The best things to do in Bangkok this weekend (December 25-28)

Five years is a long time in Bangkok nightlife, long enough to watch tastes shift, crowds grow up, then circle back again. Tichuca hits that mark this December, marking its anniversary while the city edges towards Christmas drinks and end of year bravado. The party runs from Christmas night through to the New Year’s Eve countdown, stitched together by music, lighting and the familiar mood that regulars know so well. The biggest change arrives with the Circle Stage, a new setup that pulls the DJ into the middle of the room, with dancers and friends pressed close on all sides. It feels less like watching and more like sharing the moment. A rotating group of local musicians, DJs and sound artists will hold the space for seven straight hours, letting the night stretch, soften and build again as midnight creeps closer.

December 25-26. Free. Tichuca Bangkok, 6.30pm-1.30am

Growing up rarely happens in a straight line. One minute you’re fearless, the next you’re carefully unlearning it. Kid Wisdom plays with that uneasy distance between who we were and who we pretend to be now. Presented as NORArtscape’s first solo show, the exhibition brings oversized plush figures and textile works together in a space that feels comforting without tipping into sentimentality. The soft sculptures come from the artist’s ongoing Kid Wisdom universe, each character shaped like a memory you cannot quite place but instantly recognise. They ask for touch, not analysis. Around them sit textile pieces rooted in ideas of home, safety and selfhood, drawing from NORArtscape’s Armenian American background and visual echoes of Thai culture. It reads as a quiet conversation about belonging, stitched together with humour, care and the kind of honesty most of us left behind with our toys.

Until January 4 2026. Free. m Galleria, River City Bangkok, 10am-8pm 

Christmas in Bangkok does not always need carols or tinsel. Sometimes it asks for a river breeze, a good pair of shoes and a reason to move. Vintage Swing Fair returns this December with Christmas Swing Fest, settling by the water after lively outings in Yaowarat and around the Golden Mount. Anunta Cafe and Bistro on the Thonburi side becomes a relaxed meeting point for dancers, listeners and curious passers-by. The Hop Bangkok brings familiar favourites The Swing Bouncer and The Stumblers out for a live jazz-led Christmas market that mixes social dancing with gift hunting and unhurried drinks by the river. Beginners are welcome, workshops run daily and the mood stays generous rather than showy. 

December 25-28. Free. Anunta Cafe and Bistro, 4pm-11pm on December 25-26 and midday-1pm on December 27-28

Christmas arrives gently at Tropic City this year, marked not by spectacle but by friendship. Boxing Day brings the final Friend Shift of 2025, inviting Maprang and Samantha behind the bar together for the first time. 20 years of shared history sit quietly beneath the surface, folded into a menu shaped by past adventures, present jokes and future plans still half formed. The night leans on warmth rather than polish. Cocktails tell small stories, poured by people who know each other well enough not to over explain. The Friend Shift series has always stretched beyond drinking, drawing in a wider circle of familiar faces and curious newcomers. An ‘80s and ‘90s playlist hums along, occasionally tipping into a singalong when the mood allows. One night only, no reruns, just a soft celebration of time spent side-by-side.

December 26. Free. Reserve via 097-242-2890. Tropic City, 8pm onwards

December nights in Bangkok often call for a softer kind of gathering. Soho House answers with an evening that leans cosy rather than flashy, turning its rooms into a holiday hideaway where small rituals matter. Expect gingerbread to be shaped by unsteady hands, marshmallows toasted with care and ornaments made badly but proudly. DJs drift across both floors, keeping the mood warm without demanding attention. White Claw flows freely throughout the night, less a headline than a background companion, while games like candy cane hunts and caricature sketches give people excuses to talk to strangers. It feels playful without pretending to be childish, social without trying too hard. No snow, obviously, but enough familiar comforts to make the city slow down for a few hours and remember how to enjoy being together.

