The best things to do in Phuket this weekend (June 11-14)

Berlin-based DJ-producer JAMIIE has taken the long route from corporate life and single motherhood to stages including Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland and HÏ Ibiza. The German-Nigerian artist brings a sharp mix of polyrhythmic percussion, melodic afro-house and afro-tech, with enough deep- and tech-house in the bag to keep things moving. Her Watergate Records release Unfold Voices helped push her into wider view, while tracks such as ‘Indawo Yonke’, made with South African singer-songwriter Tabia and Mozambican producer Owa Oda, show the kind of border-crossing, femme-led energy she does best. Expect a set that starts afro-house and does not stay politely in one lane.

Jun 13. B500. JAMIIE, Café del Mar Phuket. 10pm-3am

Skyline Film’s open-air cinema brings deckchairs, headphones, popcorn and big-screen romance to the rooftop of Central Phuket Floresta. The views over Phuket’s hills and the sea beyond are already doing plenty of work, but the line-up helps: Saturday opens with Before Sunrise, Richard Linklater’s talky, tender classic about two strangers connecting on a train, before moving into Wong Kar-wai’s Happy Together, a 1997 landmark of queer cinema and a neat Pride Month pick. Sunday keeps the mood romantic with Call Me By Your Name, followed by La La Land at 8.30pm. Bring someone who can sit still through a sunset.

Jun 13-14. B300 per film. Rooftop parking, 3rd floor, Floresta wing, Central Phuket. 5.30pm-10.45pm

Whether you’re chasing a PB, ticking off a holiday race or simply want a weekend that involves more than beach lounging, Laguna Phuket Marathon is one of the island’s big sporting fixtures. It starts with a relaxed Sunset Social Run on Friday before the serious distances take over. The AIMS-certified race is an official Boston Marathon qualifier, with a mostly flat opening 11km and a scenic out-and-back route through local villages, cultural landmarks, coastal roads and long rows of rubber trees. There is also a half marathon, 10km, 5km and 2km Junior Run, drawing thousands of runners from more than 60 countries. 

Jun 12-14. B1,600. Laguna Phuket Marathon, Laguna Grove at Laguna Phuket. From 5.30pm on Friday

The Slate’s Brazilian BOLD – Amazonian Fire Ritual is not pretending to be a quiet dinner. The resort’s BOLD series goes full Brazil this weekend, with open-fire grilling, churrasco-style meats, suckling pig, big beef cuts and caipirinhas built for a smoky night out. Rivet & Rebar supplies the dramatic industrial setting, while samba dancers and live energy push the whole thing closer to dinner theatre than a standard hotel buffet. Expect fire, colour, meat and a fair amount of movement between the tables.

Jun 13. From B2,000 food only. Brazilian BOLD – Amazonian Fire Ritual, Rivet & Rebar, The Slate Phuket. 6.30pm-midnight

Sabai returns to Shelter Phuket, the club inside Illuzion, with a late-night session for anyone who likes their house music deep, dark and a little less obvious. The monthly underground electronic night brings together local and international selectors, with Portuguese artist  Spencer leading this round through South American and African rhythms, house and afro-tech. He is joined by Sami Galetto, the name behind Baba Loop, plus Nutnai and Tissanai from Rec.’n Cue, the collective that has helped shape southern Thailand’s underground scene. Think rolling percussion, minimal house, warehouse pressure and no rush to go home.

Jun 13. B500. Sabai at The Shelter Phuket, midnight-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