The best things to do in Phuket this weekend (September 24-27)

Thailand-born, Germany-based DJ and producer Nakadia has travelled from rural Isan to some of the world’s biggest stages. A 2002 set by Marusha sparked her obsession with techno, although club owners initially resisted the uncompromising sound that later took her to Sankeys, Ushuaïa and Tomorrowland and onto labels including Intec and Filth On Acid. Expect bold, high-energy techno, from the fuzzed-out psychedelia of ‘Acid Storm’, the melody of ‘Tale of Khonburi’ and the speed of ‘The Red Queen’. She dances behind the decks like a robot outrunning the humans – try to keep up.

Sep 24. B300. Nakadia at Café del Mar. 10pm-2am

Oktoberfest began with a Munich royal wedding in 1810 and eventually shifted into September for warmer weather. Phuket, conveniently, has that part covered. Im En Ville, the all-day restaurant inside Porto de Phuket, is channelling Bavaria with folk dancing in lederhosen and dirndls, long-table conviviality and plates of sausages, pretzels and herb-roast chicken. Draught beer comes by the bucketful, with Helles and Chalawan among the choices.

Sep 9-Oct 10. From B459. Oktoberfest at Im En Ville, Building 1, Room 101, Porto de Phuket, Cherngtalay. 10am-10pm

Jet-lagged, low on energy or nursing a head that feels like a tambourine? Icellare and FIRA Recovery Club have joined forces for a one-day wellness session featuring hydration infusions, hot-and-cold therapies, infrared saunas and steam rooms. Among the options is the ‘Myers’ cocktail’, a mineral-and-vitamin infusion named after physician John Myers. This is no guaranteed hangover cure, but you can at least move from the treatment rooms to FIRA’s infinity pool: the Drip & Dip session runs alongside the Sunday Pool Party from day to dusk.

Sep 27. B790. Icellare x FIRA Drip & Dip, FIRA Recovery Club at FIRA Beach Club. Time TBC

PEYLAA Phuket is pairing floral styling with handcrafted chocolate for a workshop built around taking your time. Shape wildflowers into living art during the guided floral session, then learn how origin, aroma and texture affect chocolate as you taste creamy milk chocolate. Swirl it around your mouth as you would a sip of wine and let the flavours develop. Places are limited, so register before turning up.

Sep 26. Free entry with registration. PEYLAA Sales Gallery, PEYLAA Phuket, Autograph Collection Residences. 10am-noon and 1pm-3pm

Bronx brothers Chris and Steve Martinez were playing clubs worldwide before they had finished high school. Their house sets have since taken them across Europe, the US and Australia, with an Ibiza residency at Hï Ibiza following a decade at Circoloco. Their reach extends into fashion too: they created music for Riccardo Tisci’s Givenchy menswear and womenswear collections. At Illuzion, expect dark, raw house grooves, cut-up vocals and psychedelic loops – including flashes of Donna Summer and George Duke stretched into long, hypnotic passages.

Sep 24. From B1,200 (Ladies Ticket B1,000). The Martinez Brothers at Illuzion Phuket. 9pm-4am

Into spirits? The drinkable kind? Head to The Distillery Phuket for an insider look at how Chalong Bay Rum and other small-batch tipples are made, from raw sugarcane to snifter cup. This is no backstreet operation – this is a proper guided tour through the working distillery, with stops for tasting along the way. Sure, you can sip Chalong Bay at many bars along the beach, but sampling yet-to-be-bottled rums, gins and vodkas while learning the basics behind distilling and cocktail-making adds new ‘depth’ to the glass. Plenty of swirling and sipping happens here, and maybe a few ‘just one more’ moments to be found as well. 

 Daily. B1,290. The Distillery Phuket. 11am-10pm

Ladies, Thursdays in Bang Tao just got a little more glamorous. Dolly’s Night at Maya Beach Club is your weekly excuse to lean into refined beachside energy with a night dedicated to feminine vibes. Start off at sunset, with deep-house rhythms and an ultra-glam dress-code to match Phuket’s beautiful golden hour. By 7pm, things shift to smooth sophistication with DJ Marcella curating a soundtrack and a troupe of pink-cladded acrobats who take you from dinner to dancefloor in one fell swoop. If you’re skipping the food, get there before 9pm to make the most of free-flow Prosecco and catch up with those already a bottle or two deep. 

Every Thursday. Free for women, B1,000 for men. Maya Beach Club. 7pm-late