Bangkok's winter art, music and culture festivals 2014
Plan your cool months ahead with our handy cultural calendar.
6 music festivals you should hit in Bangkok this November
3 old-school events coming up in Bangkok
Concert in the Park
Date: Nov 9-30, Dec 21-Feb 1
Location: Lumpini Park
The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra continues its much-loved winter tradition of playing popular favorites with different guest vocalists every Sunday from 5:30-7pm at Lumpini Park’s Sala Bhirom Bhakdi. Expect anything from Thai and Western classical music to popular Broadway scores. Get there early to choose a good picnic spot and make sure you bring your booze in fruit juice bottles to avoid detection. Free admission.
International Dance Festival 2014
Date: Nov 21-Dec 3
Location: BACC
Some of the world’s leading dance troupes are headed our way. Among the highlights are Hopera by GDO Dance Company (Italy), Red Apple by Vision of the Dance Barcelona Dance Company (Spain), Rhythms of Human by Ambiguous Dance Company (South Korea), Two Room Apartment by Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor (Israel), and a show by the Maya Dance Company of Singapore. There will also be workshops on Nov 22-23 and Nov 29-30, master dance classes from Nov 24-30, and shows by six of Thailand’s best emerging choreographers on Nov 23. Tickets are B600-1,800 per person, available at www.thaiticketmajor.com. Students under 22 get a 50 percent discount if booking through Friends-of-the-Arts Foundation on 085-100-3050. Details at www.dance-festival.info
Science Film Festival
Date: Nov 14-Dec 14
Location: Various venues nationwide
Embrace your inner geek at the month-long 10th Science Film Festival. This year’s theme of future technologies and contemporary science will feature 26 selected international science film screenings on subjects like life science, technology, ecology and environment. Venues include the Faculty of Science at Burapha Uni, Nanmeebooks Learning Center, the National Science Museum Thailand and TK Park library. There will also be games and science-related activities. Details at www.sciencefilmfestival.org
Harmony World Puppet Carnival
Date: Nov 1-10
Location: Various venues around Rattanakosin Island
Puppet shows aren’t just for children, as this carnival attests. Welcoming puppetry art from 83 different countries, it will feature puppet exhibitions, films, parades, workshops, seminars and over 160 international puppet shows performed at various venues around Rattanokosin Island including Sanam Luang, the National Theatre, the National Museum Bangkok, Silapakorn University Auditorium, Wangna Theatre, the National Gallery Bangkok and Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center. Highlights include The Portrait Painter street show by String Bean Puppets Raumati (New Zealand), Once Upon a Time by Teatro Verde (Rome, Italy), Taming of the Wild by Dolls Theatre Kolkata (India), Odisea by La Gorda Azul (Santa Fe, Argentina), and Ritual Scissors Dance by Jose Navarro Theatre (Andahuaylas, Peru). Details at www.harmonyworldpuppet.com
The 9th International Butoh Festival Thailand 2014
Date: Dec 4-21
Location: Studio, 4/F at the BACC
Now in its ninth year, the festival returns under the theme of “Butoh Fever,” featuring avant garde Japanese dance performances by international Butoh artists including Takita Takayumi (Japan), Mikio Tsunekawa (Japan/Chile), Valeria Geremia (Sicula Butoh, Italy) and Salome Nieto (PataSola Dance, Mexico/Canada), as well as our own B-Floor and Butoh Co-Op troupes. Dec 4-7 will also see performance workshops run by Butoh artists like Valentin Tszin (Poema Theatre, Russia) and Paul Ibey (Canada) focusing on physical and emotional expressions. Tickets are B600 per show or B1,500 for all the performances. B1,000 per workshop or B5,000 for all the workshops. Details at 085-160-1677 or ow.ly/D1oNm
A Cinema/Concert Night at Alliance Française
Date: Nov 13
Location: Auditorium of Alliance Française Bangkok, 179 Wireless Rd.
Alliance Francaise will mark the 100th anniversary of World War I with a screening of the black and white French film Verdun, visions d’histoire, which depicts the battle of Verdun, where over 200,000 people lost their lives in 1916. Celebrated pianist Hakim Bentchouala-Golobitch will play a live score to the silent film, performing the music of French composer André Petiot. The movie will start at 7.30pm. Tickets are B300 for students and members and B450 for non-members. Details at www.afthailandde.org or 02-670-4222.
Bangkok Theatre Festival 2014
Date: Nov 1-2, 4-16
Location: Various venues around Bangkok
Held annually since 2001, this festival features a wide range of performances to titillate theater-goers, from traditional Thai dance and local music to mime performances, acrobatics and magic shows. After last year’s forced move from Santichaiprakan Park to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC, Rama 1 Rd., 02-260-8560/-4), it’s now back at the park for the Nov 1-2 event, as well as the surrounding restaurants and bars on Phra Athit Road and Banglampu. From Nov 4-16, various shows will be performed on the BACC’s fourth floor and other theaters around Bangkok. Details at www.bangkoktheatrefestival.com
River Jazz Festival 2014
Date: Nov 16
Location: Asiatique, Charoen Krung Rd. Ferry from BTS Saphan Taksin
This year’s festival will showcase the smooth sounds of saxophonist Kenny G, perhaps the world’s preeminent purveyor of easy-listening jazz, at the open-air riverfront Asiatique park. The Mahidol University Orchestra opens the evening at around 6pm, followed by popular Thai jazz band ETC. After Kenny G’s performance, the star saxophonist will mingle with fans and sign autographs. Tickets are B1,000-3,000 and available at www.thaiticketmajor.com or 02-262-3456.
Night at the Museum
Date: Dec 19-21
Location: Museum Siam, 4 Sanamchai Rd., 02-225-2777
The fifth edition of this nighttime museum event will feature live performances, exhibitions and numerous art-related activities from 4-10pm. Free admission.
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