The best things to do in Bangkok this December

December rolls around and Suan Luang Rama IX shifts character, almost as if someone quietly swapped its everyday calm for colour and movement. The botanical festival settles in again, filling the park with stalls stacked with greenery and blooms that look far pricier than they are, which helps when trekking across town feels like a heroic act you simply cannot face. Regulars treat it like a gentle homecoming. Families from Prawet stroll the grounds in matching weekend finery, greeting familiar faces as if the whole district planned to meet at the same bench. People from Samut Prakan turn up with well prepared enthusiasm, often arriving before the sun remembers its job, ready to spend the day wandering, chatting and pretending life can be measured in petals and shade rather than deadlines and traffic.

December 1-10. B20. Suan Luang Rama IX, 8am-7pm

San Diego’s indie darlings TV Girl are finally heading this way and Thai fans can start rehearsing their best wistful sway. The trio, led by Brad Petering with Jason Wyman and Wyatt Harmon at his side, built their world on a mix of ‘60s French pop shimmer and Southern California soul, stitched with hip hop beats and vocals that feel borrowed from a forgotten girl group. Their early EP Lonely Women floated through the internet with the sort of ease every indie band secretly hopes for. Their sound has grown older in a graceful way. The latest album. Grapes Upon the Vine, leans on gospel touches to talk about love, endings and whatever might wait beyond. That shift has carried them from small rooms to festival stages where crowds mouth every word as if recalling an old confession.

December 1. B2,200-2,800 via here. Samyan Mitrtown Hall, 8pm

December is shaping up to be one of those months that feels borrowed from a summer postcard. Now, the Netherlands Embassy in Bangkok throws open its garden gates for a Dutch Thai jazz night, the kind of gathering where the lawn becomes a stage and the air picks up a soft swagger. Saxophonist Tom van der Zaal and percussionist Steven Brezet will fly the Dutch flag with easy style, joining forces with Thai saxophonist Yongsit Yongkamol under the banner of the World Groove Collective. The programme carries a thoughtful touch. Compositions by the late King Bhumibhol Adulyadej will be performed as a tribute to Queen Sirikit the late Queen Mother, giving the concert a tender sense of occasion.

December 2. Free. Register via here. The Netherlands Embassy, 6pm-9.45pm

Goodhood returns for its sixth year with the kind of energy that turns a regular weekend into a small adventure. The market has become a familiar fixture by now, pulling together fashion labels, lifestyle stalls and those online favourites you usually only scroll past at midnight. Everything lands under one roof with limited runs, playful collaborations and the odd promotion that feels like a quiet win. Music keeps the whole affair from slipping into a simple shopping trip. Mini concerts pop up through the day with Tilly Birds, Polycat, Pun, Youngohm and The Parkinson holding court, plus a few surprise names that always seem to appear just when you think you have seen it all. It is the sort of event where you wander in for a look and somehow stay long enough to forget what time you arrived.

December 4-7. B200 via here and B250 at the door. Sermsuk Warehouse, 3pm-midnight

Once Gallery’s Night winds down, the crowd drifts towards our museums as if the city has collectively decided to stay out a little longer. This year more than 50 venues across the country are joining the Night at the Museum Festival throughout December, offering after hours tours, night markets, live music and the kind of stargazing that makes you forget you are still in Thailand’s busiest regions. Bangkok’s programme gathers pace from December 19, though a few eager hosts start early between December 5 and 7, including The Wireless House One Bangkok and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. With so many places opening their doors after dark, it helps to check schedules before heading out. Think of it as a month-long excuse to treat museums like late night friends rather than daytime obligations.

December 5-30. Free. 50 museums across the country.

Bangkok Art Book Fair returns for its seventh round with a theme that feels like an open-armed invitation: You Can Sit With Us. The message is simple enough. Anyone curious, shy, seasoned or completely new to the scene can walk in without pretending to know the difference between risograph and perfect binding. This edition packs four programmes including three fresh additions. Expect 126 exhibitors from 25 countries, installations that stretch the idea of what an art book can look like and 25 activities ranging from compact talks to hands-on workshops. Conversations on the state of contemporary publishing thread through the weekend, offering thoughtful pauses between browsing sprees. It promises a heady mix of clever printing, sharp ideas and unexpected encounters, the sort of fair where you wander off with stories as easily as you do with books.