December 26. B1,399-1,799 via here. Soho House Bangkok, 8pm-2am

Bangkok gets a small taste of Taiwan’s most mythologised dance gathering as Organik Festival carries on its regional run at Bar Temp., with Diskonnected, Toumingren, and Sarayu sharing control of the night. Over the past decade, Organik has built a reputation that travels faster than its line-ups, often spoken about in hushed, post-rave tones as one of Asia’s most thoughtful party experiences. The emphasis has always leaned towards connection rather than spectacle, music unfolding slowly from daylight moods to darker hours. This Bangkok stop feels like a quiet handshake between scenes, linking local selectors with a wider regional conversation. Looking ahead to late April, the festival returns to Taiwan with international guests while staying rooted in its own artistic circle, proving growth doesn’t have to mean dilution.

December 27. B400 at the door and B600 after midnight. Bar Temp., 9pm onwards

An afternoon wander turns playful at Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park as oversized inflatable figures quietly take over the green. The scale alone makes you smile, cartoonish forms scattered across the grounds like they have escaped from a sketchbook. It is an easy place to drift through, stopping for photos as daylight softens and the city hums at a distance. As evening arrives, the Lighting Playground shifts the atmosphere. Sunlit brightness gives way to glowing colours, and suddenly the park feels almost theatrical. Beyond posing for pictures, visitors can catch small live sets, join hands-on sessions or help build a shared installation using more than 300 balloons. Nothing feels rushed or overproduced. Just a gentle reminder that public spaces can still surprise, especially when imagination is allowed to take up a little more room than usual.

Until December 29. Free. Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park, 2pm-11pm

Bangkok gains a serious new art address this month with the arrival of Dib Bangkok, a contemporary museum housed inside a reimagined warehouse. The building itself sets the tone, all considered angles, softened light and shadows that shift from morning to night, rewarding anyone who lingers. It feels confident without showing off. Inside, rotating exhibitions bring Thai and international artists together across several zones. The courtyard centres on a star-shaped sculpture that changes character as daylight moves, flanked by a cafe and restaurant worth a slow pause. The main hall currently presents (In)visible Presence, featuring 80 works by 40 artists, open from December 21. Tucked away is James Turrell’s Straight Up, an installation shaped entirely by sky and time. Entry costs B550 for locals and B700 for visitors.

Thursday-Monday. B550-700 at the door. Dib Bangkok, 10am-7pm

The last Friday of the year has a way of asking for release. Detour offers a place to put down whatever 2025 dragged behind it, no speeches required. Think of it less as a grand finale and more as a shared exhale, set to music that leans warm, loose and unapologetically physical. The kind of grooves that let shoulders drop and thoughts wander off without explanation. Nothing here demands a better version of yourself. Bad moods, strange outfits and half-finished resolutions are all welcome. Come bruised, bored or quietly triumphant. Dance badly, dance brilliantly, disappear into the corner for a while, then return when the beat pulls you back. It is not about fixing the year or reframing it nicely. Just one honest night to move, sweat and leave the mess exactly where it belongs.

December 26. B300-500 at the door. Bar Temp, 9pm onwards

Weekends rarely look like this in Bangkok. For a few days, the grounds of the second Cavalry Division near Sanam Pao open up for a lifestyle-led gathering. Championship horse racing remains at its centre, but the mood widens outwards. Made by Legacy curates an open-air market filled with home pieces, handmade finds, clothes and objects that reward slow browsing rather than impulse buying. Food runs the gamut from street classics to chef-led dishes, best enjoyed on the grass with a view of the city easing back a notch. As daylight fades, hooves give way to turntables and live sets, drifting through jazz, soul, disco, hip-hop and electronic sounds. Dogs tug at leads, cats peek from carriers. It is relaxed, sociable and quietly different from the usual weekend routine.

