After much anticipation, Thailand Creative and Design Center (TCDC) is finally set to open its new location on Charoenkrung Road next week. 

Having left its previous home at the Emporium last October, Thailand's best-loved design library will now take over a space adjacent to the 80-year-old building that was once the Bangkok General Post Office. 

To mark the opening on May 5-7, TCDC will host 'Redefining the District,' an event that aims to promote and transform Charoenkrung into a creative economical hub. 

The event will feature a 'Creative Market,' which will bring together a range of clothing shops and food vendors, and offer workshops on a variety of creative endeavours.  

Food will come from a mix of new and old faces along Charoenkrung, from Little Market and Outlaw to 369 Pad Thai Kung Sod.

There will also be live music from the likes of Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, Yellow Fang, Summer Dress and My Life as Ali Thomas, along with movie and documentary screenings. The event takes place from 4-11pm each day and entrance is free.

The TCDC's arrival on Charoenkrung caps an incredible rise for Bangkok's oldest road, which in recent years has seen a spate of cool bars and galleries take over old shop-houses. Eleven other creative spaces in the neighborhood will welcome TCDC by opening late on May 6 as part of the latest Creative District Gallery Hopping Night.   
 
Also set to open nearby in May is Warehouse 30, Duangrit Bunnag's new art project that aims to breathe new life into a 4,000-sq-meter space of abandoned World War 2-era warehouses in Charoenkrung Soi 30 

Similar to the previous TCDC, we can expect regular talks, meetings and workshops. But the highlight will be a variety of activities and displays covering topics like cuisine and couture to craftsmanship and culture, both inside and outside the building. This includes collections of creative Thai-made products and an overview of Thai industrial development. 

Ensuring that creative design ideas get turned into reality, prototypes can now be made right there at a brand-new co-working space-slash-design-lab, fully equipped with tools like 3D printing, in collaboration with FabCafe. 

The hub of Charoenkrung’s drive to become a creative district, the space will cater to everyone involved in the creative economy, from filmmakers to animators, SMEs to start-ups. While a lot of us may think of TCDC as a co-working space, the new TCDC will actually put a heavy emphasis on incubation programs and business consultation by experts to assist entrepreneurs with their business ideas, fostering a creative ecosystem. 

For updates, see www.tcdc.or.th or www.facebook.com/tcdc.thailand


See also: Bangkok's long-awaited creative megaprojects are ready to open