December 5-7. Free. Bangkok Art and Culture Center, 1pm-8pm

RomRom is winding up the year with its beloved community mishmash, the RomRom Prong Dong, a party that always feels stitched together by the people who show up rather than the flyers that promise. Expect four stages plus a few tucked away corners that reward curious wanderers. International and local DJs share the bill with live acts from Bangkok and further afield. A food court keeps everyone fed with familiar favourites while vintage stalls, custom jewellery makers and art installations turn the grounds into a small festival village. It is set to be RomRom’s most ambitious gathering yet, a December blowout built for lingering long after the music stops.

December 6. B555-800 via here. The Warehouse Talat Noi, 4pm onwards

A proper heavyweight night is brewing, the sort that pulls electronic diehards out of their midweek routines with barely a warning. Keith Hillebrandt sets the tone, a sound architect with a career that once threaded through the world of Nine Inch Nails. His sets tend to feel like conversations with machines that answer back in riddles. Honeycomb follows with the confidence of someone who has spent years shaping Bangkok’s electronic undercurrent, easing between textures and tempos as if switching languages. Then comes Muzz, frighteningly productive yet rarely spotted on stage, which makes this appearance feel like a small gift to anyone who has kept an eye on his catalogue.

December 6. B300 at the door. JAM, 9pm onwards

The event makes its return with the swagger of an event that knows exactly how to gather a crowd. The riverside setting is gone, replaced by a central spot that cuts travel time without losing any of the fair’s original mischief. Vinyl spinning DJs keep the mood warm across two days, giving the whole thing the feel of a laid back block party with better glasses. Wines come from a generous cast of producers and importers including Fin, Cloud Wine, Winearoi, Koko Wines, The Grand Crew, Tipsy Tickles, Soul Wines, Must Wine Bar, Grapey and Veraison, adding up to roughly 100 labels. Food arrives courtesy of Dough with its sourdough and Olive and Apple with homemade salads. A vinyl market waits in the corner like a quiet temptation, perfect for anyone who can’t resist taking music home as a souvenir.

December 6-7. B700-1,500 via here. FRIEND FRIEND, Emporium, midday-8pm

The year is bowing out with a three day affair on Soi Nana, Sukhumvit 4, where a roomy venue is being remade as a cheerful end of year hangout. Think of it as a playful mash up of market, block party and friends’ reunion, stitched together with the kind of energy that makes you forget December exhaustion. Every corner offers something to poke at. Rows of stalls cover fashion, accessories, clothing and footwear with a spread wide enough to satisfy anyone who shops by instinct rather than plan, all selling authentic pieces. A drinks and food zone keeps the crowd fuelled with cold pours and quick bites. DJs and live bands take turns keeping the soundtrack lively while a generous lounge area helps you catch your breath. It promises an easygoing weekend built for wandering, snacking and squeezing every last drop of good mood from the final days of the year.

December 12-14. Free. Maison Hotel Bangkok, 4pm onwards

Returning for its fourth year, this food festival has quietly become a highlight of the season. Curated with help from the popular food review page ThanadChim, the event gathers more than 120 stalls serving up everything from sticky savoury bites to indulgent desserts and thirst-quenching drinks. Each stall feels handpicked, offering little surprises that keep you wandering with a plate in hand. The soundtrack keeps the weekend humming. Mini concerts feature familiar names like Tattoo Colour, ETC., Lipta and Landokmai, with a few unexpected performers dotted through the schedule. It’s the kind of festival where tasting and listening go hand in hand, where you can linger over a dessert while an energetic chorus fills the air, and somehow three hours slip by without noticing.

December 12-14. B200 via here and B250 at the door. Sermsuk Warehouse, 3pm-midnight

Paintbrush Foundation is welcoming the public to an open-air concert at Benjakitti Park, an hour of music set against one of Bangkok’s greenest corners. Students and teachers alike will perform Thai classical pieces alongside fusion arrangements, blending tradition with playful modern touches. The park itself feels like an extended stage, the lake catching the last light of the afternoon and the trees leaning in as if listening. It’s the sort of event where you can wander in casually, settle on the grass with a friend and let the melodies thread through conversation. For anyone who has spent long weeks in the city, this hour offers a gentle pause, a quiet celebration of music and movement, and a reminder that the city can be unexpectedly serene when the sun is low.

