The best things to do in Phuket this weekend (May 28-31)

Kata Rocks continues its campaign to dominate Phuket’s luxury brunch scene with another edition of its monthly pool party brunch. You arrive to a glass of bubbly, then spend the afternoon bouncing between seafood, cheese boards, live stations and an infinity pool hanging over the Andaman Sea. This month’s curveball is rösti with tom yum benedict, which sounds slightly chaotic on paper but somehow works. A live saxophonist threads through house beats while Louis Roederer champagne keeps appearing in glasses. By the time the sun starts leaning west, nobody seems particularly interested in leaving.

May 30. From B2,950++. Kata Rocks Pool Party Brunch, Kata Rocks. Noon-5.30pm

Adassîya lands at Café del Mar Phuket with the kind of set designed for dancing barefoot near the sand. The Algerian DJ-producer first started out as a vocalist at just 14 before drifting through hip-hop and eventually into deep and organic house. These days she plays everywhere from Scorpios Mykonos to Ibiza and Tulum, though what makes her stand out is the live vocal element woven through her sets. Expect deep grooves, trancey tribal rhythms and North African textures running through the night rather than a straightforward club soundtrack.

May 29. B300. Adassîya, Café del Mar. 10pm-2am

Carpe Diem Beach Club knows exactly who this party is for. Rosé à la Plage Saturday leans unapologetically into poolside glamour with afro-house sets, floating pink inflatables and rosé-heavy cocktails landing all afternoon. Phuket DJs Shane Shine and Marcella handle the soundtrack, building things gradually rather than going full festival immediately. The first 50 women through the door get gift bags, though the real draw is the easy sunset energy a few steps from Bang Tao’s shoreline. Men and non-binary guests are very much welcome too, despite the aggressively pink dress code.

May 30 (monthly). B1,000. Rosé à la Plage Saturday, Carpe Diem Beach Club. 3pm-9pm

For one night, Phuket swaps beach clubs for candlelight. Visakha Bucha Day marks the birth, enlightenment and passing of Buddha, making it the most sacred date in the Buddhist calendar. Across the island, devotees gather at temples carrying candles, lotus flowers and incense before walking clockwise around temple halls three times during the Wian Tian procession. Wat Chalong becomes especially atmospheric once the sun disappears and hundreds of flickering candles begin circling together in silence. It is also one of the few Phuket nights where the island noticeably slows down, helped by the nationwide alcohol ban running midnight to midnight.

May 31. Free. Visakha Bucha Day, Wat Chalong and all other Phuket temples. 7pm-7.30pm

Baba Loop closes the season with the sort of two-day beach blowout Phuket’s electronic music crowd waits months for. DJs including Coco Dexter, Giorgio Nola and Tim Roemer headline marathon house and techno sets stretched across day-to-night sessions at Baba Beach Club Natai. Day one pushes harder with Ibiza-style house, funky grooves and underground techno blasting through a Funktion-One system. Day two eases into slower deep-house territory, better suited to horizontal recovery under palm trees. If you are planning on making questionable decisions this weekend, this is probably where they happen.

May 29-31. From B1,000 (entry only). Baba Loop closing season, Baba Beach Club Natai, Khok Kloi. 3pm-3am

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