Tita Honghirunkham

Somewhere around the third rewatch of a LISA video, it hits you: that alley looks extremely familiar. Bangkok has been moonlighting as one of pop’s favourite film sets – and not in a ‘look at our skyline’ way. Directors keep returning for the stranger stuff: abandoned malls, brutalist office blocks, a fire station and a night market full of second-hand engine parts. Something about the city’s particular brand of decay photographs beautifully. And it isn’t only K-pop, although K-pop has clearly got the memo. Troye Sivan shot much of ‘Got Me Started’ here. Agust D wandered through Chinatown’s old scrap-metal quarter for one of his most stripped-back visuals. LOONA treated the whole city like a mood board in 2020. The Thailand Film Office counted 26 international music-video shoots during the first eight months of 2024 alone – nine of them South Korean. Bangkok isn’t merely a backdrop any more; it’s practically a recurring cast member. So here’s the tour: the buildings, streets and rooftops you’ve spotted without knowing it, and the songs that put them on screen.

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.

Photograph: random thoughtsBangkok ‘It made New York, Paris or London, overall, feel very old.’  The anonymous writer behind Random Thoughts wasn't trying to insult three of the world's most celebrated, greatly loved cities – they were simply describing how Bangkok felt against their experience of New York and Paris: spontaneous, open and startlingly modern. The diary-like Random Thoughts account is better known for intimate, diary-style observations than provocative city rankings. This time, though, a few frank lines put Bangkok ahead of New York, Paris and London. ‘It made New York, Paris or London, overall, feel very old.’    The writer’s identity remains secret by design – more on that later – but they currently live in Paris and have also lived in New York. Sure, it’s one traveller’s opinion – a hot take, breezing in, perhaps. A personal, subjective view, and hey, everyone’s entitled to their feelings. But those names being dropped come with some context. This is someone who actually knows those cities, has lived in them, and still felt Bangkok was worth raving about. The post travelled well beyond its devoted readership, too – and the comments are still trickling in. ‘What blew my mind was the flow and spontaneity of the city, how you mix high and low,’ they say. ‘This was very new, very fresh and very modern for me.’ Paris and New York are both ‘having some kind of a renaissance’, they add, but this (Bangkok’s) energy is harder to find there.’   ‘Best meals ever’ Pho

You’ve probably walked past them, posed for a photo on the way to check-in. The towering, fanged, brilliantly colourful giants across Suvarnabhumi’s fourth-floor departure hall have watched over travellers for two decades. They may look like elaborate airport decorations, but there’s much more to them . Each of the 12 statues is a named character from the Ramakien, Thailand’s national epic and retelling of the Indian Ramayana. These giants – known as yak, or Yaksha – appear on both sides of the war between the noble Phra Ram and the ten-headed demon king Tosakan. Tosakan’s abduction of Phra Ram’s wife, Sida, sets off a battle involving armies, magic weapons and supernatural powers . Suvarnabhumi’s statues are replicas of figures at Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. In Thai belief, giants like these have long guarded temple gates, keeping evil spirits from crossing the threshold. Airports of Thailand placed them at the airport in the same protective tradition, watching over travellers as they depart and return home . Face colour, weapon and posture identify each giant, along with a distinct rank and backstory. Walk the row from one end of the departure hall to the other and it becomes a roll call of the Ramakien’s giant cast .

Craving ice cream? Course you are. Bangkok has a way of sending even the most grown-up among us in search of something cold and sweet  – and the city’s gelato scene has never offered more ways to cool down, dairy-free included. The only problem is choosing. We’ve rounded up the spots worth seeking out, whether you fancy a cone or cup of the good stuff, soft-serve that actually delivers, a cheeky ice cream sandwich or a sundae big enough to share (or not). The choices border on absurd, in a good way: brioche and tacos, fairy floss clouds, candied bacon, charcoal, sea salt and ube. However you roll, here are 16 of the best gelato and ice cream spots across Bangkok and the greater metro area. Still undecided? You can always turn to our guides to Bangkok’s best bars, restaurants, parks and galleries, or consult our bucket list of the best things to do in Bangkok. Subscribe to our free newsletter for the best of Bangkok, straight to your inbox.