December 13. Free. Benjakitti Park, 5pm-6pm

The 2025 Contemporary World Film Series closes with A Perfectly Normal Family, directed by Malou Reymann. The story follows an ordinary family whose life shifts unexpectedly when the father decides to transition into a woman, exploring the ripples this decision sends through love, confusion and eventual acceptance. The film has already made its mark internationally, collecting accolades at major festivals and earning Denmark’s Bodil Award, a nod to its sensitive storytelling and strong performances. The screening is hosted with support from the Embassy of Denmark, and attendees can look forward to a reception afterwards. HE Danny Annan, the Danish Ambassador, will open the evening with a few words, setting the tone for a story that is at once intimate and universally resonant, a reflection on identity, family and the quiet courage it takes to embrace change.

December 13. B20 at the door for non-TK Park members. Reserve via [email protected]. TK Park, Central World, 4pm

Cambridge’s Black Country, New Road have been quietly rewriting the rules of indie pop since 2018. Formed by a cluster of friends, most fresh from music school, they built a sound that refuses to sit still – baroque flourishes rub against jazz improvisation, folk and rock twist through unexpected structures, and vocals teeter between subtle emotion and urgent confession. Their live shows are a theatre of movement and intensity, each set a reminder of why Ninja Tune snapped them up so quickly. Their debut album For the First Time (2021) startled listeners with strings and brass crashing against post-punk edges, a sound both jagged and cinematic. Ants From Up There (2022) introduced lighter, playful tones without losing the storytelling that has become their signature. Thailand gets a first glimpse of their full evolution at Maho Rasop Series, a performance that promises to linger long after the last note fades.

December 13. B2,200 via here. Search Studio, 7pm

Doja Cat is coming to Thailand for the very first time, and the timing couldn’t feel more festive. The Grammy-winning superstar has revealed her Ma Vie World Tour, bringing her genre-blurring sound and theatrical energy to stages across New Zealand, Australia and several spots in Asia. For Thai fans, it promises an evening where pop, rap and R&B collide with a performance style that has made her one of the most talked-about names in music right now. Expect bold visuals, choreographed spectacle and moments that will have the crowd moving from the first beat to the last. It’s a chance to see her world on a stage that, until now, has only been imagined, and to ring out the year with a show that feels impossibly vibrant and very much worth the wait.

December 18. B2,800-12,600 via here. Impact Exhibition Hall 5-6, Muangthong Thani, 7pm

One at A Time closes the year with a party made for those who feel music rather than chase it. Gene on Earth leads the evening, a selector whose sets never shout but linger, coaxing shoulders to loosen and ears to lean a little closer than usual. Each track feels deliberate, a quiet mastery of groove and restraint that keeps the room suspended just enough to notice the small details. Elaheh and Shinfish, the trusted residents, weave through the night with unhurried precision. They drop the right record at the exact moment, and occasionally something unexpected, which somehow lands perfectly. It’s the kind of night where time stretches softly around the music, where dancing is measured, smiles are exchanged over shared beats, and the year quietly folds itself into a groove that feels entirely your own.

December 20. B500 via here and B700 at the door. Bar Temp., 9pm onwards

Bangkok is about to claim a new chapter in its nightlife story with the opening of a ‘hyperclub’ designed for anyone who measures life in beats and movement. The debut brings ARTBAT to town, the electronic duo whose sets have commanded the biggest stages across the globe. Their sound, equal parts melodic and relentless, promises to shape the evening from the first note. Joining them is Nakadia, Thailand’s own Techno ambassador, who has clocked more than 1,700 performances across 72 countries, including residencies in Berlin and appearances at Tomorrowland. Her sets, a mix of precision and propulsion, return home with a reputation that precedes her, making this opening more than a party.

December 30. Price to be announced here. FVTURE Bangkok, 9pm