film for a generation – and

Khaan’s premise is an act of translation: bringing Thai street food to the fine-dining table without stripping away what made it street food in the first place. Chef Aom Sujira Pongmorn – the first recipient of Michelin’s Young Chef Award – has built a zero-waste tasting menu around regional Thai ingredients sourced from across the country, with biodynamic wine or tea pairings. Grilled rice paddy crab from Singburi farmers,served with sticky rice, directly references the way the dish is eaten on the streets of central Thailand. The restaurant’s name means both ‘tiger’ and ‘to proclaim’ in Thai, which feels apt: this is Thai cuisine with something to say, served in a two-storey house on a quiet, tree-lined soi that feels far removed from the traffic outside. Khaan, 14/3 Soi Somkid, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok.  

Soma calls itself a modern Thai social kitchen, and ‘social’ is more than a tagline. Designed with regulars in mind, the menu changes with the seasons and with the dishes guests ask to see again. Its  three chefs – Chalee Kader of Wana Yook, Num Weerawat of Samuay & Sons and head chef Pak Yamoo – create a conversation between generations. Pak’s sour orange curry began with his grandmother’s recipe; here, barramundi is oil-poached rather than simmered in broth, then paired with salmon roe and a crown of crisp vegetables. Beef brisket spends 48 hours being brined, cooked sous vide and smoked over coconut husks before it reaches the fryer. A quieter dish of crisp lotus root, wok-fired with crispy pork belly in fermented bean curd sauce, proves that restraint can be a technique in itself. This isn’t fusion for fusion’s sake, but a kitchen quietly rewriting its family tree one plate at a time. Soma, Siam Pathumwan House, 414 Soi Kasem San 1, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan, Bangkok.

One of our ‘Greatest of All Time’ picks – and, conveniently, a nod to the owner’s Chinese zodiac year – GOAT serves what it calls offbeat Thai-Chinese cuisine. Chef Tan-Parkorn Kosiyapong names each dish after the Thai province where its ingredients originated, so the tasting menu unfolds less like a set list than a road trip: Khao Yai, Chiang Rai, Saraburi. Everything is sourced within Thailand, ensuring the ‘offbeat’ never comes at the expense of the ‘Thai’. Fermentation runs through the menu and happens as visibly as the cooking itself, in an open kitchen beneath a Sino-Portuguese-style ceiling on Ekamai 10.  GOAT, 12 Soi Ekkamai 10 Yaek 2, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok.

A cheerfully self-deprecating name for a creative home-style kitchen in Meng Jai, Huai Khwang, serving Thai-meets-international dishes alongside good coffee and craft beer. The tagline – ‘Hang out til' we've belly again’ – captures the intended pace of an evening here: slow, indulgent and unbothered. Soi Ratchada Niwet 9, Huai Khwang, Bangkok. Tue–Fri 4pm–midnight; Sat–Sun 12.30pm–midnight; closed Mon.

Founded by Mechai Viravaidya – aka ‘Mr Condom’ – this restaurant grew out of a birth-control awareness campaign. The name is entirely literal: Mechai wanted contraceptives to be as commonplace as vegetables. Its tongue-in-cheek bio promises, ‘Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy’. Condoms appear everywhere, from lampshades to mannequin outfits, and diners receive one with the bill instead of an after-dinner mint. Profits support the Population and Community Development Association’s family planning and HIV-prevention work. 10 Sukhumvit Soi 12, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110.  Daily 11am-11pm.

This Silom flagship owes its name to a chance exchange at a Berlin party. Asked where they were from, its founders answered ‘Bangkok’; the reply – ‘I wanna Bangkok’ – stuck. The offbeat streak continues inside, where past collections have featured a golden three-breasted  alien goddess sculpture, tattoo-artist-designed tank tops and jewellery fashioned from repurposed Nintendo DS cartridges. 42 Naratiwas Ratchanakarin Rd, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500. Mon-Fri noon-8pm; Sat-Sun 2pm-8pm.