Bangkok is having a little Wong Kar-wai moment. This August, Skyline Film brings Chungking Express, In the Mood for Love and Fallen Angels to Shanghai Mansion Bangkok, turning the 1930s Yaowarat hotel into an open-air cinema with the old-Chinatown atmosphere that makes Wong’s films so magnetic. It follows House Samyan’s recent Christopher Doyle retrospective, celebrating the cinematographer whose dreamy, neon-soaked images helped define Wong’s visual language. The timing makes sense: Bangkok doesn’t merely look a little Wong Kar-wai; it was part of his cinematic world. Although In the Mood for Love is set in 1960s Hong Kong, some exterior scenes were filmed here, where old shophouses, narrow lanes and faded corners could still evoke another era. That connection feels natural. Like Wong’s Hong Kong, Bangkok is a city of layers: Chinese heritage, ageing buildings, glowing signs and stories unfolding after dark. It takes little for Bangkok to slip into a Wong Kar-wai frame. Add sunset and a little rain, then wander beyond the temples and rooftop bars to find neon-lit corners, old streets and quiet moments that feel like scenes waiting to happen. Here are eight places to seek out at dusk.

Bangkok sprouts new towers every year, cafés come and go at dizzying speed and even its oldest  neighbourhoods keep getting glossy makeovers. Yet beneath the bustle are pockets of the city that have barely changed in more than a century. Behind high walls, iron gates and shady old trees, the palaces and royal residences of Bangkok’s past still stand – looking remarkably grand and holding tight to their stories as the city rebuilds around them. Some once housed kings; others were home to royal relatives before becoming museums, government offices or public spaces you can wander into today. So, if you fancy swapping the mall for somewhere with a little more history, here are five old Bangkok palaces worth the trip.

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.

This Rama V-era palace comprises two main buildings: Chitralada Hall, originally built as a residence for King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), and Paruskavan Hall, home to Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanadh. Chitralada Hall now houses the Royal Thai Police Museum, while Paruskavan Hall is used by the National Intelligence Agency. The main draw is the route through Chitralada Hall, where floor arrows lead visitors room by room around an Italian villa-style building that blends Art Nouveau, Baroque and Rococo influences. Guides stationed throughout explain the palace’s history and each space. Pause in the former dining hall: after the 1932 revolution, the People’s Party used it as a meeting place, earning it the nickname ‘Thailand's first government house’. Continue to the Police Museum for uniforms, equipment and historical documents tracing the development of Thai policing, alongside  reconstructions of past cases and displays on different areas of police work. A visit is more than a wander through an old palace – it is a compact lesson in Thai political and social history. Thanon Si Ayutthaya, Dusit, Bangkok. Tuesday to Friday, 10am-4pm. Free entry.

You may have driven along Thanon Ratchawithi and spotted a pointed spire rising above the trees without knowing what it belongs to. That is Phaya Thai Palace, where European grandeur meets leafy garden charm. Construction began under Rama V before the palace was extensively remodelled under Rama VI. It has since served as a royal residence, hotel and, later, part of Phramongkutklao Hospital. Its defining landmark is Phiman Chakri Throne Hall and its tower, while the Roman Garden convincingly evokes a European courtyard. After exploring, stop for coffee at Café Norasingh, set inside a characterful  historic building and well suited to lingering over the view. Thanon Ratchawithi, Thung Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok. Saturdays and Sundays only. Two sessions: 9am-11am and 1.30pm-3pm.

A century-old palace hides in plain sight within the Bank of Thailand’s riverside grounds, unknown even to many Bangkokians. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) commissioned Bang Khun Phrom Palace as a residence for Prince Paribatra Sukhumbandhu, and it is often ranked among Thailand’s most beautiful palaces. The building is a time capsule of late-19th-century European design, confidently blending Baroque and Rococo influences. Ornate stucco, arched windows, marble staircases, carved wooden doors and elaborately decorated ceilings fill the interiors. The grand staircase starts broad and narrows as it rises, echoing Europe’s great palaces and theatres, while the circular, European-style Music Pavilion once hosted performances at royal receptions. Following the political changes of the 1930s, the palace served as government offices before the Bank of Thailand moved in in 1945 and eventually turned it into the Bank of Thailand Museum. Guided tours cover the palace’s history, life within its walls and the development of Thailand’s monetary system – an unusual meeting of grand architecture and financial history. Thanon Samsen, Wat Sam Phraya, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok. Saturdays and Sundays only, by advance booking. Two sessions: 10.30am and 2.30pm. Free entry.

