EVENTS & FESTIVALS AROUND THAILAND – APRIL

Mueng Petch Fair

1–6 April, Phetchaburi province

See a demonstration by skilled local craftspeople, accompanied by games, fireworks exhibitions and a beauty contest. Enjoy a fun day in the countryside for all!

Poi Sang Long Tradition

1–15 April, Mae Hong Son province

This time-honoured festival frequented by many Shan descendants celebrates the time at which a young boy enters into monkhood at a local Buddhist temple.

Betong Walking Street Festival

1–30 April, Yala province

Activities including eating Betong fried noodles, a chicken eating competition, a “myth of Betong” exhibition, local art and culture show, band, singing and dance contests and more!

Khao Phanom Rum Festival

2–7 April, Buriam province

Highlights include a rarely seen invocation ritual or buang suang ceremony, a procession to pay homage to the gods and celestial beings, a traditional I-San-style hope bai dinner and more!

Easter Sunday

April 8, nationwide

Today is the day that many Christians celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection with Easter eggs, hot cross buns and prayer. Events can be found throughout Thailand at churches and hotels.

Songkran,

13–15 April, nationwide

The time of year when the whole nation stops to celebrate the dawning of a new year with water blessings, water fights, paying respect to elders and general mayhem.

Phutket Bike Week

20–22 April, Patpong Beach, Phuket Island

Join scores of other motorbike enthusiasts to share your love of bikes and partake in such exhibitions, concerts, dinners, parties, rallies, conferences and even a tattoo contest! 

EVENTS & FESTIVALS AROUND THAILAND – MARCH

La Fete

Until end April, around Thailand
Fries notwithstanding, all things French hit Bangkok annually with La Fête. Besides the usual art exhibitions and concerts, past programmes have also featured puppet and street theatre
shows and a French film festival.


27th Asean Barred Ground Dove Festival
1–31 March, Khwan Mueang Park, Mueang District, Yala Province
Doves are believed to bring good luck to those who raise them. Enthusiasts annually hold a cooing competition for small, medium and large voice contestants.

Monthly Auctions
3 March, River City Shopping Complex, Bangkok
Held at the Riverside Auction House, this monthly auction is a great place to pick up genuine antiques and traditional handicrafts from Thailand and beyond.

Bangkok Jazz Festival
9-14 March, CentralWorld Square, Bangkok

Sway to the sounds of cool jazz in the unique down-town location at Bangkok's annual Jazz Festival. Over 30,000 jazz fans yearly support the impressive line-up of local and international talent.

Magha Puja (Sangha Day)
7 March, around Thailand
This important Buddhist holy day celebrates the occasion when 1250 of the Lord Buddha's disciples spontaneously gathered to hear him preach. Ceremonies take place during the day at Thailand's temples, while at night, candlelight processions are staged around monastery chapels.

Thailand International Kite Festival
9–11 March, Mrigadayavan Palace, Phetchaburi
This festival attracts an ever-growing number of devoted kite fans, participants and spectators every year, who come to witness amazing stunts, shows, exhibits and workshops.

Thailand International Furniture Fair
14–18 March, Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC)
Deck your home out in superb furniture at this fab fair. Areas are dedicated to lighting, home decor furnishings, garden furniture and more, all made by local and international manufacturers.


Hollywood Stars & Divas Charity Concert
15–17 March, Siam City Hotel, Bangkok
Kamala Sukosol and her talented family will again be taking to the stage to raise funds for the Thai Red Cross Society. Expect exceptional singing and dancing and loads of fun!

Pattaya International Music Festival
16–18 March, Beach Road, Pattaya
This is an unrivalled opportunity to enjoy a weekend of listening and dancing to beautiful music performed by more than 100 global musicians in one of Asia’s liveliest seaside cities.

Bangkok International Motor Show
26 March – 8 April, Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC)

This is a great opportunity to see the latest advances in motoring technology, from classic cars to bikes all under one roof. Surround by millions of other car fanatics

Bangkok International Book Fair
29 March – 8 April, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC)
Thailand beckons bibliophiles to its capital. Publishers’ wheel and deal and the public scours the stands for their favourite Thai and international genres and non-fiction titles.

Events & Festivals - November

Golden Mount Fair

Date TBC, Wat Saket, Bangkok, central Thailand

Worshippers come from all over the world and merrymaking abounds at this Buddhist monastery where a candlelit procession ascends to the peak on the night of the full moon.

Bangkok International Wine Fair

Date TBC, Siam Paragon, Bangkok, central Thailand

Spicy, fruity, tangy wine flavours from around the world dance on your tongue at this fab fair. Small and boutique wine producers connect with distributors in Thailand and South-East Asia.

Nan Traditional Long Boat Races

Date TBC, Nan Province, north Thailand

The competition has boats of small, medium and large categories with a cheer squad competition, Thai food contest, arts ’n’ crafts fair and OTOP products sale.

Bloomin Bua Tong Festival

1 Nov – 5 Dec, Mae Hong Son, north Thailand

Feel the cool breeze of wintertime while appreciating the natural beauty of the enchanting bua tong, or Mexican sunflower. Camp in a field alongside the beautiful bloom.

Loy Krathong Festival

10 Nov, nationwide

Loy Krathong is a festival occurring on the full moon of the 12th lunar month. Loy means "to float" and a krathong is a small, hand-made boat or raft set adrift on water with a wish.

Phimai Festival

10 – 13 Nov, Nakhon Ratchasima, north-east Thailand

The event will include a light and sound presentation, river dances, traditional long boat races, art presentations, cultural performances and local food competitions.