The name refers less to actual poisoning than to a cocktail menu divided by strength into ‘poisons’ and ‘antidotes’. Once a three-nights-a-week Ekkamai speakeasy, Sugar Ray has since gone daily and moved into a sleek black-marble space inside Octo Seafood Bar on Sukhumvit 24. Track down the costumed doorman to find the entrance. Head mixologist Vipop ‘Tor’ Jinaphan works Thai flavours into classic cocktail forms, with pandan, Bengal spiced tea and ginseng-infused gin among the ingredients. Octo Seafood Bar, Sukhumvit Soi 24, Khlong Toei, Bangkok. Daily 7pm-2am.

From the team behind Nashville hot chicken specialist Fowlmouth, this all-day breakfast joint is built around eggs. Crackhouse cracks them into breakfast burritos and serves them with tater tots, while the signature Crackgriddle swaps the buns of a McGriddle-inspired sandwich for two fluffy pancakes. What began as a bright-yellow kiosk at The Commons Saladaeng has expanded to The Commons Thonglor and, most recently, The Commons Cloud 11. The Commons Saladaeng, Soi Saladaeng 1, Bang Rak, Bangkok. Sun-Wed 8am-10.30pm; Thu-Sat 8am-11pm.

Yes, it’s stylised as ‘Cüm’ – pronounced ‘coohm’. Inside The Office coworking space in Thonglor, this coffee kiosk serves respectable specialty brews, from dark-roast Brazil Santos to lighter seasonal blends. Then comes the limited-run ‘Cum Drops’ menu, with flavours such as Yuzu Cum and Butter Cum. The tagline, ‘Thanks for cüming’, isn't exactly subtle either.  125/1 Soi Sukhumvit 63, Thong Lo, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110. Daily, 8.30am-8pm

On Sukhumvit 26, inside the buzzed-about Tur Hair Salon, there’s another beauty ritual brewing at Ying Fun (literally translated as big grin), a small tooth gem studio with big personality. Palmy, the spark behind the shine, admits it all started with a bit of self-obsession. She says, ‘I got one gem, fell in love, kept adding more… eventually, I thought, why not get certified and do this properly?’ and Ying Fun was born. A year later, Ying Fun has morphed into a cult favourite with an international crowd. There’s something magical about the way Palmy’s studio becomes this crossroads of cultures: ‘I get to meet people from all over the world. It’s like travelling without leaving the studio.’ It’s this beautiful collision of cultures that keeps her obsessed with what she does. The studio's chill energy comes courtesy of a certified vibe curator. Each session becomes this intimate story exchange. Every contour, every bite becomes a moment to unleash something fresh and personal. Ying Fun sees two crowds: the bold statement-makers and the subtle sparkle seekers. Either way, Palmy’s game. She once glued crystals inside someone’s teeth. Told us to be the wildest request she’s had but she still made them shine. Every request that comes through surely gets the brief and is delivered properly here. How to book? Contact via Ying Fun or call 081-805-9790 19 Attha Kawi 1 Alley, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110. Open 10am-6.30pm, closed Mondays. Card payments accepted (3% surcharge

Hollywood Lashes BKK built its name on VIP lash extensions long before tooth gems entered the picture and once they did, they stuck around for good. Rosa, the studio's owner and a lash artist certified across the US, UK, Russia and Thailand, added tooth gem installation to her repertoire as a natural extension of what she already does best: small, precise embellishments that change how a whole face reads. Six years deep into eyelash artistry, she now holds credentials spanning lash technique, SPMU and tooth gem work too. The studio's identity is still very much VIP eyelash extensions first – its Instagram bio leads with exclusive lash extensions, lip tattoos, waxing and lash lifts well before tooth gems get a look in – which makes it a slightly different beast to the four dedicated gem studios above. But the menu is legit: alongside the lash and brow line-up, the studio now lists Hollywood Smile Gems and a 24-carat gold option going by Hollywood Smile 24K Gold. There's even a tooth gem course on offer for anyone keen to learn the craft rather than just wear the results. How to book? Contact via Hollywood Lashes BKK, no walk-ins. Park Avenue, Soi Ekkamai 14, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110

This Hua Hin sushi restaurant explicitly pairs Japanese technique with local Thai ingredients. Public details on its chefs, Thai species, signature dishes and pricing remain limited, so it is best treated as one to watch rather than a fully documented stop on the list.  6/8 Hua Hin 51 Alley, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan. Daily, 5 pm-midnight.