The beating heart of royal Bangkok – and still unlike anywhere else in the city. Built when King Rama I founded Rattanakosin, the Grand Palace housed Thai kings for generations. Although no longer a full-time royal residence, it still hosts major state ceremonies and remains one of Thailand’s most-visited landmarks, with good reason. Step inside and the first thing that hits you is the sheer amount of gold, with roofs and spires catching the light in every direction. Glazed tiles, mirrored mosaics and intricate details cover the buildings. The complex is divided into outer, middle and inner courts, with highlights including Wat Phra Kaew (the Temple of the Emerald Buddha), Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat, Phra Thinang Dusit Maha Prasat and the Phra Maha Monthien group. Don’t skip Wat Phra Kaew itself. Its Rattanakosin-era craftsmanship is extraordinary, from gilded chedis and coloured glasswork to a spectacular ordination hall. Around the cloisters runs the Ramakien mural, a continuous painted retelling of Thailand’s version of the Ramayana and one of the world’s longest and most complete murals of its kind. Ancient stone sculptures from several countries dot the grounds, making the complex feel less a single attraction than an archive of Thai heritage. Phra Borommaharatchawang Subdistrict, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok. Daily, 8.30am-3.30pm. Free for Thai nationals; B500 for non-Thai visitors.

Suan Sunantha Palace is now best known as the home of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, but it was once an inner royal residence, with halls and living quarters for female members of the royal family. Sai Sudthanophadol Hall has been preserved as a museum documenting the daily lives of women at the royal court through clothing, personal belongings, handicrafts and household objects. Downstairs displays everyday items, clothes and the kitchen; upstairs recreates the private living quarters including a bedroom, bathroom, reception room and sitting room, offering a close-up look at court life. This is said to be the birthplace of nam phrik long ruea (literally ‘chilli paste that sailed the boat’), a dish credited to Chao Chom Sadap during the reign of Rama V. She reportedly transformed leftover kitchen ingredients into a dish fit for the King during a river outing, creating an enduring royal-court classic. Suan Sunantha Palace is also remembered as a centre for training young noblewomen. The phrase sao chao wang (‘palace girl’) became shorthand for a distinctly Thai grace and refinement. The museum’s clothes, objects and old photographs evoke the elegance and the discipline of daily palace life. Thanon U Thong Nok, Dusit, Bangkok. Monday to Friday, 9am-3.30pm. Free entry.

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.  

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.

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, Num Weerawat 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.

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.

Usually locked inside a Bangkok arts institute, Wat Phra Kaew Wang Na is welcoming visitors and revealing its rare murals – until September 20 For most of the year, Wat Bowon Sathan Sutthawat can only be glimpsed from behind a fence. Tucked inside the grounds of the Bunditpatanasilpa Institute near the National Museum Bangkok, the ordination hall is usually closed to the public and used by performing arts students for wai khru ceremonies. Its current opening offers a genuinely rare chance to step inside.  Better known as Wat Phra Kaew Wang Na – the ‘Emerald Buddha temple of the Front Palace’ – the site is open daily, free of charge, until September 20 as part of the Fine Arts Department’s Rak Nakara: Markha Haeng Rattanakosin festival.  The name reflects the temple’s status, not its contents: there is no actual Emerald Buddha inside. The comparison is apt, however. Like the Grand Palace’s Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, this royal temple has no resident monks and was built solely as a place of devotion within a palace complex. That complex was the Front Palace, Wang Na, once home to the kingdom’s second-ranking monarch. Construction of the ordination hall began under the Front Palace prince during the reign of Rama III and continued under Rama IV, making the building nearly two centuries old. Its greatest draw, though, is on the walls: elaborate murals by early Rattanakosin master craftsmen depicting the legend of the Phra Buddha Sihing, the 28 past Buddhas and scenes of Hind

Silpa Bhirasri National Museum has reopened for a rare two-month run –  and it is well worth making time for.  “Rak Nakara: The Path of Rattanakson’ traces Rattanakosin’s history through the work of Silpa Bhirasri, widely regarded as the father of modern Thai art – part history lesson, part art exhibition.  The special opening also includes the Hall of Master Sculptures, bringing prototype sculptures from across the country together under one roof. A stamp-collecting activity runs throughout, too, if you need an excuse to explore every corner. Where: Silpa Bhirasri National Museum (Memorial) and the Hall of Master Sculptures Tickets: Free entry Runs until: September 20 2026  Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 9am-4pm