Trio for Justice

13 Nov, Sankampeang, Chiang Mai, north Thailand

Choose from a half-marathon, 10K run and 5K walk through stunning rural Thai scenery. Proceeds go to Burmese and northern ethnic minority school children.

Yara Bangkok Challenge

13 Nov, Bangkok Fishing Park, central Thailand

Teams of two cycle, run, kayak and swim past paddy fields, lakes, canals, temples and farmland. There are different levels of competition, with categories for men, women, seniors and mixed.

Surin Elephant Roundup

19-20 Nov, Surin Province, north-east Thailand

To commemorate both the importance of the Thai elephant and the local peoples’ close relationship with them, the Surin Roundup has been held annually since 1960.

Phuket International Soccer 7s

26 – 27 Nov, Phuket, central Thailand

The largest tournament of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, the 7s will see four tournaments, comprising 80 teams from 17 countries taking part.

Bangkok Marathon

27 Nov, Bangkok, central Thailand

The historic run is divided into four sections: marathon (42.195 km), wheelchair marathon (42.195 km); mini-marathon (10.5 km); walk and run for good health marathon (5 km).

Laguna Phuket Triathlon

27 Nov, Phuket, south Thailand

Competitors tackle a gruelling 1.8km swim, 55km bike race and 12km run through the tropical landscape. There is also a 6km fun run for a more relaxed challenge.

Madame Tussauds Bangkok

This newly-opened museum gives visitors a chance to get up-close and personal with wax version of Hollywood superstars, sports legends, world leaders and other celebrities.

The 500-million baht attraction is located in downtown Bangkok’s famous shopping strip. It features 10 rooms of about 80 wax figures. Locals will be pleased to hear that about 30% of them are Thai personalities.

Whilst not all the wax figures resemble their real-life counterparts, e.g. the wax Beyonce is way off, it’s still a lot of fun to see Oprah, Serena Williams, Jim Carey, Madoona, Angelina Jolie, Yao Ming, Jackie Chan, Michael Jackson, Julia Roberts, Nicholas Cage, David Beckham, Britney Spears, Queen Elizabeth, Will Smith, Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman, Barak and Michelle Obama, Captain Jack Sparrow (aka Johnny Depp), etc in semi realdom.

Bring a camera and a friend of two so you can take turns snapping pictures with your favourite celebrity crush. Have fun and try to use the costumes and accessories provided.

A surreal experience with the wax incarnations of celebrities past and present; this museum certainly provides a fun day out for all.

Price: Bht 800 adults, Bht 600 children (under 12)

Times: 10:00 to 21:00 daily

Contact: 026-580-060, www.madametussauds.com/bangkok/en/

Location: Siam Discovery shopping complex, 6^th floor

Top 10 Bangkok Cafes with Free Wi-Fi

1.      DE SKY CAFÉ & CUISINE

5/F, Digital Gateway

BTS Siam

Open daily 11:00-20:00

Quite decent nosh and wallet-friendly drinks. Added bonus: watching the hypnotic Skytrain go past to destinations yonder…

2.      CHAHO

4/F Atrium zone, CentralWorld

BTS Chid Lom

Open daily 10:30-21:00

Anything and everything green is the order of the day here: matcha green tea latte frappuchino, delicious green tea cake and yummy green tea-ice-cream.

3.      KIOSK

6/F, The Emporium

BTS Phrom Phong

Open Tue-Sun 10:30-21:00

Spend over Bht 120 on such goodies as French toast, home-made soup and imported water and you get unlimited free internet surfing in this design-orientated, artsy hangout.

4.      COFFEE SOCIETY

12/3 Silom Rd

BTS Sala Daeng

Open 24 hours

This three-story shop house has plenty of little corners for you to hide away in. Note: the food is not all the fabulous, so stick to the refreshments.

5.      LIBRARY

Sukhumvit Soi 24

BTS Phrom Phong

Open daily 7:00-21:00

A great place to relax with books galore and fellow epicureans. This cosy place is both welcoming and indulgent, pick a favourite pew and stay as long as you like…

6.      CUP B

2/F, Lido Theatre, Siam Square

BTS Siam

Open daily 11:00-21:00

The cakes and coffee are not stellar but this cutesy establishment is a favourite spot for watching local hipsters wander around down-town.

7.      CAFÉ DE NORASINGHA

Phaya Thai Palace, Rajvithee Rd

BTS Victory Monument

Open Mon-Fri 8:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 10:30-19:00

Set in a distinguished former waiting room, this delightful café is full of old world charm, plump armchairs, pot pies, fruit crumbles, sandwiches and iced coffees.

8.      THE THIRD PLACE

137/1 Thong Lor

BTS Thong Lor

Open daily 9:00-20:00

Bht 120 gets you unlimited Wi-Fi and your choice of beverage at his friendly working space equipped with office appliances and meetings rooms.

9.      OHANA CAFÉ

50/4 Sukhumvit Soi 24

BTS Phrom Phong

Open daily 8:00-19:00

This delightful café is airy and breezy and has a good range of affordable set menus and the best espresso latte in town! Great spot for lazy afternoons with a good book.

10.  CITY LOUNGE

Siam City Hotel, 477 Si Ayuthaya Rd

BTS Phaya Thai

Open daily 8:00-24:00

This open-air lounge has oodles of light, comfy seats, cheerful staff and to-die-for delicacies. Don’t miss their delicious daily ‘high tea’ set (Bht 260++) from 2-6pm.