Fancy playing pool against a six-time World Championship finalist? You’ll get your chance this August, when Jimmy White – the much-loved 'Whirlwind' – brings his cue to Sukhumvit. On August 11, The Upper Deck Sports Bar on Sukhumvit Soi 20 is handing over its terrace to White for an evening that’s less meet-and-greet, more genuine face-off. Book a frame against him and, if you somehow manage to win, you’ll walk away with a B500 Upper Deck voucher. White earned the nickname through the fast, attacking style that turned his matches into theatre. His career includes ten ranking titles, the Masters and UK Championship, as well as a maximum 147 break at the Crucible. Now a four-time World Seniors Champion, he remains active on the circuit. What makes this one worth catching is the proximity. There’s no stadium and no barrier – just a terrace, a pool table and a genuine chance to beat a man who once faced Steve Davis in a World Championship final.   Where: The Upper Deck Sports Bar, Sukhumvit Soi 20 When: Tuesday August 11, from 6.30pm How much: B1,750 for the challenge package, including a frame against Jimmy White, welcome drink, signed T-shirt, signed photo and two raffle entries. Beat him and you’ll also win a B500 Upper Deck voucher. Spectator tickets cost B300, including a welcome drink, with additional raffle tickets available to buy. Book: posly.xyz/e/the-upper-deck/challange-jimmy-white or call (+66) 080 825 0999

FLO are finally coming to Bangkok. Live Nation TERO is bringing the British R&B trio’s Therapy At The Club tour to Sphere Hall, EmSphere on August 29, with tickets going on sale within days. If you have spent the past couple of years wondering why the London trio have yet to make it to Thailand, the wait is over. FLO – Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renée Downer – formed in 2019 and have since become one of R&B’s most talked-about acts, helping revive the girl group sound for a new generation. Singles including ‘Cardboard Box’, ‘Walk Like This’ and ‘Fly Girl’, featuring Missy Elliott, have drawn hundreds of millions of streams with their mix of ’90s and 2000s R&B, live vocals and tight three-part harmonies. Their 2024 debut album, ‘Access All Areas’, achieved something no British act had managed in two decades: a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album. It also became the highest-charting R&B album by a British girl group in 23 years, debuting at number three on the UK Albums Chart and topping the UK Hip-Hop and R&B Chart, as well as reaching the Billboard 200. This tour marks a new chapter for FLO. It takes its name from ‘Therapy At The Club’, the lead single from their forthcoming second album, followed by ‘Leak It’ and ‘Don't Break Her Heart’. Bangkok is part of a wider Asian run that includes Manila, Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Osaka – making it one of only five Southeast Asian stops on this year’s tour. View this post on Instagra

DAS HAUS BKK will host its first Classic Car Market on August  8-9, bringing a curated line-up of rare and vintage cars for sale under one roof. Running from 9am to 6pm on both days, the event is pitched less as a trade show than a weekend hangout for anyone into cars, design and the culture surrounding them. Beyond the cars for sale, expecta lifestyle market of independent vendors, food and drinks, plus vinyl DJs on soundtrack duty. View this post on Instagram A post shared by DAS HAUS BKK (@dashausbkk) The centrepiece is the car meet, where owners and enthusiasts can park up and talk shop, whether or not they are looking to buy. Think the kind of gathering usually organised through group chats and held in car parks, only with a proper venue and a full weekend slot. Admission details have yet to be announced.   Event details: Dates: August 8-9 Time: 9am-6pm Venue: DAS HAUS BKK, Bangna Organiser: DAS HAUS Admission: Not yet announced Location: Google Maps A full vendor list and details of the classic cars going on sale have yet to be released. We will update this story as DAS HAUS announces more.  