December 26-28. Free.  King's Guard, second Cavalry Division, 1pm-10pm

This is Takehiro Iikawa’s first official show in Bangkok. His world arrives in two familiar figures: Mr Kobayashi, the pink cat with a talent for mischief, and the Decorator Crab, the artist’s long-running meditation on how we collect pieces of life and wear them as armour. The exhibition threads these characters through drawings packed with sly humour and tiny emotional tremors. Mr Kobayashi drifts through scenes with a shruggy nonchalance, while the crab quietly gathers objects that hint at memories, fears and odd comforts. Together they build a universe shaped by curiosity and gentle absurdity. You wander through it noticing how we all decorate ourselves, hoping the things we carry will say what we cannot quite articulate.

Until December 31. Free. Galerie Monument Songwat, 10am-7pm

The ’90s return not as a costume party but as a shared memory, slightly blurred at the edges and full of colour. Framed as a throwback trip to a bolder, more playful decade, this year-end gathering brings together people who care about art, fashion, music, film and the everyday rituals that sit between them. The mood stays easy, more hangout than hype. A flea market anchors the space, stacked with vintage finds and curious objects worth rummaging through slowly. Evenings make room for film screenings curated by Documentary Club, soundtracked by DJs from Century Disk Jockey between December 26-28. Daytime leans hands-on with workshops ranging from flower arranging and jewellery making to zines, crafts and swing dance. A Riso photobooth rounds things off, printing keepsakes that feel pleasingly imperfect, just like the decade it nods to.

Until December 28. Free. The Corner House Bangkok, midday-9pm

Bangkok’s most unapologetic Christmas night returns with a mood that leans more velvet lounge than family postcard. Think of it as the festive season’s mischievous sibling, the one who turns up late, dressed well and determined to have a memorable evening.

 Guests settle in for five courses that feel indulgent without tipping into fussiness, helped along by free-flow wine that smoothes any lingering December stress. Madame Rouge takes the stage with performances that flirt with cabaret, theatre and a hint of the unexpected, while a live DJ keeps the room stitched together. Now in its third chapter, the event speaks to anyone craving a holiday celebration with personality.

December 27. B4,900 via here. The Fig Lobby Bangkok, 7pm

At this exhibition, the first section turns its attention to Korea’s Demilitarised Zone, a strip of land that has carried the weight of an unfinished war since the armistice paused the conflict in 1953. Spread across 248km, with two narrow bands flanking the Military Demarcation Line, it has remained largely untouched for about 70 years. The exhibition doesn’t retell history as much as reframe it, pairing archival echoes with scenes shaped by nature’s quiet resilience. With people kept out, the land has healed in its own stubborn way, giving rise to wetlands, wildflowers and animals that rarely appear elsewhere. What you get is a portrait of a place suspended between past and renewal, still holding its breath yet defiantly alive.

Until February 22 2026. Free. 7/F, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, 10am-8pm

Ending a year does not always need fireworks or finish lines. Sabai keeps things simple, closing out 2025 with the same easy spirit that carried it through morning runs, post jog coffees and long conversations that wandered far from pace or distance. Just cold beer and a night that stretches as long as the company feels good. It is designed as a come and go gathering, the sort where arrivals drift in after work and others stay long past the point they meant to leave. The focus stays on shared time rather than schedules, familiar faces rather than big gestures. A low key send off that marks the year not by what was achieved, but by who showed up along the way.

December 28. B349 via here. Two Palms Taproom, 5pm-midnight

Questions about how we live often sit quietly until art nudges them forward. Bangkok Kunsthalle’s latest exhibition, Description Without Place, brings the uncompromising work of Absalon into focus, offering a rare chance to engage with an artist who treated space as a kind of personal test. Known for pushing against ideas of comfort, control and the limits of the body, Absalon’s practice feels as confrontational now as it did decades ago. For the first time in Asia, all six of his iconic Cells appear as full-scale replicas, carefully presented by curator Stefano Rabolli Pansera. Each structure asks visitors to step closer, measure themselves against narrow walls and unfamiliar proportions. The experience is stark but strangely intimate, encouraging reflection on how much room we really need, and what happens when that space is taken away.

Until May 31 2026. Free. Bangkok Kunsthalle, 2pm-8pm