This is Siriraj Medical Museum – better known to Bangkokians as the Museum of Death. The museum grew out of Thailand’s oldest hospital, founded in 1888 under King Chulalongkorn after a cholera epidemic swept through Siam and exposed the urgent need for modern medicine. Doctors began preserving specimens for teaching; the collections later opened to the public and have since become one of Bangkok’s unlikeliest must-sees. The complex brings several small museums together, each with a different focus. The Congdon Anatomical Museum, founded in 1927, houses more than 2,000 specimens exploring the human body system by system. Its centrepiece is a full-body dissection of the nervous and arterial systems said to be the only one of its kind in the world.  Next door, the Ellis Pathological Museum charts the history of pathology in Thailand through preserved hearts, tumours and cases of congenital disease – with some of the country’s biggest killers laid out in unflinching detail.  The Parasitology Museum goes smaller and stranger, displaying real worms and infected organs removed from patients. Some parasites are no bigger than a full stop; others stretch beyond a metre.  The Sood Sangvichien Prehistoric Museum swaps disease for deep time. At its heart is a Homo erectus skeleton nicknamed ‘Lampang Man’, who roamed what is now Thailand up to a million years ago. Then comes the Songkran Niyomsane Forensic Medicine Museum, the wing that earned the whole complex its nickname: skulls pierce

Bangkok’s ghost stories are stepping off the screen this August. Thai Content Experience 2026 (TCX) takes over Paragon Hall for four days, turning some of Thailand’s biggest horror franchises into walk-through haunted houses and live shows – all for free. Three of the country’s most recognisable horror universes – GTH, Girl From Nowhere and the Undertaker cinematic universe – each get an immersive zone, putting visitors inside the sets rather than in front of the screen. There’s more than scares. The Panna stunt team unleash Born to Fight Spectacular;  beloved Thai dramas are restaged for a new generation; Cinematic Symphony: Heartbeat of Thai Film pairs a live orchestra with vocal performances of songs from decades of Thai cinema. Exhibitions, creator talks and surprise stage performances backed by the Department of Cultural Promotion. Where: 5/F, Paragon Hall, Siam ParagonWhen: August 13-16, 10am-9pm dailyAdmission: Free 

Forget ticket queues: for three days this August, Bangkok’s grand old railway terminus swaps timetables for turntables. MY Playground is a free festival taking over Hua Lamphong Railway Station, bringing a flea market, live music and street food into one of the city’s most storied heritage buildings. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TRYSTER (@trys_ter) Organised by TRYSTER under the theme Too Chill Not to Share’, MY Playground is pitched as a laid-back meeting point for music lovers, artists and anyone keen to linger in the middle of the city. Expect secondhand and vintage clothing, handmade crafts and other locally made goods, plus plenty to eat between browsing sessions. Free concerts run throughout, giving the station’s soaring halls – with their distinctive Italian Renaissance-meets-Art Deco look – a rare turn as a live music venue. Where: Hua Lamphong Railway Station, Rong Mueang, Pathum Wan When: August 21-23, 2pm-11pm (concert times and vendor line-up TBA) Admission: Free throughout

Bangkok’s Chao Phraya is about to become the stage for one of Thailand’s9 most spectacular ceremonies. On November 6, 2026, from 2.30pm, 52 royal barges will glide down the river in the Royal Barge Procession – a tradition stretchings back centuries and one modern Bangkok rarely gets to see. The procession forms part of the Royal Kathin ceremony, when the monarch travels by water to present robes to Buddhist monks. It also marks the fourth 12-year cycle – or 48th birthday – of Queen Suthida, and concludes at Wat Arun Ratchawararam, whose distinctive prang rises above the river. The scale is extraordinary: 52 barges in a formation stretching around 1.2 kilometres and spanning 90 metres, crewed by 2,200 naval personnel. At its heart is Suphannahong, the King’s principal royal barge, while Anantanakkharat carries the Kathin robes in a raised pavilion. Narai Song Suban HM King Rama IX and Anekkachatphutchong serve as reserve royal barges. Getting that formation river-ready takes months. In March, 162 personnel from 35 naval units began training as instructors, including 58 barge captains and 104 helmsmen, before returning to their units to train the rest of the oarsmen. Practice starts on land, moves to individual boat handling and culminates in full-formation drills on the water – the better part of a year’s preparation. The procession has never been an annual fixture. Revived in 1959 after a hiatus, it has appeared only on select occasions since, including coronations, major ro