Mongkolsiri Library sits inside Wat Pak Nam in Phasi Charoen, a historic riverside temple known for its striking architecture, spiritual significance and role as a centre of Buddhist learning. Step inside, though, and this is clearly no ordinary reading room. Cats wander between the shelves, snooze in patches of sun and keep watch from corners they have firmly claimed as their own. Photograph: ห้องสมุด มงคลสิริ วัดปากน้ำ ภาษีเจริญcat librarians Photograph: ห้องสมุด มงคลสิริ วัดปากน้ำ ภาษีเจริญcat librarians The shelves deserve attention too, with a broad mix of non-fiction, novels, translated titles and a few old, hard-to-find books for patient browsers to uncover. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @bkk.bookdistrict The library feels especially timely as Bangkok embraces its bookish side. Bangkok Book District Fest returns to Phra Nakhon on July 25-26, bringing independent bookshops and reading events to the old town’s historic neighbourhoods. Between the festival and its feline-filled hideaway, the city’s literary life is straying well beyond the conventional reading room.  For readers who welcome a cat cameo, Mongkolsiri Library is a quietly charming alternative to Bangkok’s cat cafés – and it costs nothing.    Need to know Where: Mongkolsiri Library, Wat Pak Nam, Phasi Charoen Cost: Free entry Hours: Daily, 9.30am-4pm (closed on public holidays) Getting there: Near BTS Bang Wa or MRT Bang Phai

Bangkok’s annual celebration of Hong Kong cinema is back. Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation 2026 brings seven films – spanning new releases, award winners and titles rarely shown on the big screen – to House Samyan from July 31 to August 9. Several screenings also come with Q&As,  giving audiences the chance to hear directly from visiting directors and actors. Organised by the Asian Film Awards Academy and its Hong Kong partners, the festival is one of the few opportunities each year for Thai audiences to see a broad cross-section of Hong Kong cinema. This edition covers drama, comedy, documentary and thriller, with filmmakers and performers on hand to discuss their work.  This year’s guests include Bird of Paradise director Joey Wu and actor Catherine Chau, Unidentified Murder actor Ronald Lam and Dog Day Evening lead Yukki Tai, who will join post-screening conversations. Here are the seven films to catch: Photograph: Bird of Paradise, 2026Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation 2026 Here are the seven films worth clearing your schedule for: Bird of Paradise (2026) (July 31, 8pm) The festival opens with a warm drama about a middle-aged housewife who discovers an unexpected sense of freedom through pole dancing. Stay  for a Q&A with director Joey Wu and lead actor Catherine Chau. Unidentified Murder (2025) (August 1, 3.55pm) UFO mythology, a 25-year-old disappearance and a baffling murder collide in this deliriously tangled crime comedy. A Q&A with actor Ronald Lam follows the scr

From July 18 to 26, Netflix is turning Chang car park in Song Wat into a full-scale recreation of the East Palace mansion, the eerie setting at the heart of its new supernatural period drama The East Palace. Entry is free. Photograph: Netflix ThailandThe East Palace Premiering globally on Netflix on July 17, the eight-episode series follows Gu-cheon (Nam Joo-hyuk), a man who can cross into the spirit world. Together with court lady Saeng-gang (Roh Yoon-seo), he sets out to break a decades-old curse haunting the crown prince’s residence under the rule of Cho Seung-woo's king. Photograph: Netflix ThailandThe East Palace Netflix has recreated three key locations from the series for fans to explore and photograph: the palace’s front facade, marked by the bloodstains of its 30-year curse; a still pond hiding darker secrets beneath the surface; and a desolate 'spirit realm' cut off from the world of the living. Opening hours vary across the nine-day run: Weekends (July 18-19 & 25-26): 10am-8pm Weekdays (July 20-24): 3pm-8pm The venue is a short walk from MRT Wat Mangkon – take Exit 1 onto Plangnam Road. A few ground rules apply: no running or jumping on the glass floors, and no food, drinks or large bags inside. Children under 12 must remain with a guardian throughout.

Tyson Fury is returning to the ring – and bringing the fight to Thailand. The former two-time heavyweight world champion faces Polish veteran Mariusz Wach at Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya on Friday July 24. The charity bout also serves as Fury’s final tune-up before Fury’s proposed showdown with fellow Briton Anthony Joshua later this year. Fury's connection to Pattaya runs deeper than fight night. He trained in the city before his April comeback victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov in London and has described the Thai resort as ‘special’ to him. The bout is also a first for Max Muay Thai Stadium, a purpose-built arena known for weekly Muay Thai cards broadcast across Asia but yet to host a heavyweight boxer of Fury’s profile. There is a charitable angle too. Fury has reportedly agreed to fight without taking a purse, with net ticket proceeds going to the Father Ray Foundation, a Pattaya-based charity supporting orphans, children with disabilities and other vulnerable people. Only 1,500 tickets will be available. The WBC will also present Fury with its inaugural Humanitarian Title on the night. It is quite the pairing: one of boxing's biggest names headlining a charity card in a Pattaya arena built for Muay Thai, weeks before he is expected to face Joshua. For Thailand, it is another eye-catching addition to the country's international sporting calendar. When: Friday July 24 2026, 9.45pm–1.30am. Doors open at 10pm, with the first bout at 10.15pm. Entry is timed, and organisers

Thai tennis has just had its best Wimbledon in a generation – and it deserves some noise back home. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lanlana Tararudee (@l.tararudee) It began with a Monday for the record books. For the first time in the Open Era, two Thai players won Grand Slam main-draw matches at the same event, as Mananchaya ‘Mai’ Sawangkaew and Lanlana Tararudee both came through their openers at the All England Club.  Sawangkaew's victory was the more dramatic: trailing 6-2, 5-2 and facing match point against 20th seed Maja Chwalińska, she saw the Pole slip behind the baseline while chasing a routine ball. Chwalińska needed a medical timeout and never fully recovered her movement; Sawangkaew seized the opening, winning six of the final seven games to complete a 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 turnaround. ‘I felt that I had nothing to lose,’ she said afterwards. Her grass-court plan was equally direct: take the ball early, finish points quickly and fight for everything. A few hours later, Tararudee staged a comeback of her own, recovering from 5-1 down in the deciding set to beat 2025 Roland Garros junior champion Lilli Tagger 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-4. Both drew  on Thailand's brief but proud tennis history. Sawangkaew revealed that Tamarine Tanasugarn – the country's grass-court icon, whose 2008 Wimbledon quarter-final remains the national benchmark – had texted to congratulate her and urge her to enjoy the grass. Sawangkaew admitted she was touched that Tanasugarn h

Some songs you listen to. This one you walk through. Billed as an 'embodied music experience', Museum of Somnia runs July 25 to August 8 at centralwOrld LIVE – built entirely around the music of Thai singer-songwriter PUN, who’s emerged as one of Thailand and Southeast Asia’s most promising voices in pop and R&B.  Known for his intimate storytelling and genre-blending sound fusing alternative pop, R&B and hip-hop, PUN has built the exhibition into less a gallery and more a set of rooms designed to feel like the inside of someone’s head at 3am. Photograph: Universal Music ThailandPUN MUSEUM OF SOMNIA PUN describes it as a cinematic topography inspired by his thoughts, mind and soul, where music and dreams become one – and that's about as accurate a pitch as you'll get: cinematic visuals, layered soundscapes and spaces built on longing, goodbyes and the kind of waiting that never quite resolves, all stitched together from his back catalogue. Whether you know every lyric or are discovering his sound for the first time, this might just turn a curious newcomer into a fan. For longtime listeners, it's a chance to walk through the mind that created the music. Each room stands for a different chapter of life – joy, longing, hope, farewell, new beginnings – with no fixed interpretation attached, so it's up to you to find your own meaning in each space. The thread running through it all is one simple idea: dreams are sometimes more honest than reality. Here's the twist: no two v