Time Out's 2026 survey has ranked Bangkok the world's 10th best city for Gen Z, based on happiness, affordability, and how easy it is to build a life here Bangkok's on another best cities list, and we’re seriously losing count. This time, it’s made the top 10 for best cities for Gen Z. Sure, last year we topped Time Out's first-ever Best Cities for Gen Z ranking outright, but this year’s methodology is tighter. Curating the list with Intrepid Travel, Time Out narrowed down the results from its 2026 survey to reflect the responses of those under 30, including only the highest-scoring city in each country. Filtered that hard, we land at number 10 globally, but that’s still the only Southeast Asian city on the list.  96 percent of young Bangkokians surveyed said the city makes them happy – happier than anywhere else they've lived. 87 percent rated the restaurant scene highly, while 78 percent said the same for its nightlife. So, which cities are winning Gen Z over? Tokyo Porto Melbourne Edinburgh Shanghai New York Copenhagen Berlin Valencia Bangkok   Here's the full feature on the world's best cities for Gen Z to live in – according to Gen Z themselves, with local insights from the people who call them home. It takes a village, and here, it's easy. Ask any young creative here how a project started and the answer rarely involves working alone. Friends are easy to make and community even easier to fall into. People here are open, curious and welcoming of al

Nearly 50 years after Elvis Presley’s death, the quiff, the voice and the hip-swivelling swagger still need little introduction. The King of Rock and Roll remains one of pop culture’s most instantly recognisable figures – and this August, Bangkok is marking his legacy with two free films on the big screen. His voice, stage presence and screen career helped propel rock and roll into the mainstream, turning Elvis from singer to cultural phenomenon and reshaping the look and sound of popular music in the process.  To mark the anniversary of his death, the Thai Film Archive (Public Organisation) has teamed up with the Thai Film Foundation for a two-night tribute at historic Sala Chaloem Thani, better known as Nang Loeng Cinema. The screenings run August 15-16. August 15: Elvis (2022) Photograph: Elvis2022 First up is the biopic that brought Presley’s story back to the big screen for a new generation, charting his rise to global superstardom. It earned widespread critical praise and eight Oscar nominations. August 16: Blue Hawaii (1961) Photograph: Blue Hawaii1961 The double bill closes with one of Elvis’s biggest box-office hits, in which he plays a soldier returning home to Hawaii. Its soundtrack includes ‘Can't Help Falling in Love’, still one of his best-known songs. Both screenings start at 4pm and are free. Tickets are available at the door from 3pm on a first-come, first-served basis, with no online booking. The cinema seats 250 and will close its doors once full. There

Wong supplies the programme’s centre of gravity rather than the entire bill. He directed Chungking Express, In the Mood for Love and Fallen Angels, while Peter Chan’s Maggie Cheung-led Hong Kong romance Comrades: Almost a Love Story and Hollywood favourites Pulp Fiction and Pretty Woman broaden the mood-led line-up. Pulp Fiction is not entirely out of left field: Tarantino famously championed Chungking Express and helped introduce it to American audiences. With warm vintage lighting, a romantic glow and Chinatown after dark all around, the setting feels made for the silver screen. Bring a date, round up your mates or head over solo, cold drink in hand – this is one of Bangkok’s most atmospheric cinema experiences. Friday, August 7Chungking Express – doors 5.30pm, film starts 6.30pmComrades: Almost a Love Story – doors 8.20pm, film starts 8.45pm Saturday, August 8In the Mood for Love – doors 5.30pm, film starts 6pm (sold out)Pulp Fiction – doors 8pm, film starts 8.30pm Sunday, August 9Fallen Angels – doors 5.30pm, film starts 6pmPretty Woman – doors 8pm, film starts 8.30pm Tickets for the remaining screenings cost B450, including one drink. The series runs from August 7-9 at Shanghai Mansion Bangkok. Check Skyline Film for updates and booking details. In the Mood for Love is already sold out, so don’t dawdle over the rest.

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.