Bangkok’s concert calendar has just added another big name. American singer Khalid, the voice behind ’Location’, ’Young Dumb & Broke’ and ’Talk’, is bringing the It’s Always Summer Somewhere Tour to UOB Live, Emsphere on 29 November 2026. The Grammy-nominated artist has spent the best part of a decade turning soft-focus R&B into sing-it-back pop moments, with songs that feel made for late-night messages, first crushes and feelings best left unsent.  Expect a set that leans into the hits while making room for newer material – less pyrotechnic spectacle, more thousands of voices singing every word back at him. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Live Nation Tero (@livenationth) When and where The concert takes place on Sunday November 29 2026 at UOB Live, on the sixth floor of EMSPHERE on Sukhumvit Road. Since opening, the venue has quickly become one of Bangkok’s go-to stages for international acts, and its late-2026 calendar is already looking busy.  How to get tickets Tickets are priced from B2,800-3,300. There are a few things worth sorting before presale day. Tickets are available exclusively online through ticketmaster.co.th, with no in-person sales at ThaiTicketMajor counters this time. You’ll need to set up a ticketing account in advance, and all tickets will be issued as e-tickets, so there is no physical ticket to collect. The presale schedule runs across several days and channels: Fan club presale: July 13, midday–11.59pm at bit.ly/itsal

Thailand has been named Asia's best place to retire for 2026, climbing to ninth worldwide in International Living's Global Retirement Index. That puts the kingdom one place higher than last year and, more importantly for regional bragging rights, ahead of Malaysia, which slips from seventh globally in 2025 to tenth this year. Now in its 35th year, the index ranks 24 countries across seven categories: housing, cost of living, visas and retiree benefits, development and governance, climate, healthcare and affinity.  Thailand scored 80 out of 100 overall, with its strongest showing in cost of living, where it posted 96. Development and governance followed at 84, while healthcare and visas and retiree benefits both came in at79. The result is less about one big leap than steady appeal. Thailand’s retirement pitch has long rested on the same familiar mix: private healthcare that punches above its price point, a cost of living that makes savings stretch further and visa options that make long-term stays realistic rather than wishful thinking. It also fits neatly with Thailand’s wider push to position itself as a global medical and wellness hub. For retirees, that means the usual postcard pleasures of warm weather, beaches and slow mornings come with a more practical pull: hospitals, clinics, condos, domestic flights and a lifestyle that can be scaled up or down depending on budget. The bigger shuffle is at the top of the table. Greece takes the global crown for 2026, knocking Panam

Prime Video's new shark thriller The Devil's Mouth turns Thailand's caves and coastlines into the setting for a survival nightmare with very little breathing room. Shot over eight weeks across Krabi province, Chiang Mai and Bangkok, the film brings a glossy Hollywood horror setup to some very familiar scenery – then floods it with teeth. Directed by Jeff Wadlow, whose credits include Imaginary and Truth or Dare, the film follows five college friends on one last trip together before adult life gets in the way. Their adventure begins with a guided swim through a remote cave system known as ‘The Devil's Mouth’. So far, so gap-year bucket list. Then they discover that a freak storm has flooded the caves with sea life. Most of it died in the fresh water. One bull shark did not. Photograph: Prime VideoThe Devil's Mouth The cast comes with plenty of young-screen recognition. Kathryn Newton (Abigail, Ready or Not 2), Lana Condor (To All the Boys I've Loved Before), Gavin Casalegno (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Nico Hiraga (Booksmart) and Tommi Rose (Outer Banks) play the friends, while Thai actor Tayme Thapthimthong, fresh from The White Lotus season 3, plays the guide who leads them into the caves. Production wrapped in September 2025, with James Kniest behind the camera and a score by Bear McCreary. The screenplay, originally titled Apex, was written by Aja Gabel and Myung Joh Wesner and appeared on the 2019 Hollywood Black List before Wadlow came on board. The Devil's Mouth stre