WHAT’S ON: THIS WEEKEND AND BEYOND

MUSIC & DANCE Week of Thai heritage

National Museum Bangkok

Na Phra That Road

Until April 8, 5.30pm-8pm

To mark Thai Heritage Conservation Day which falls on April 2, numerous cultural performances are presented at the outdoor stage of National Museum Bangkok. The line-up includes Thai classical music, folk dance, lakorn phan thang, lakorn duek dam ban, lyrical sepha

recital, as well as a symphony orchestra performance.

There is no admission fee. Visit finearts. go.th or call 02-224-2050.

Beach party

Ban Amphur Beach, Pattaya, Chon Buri April 7 from 2pm

The “Fin Wonderland Festival On The Beach” will feature two international DJs — Thomas Solvert from Spain and DJ House of Labs from Portugal — as well as four Asian DJs Brian Cu from the Philippines), Herric from Taiwan and GappyDeejay and Nui OKB from Thailand.

Tickets cost 2,900 baht from ticketmelon. com/gdk/finwonderlandfestival.

SSMS to perform

Mahisorn Hall, SCB Park Plaza Ratchadaphisek Road

April 8 at 5pm

Japanese conductor Hikotaro Yazaki will direct the SSMS Orchestra during the “Let’s Dance” concert. The programme features Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring, ML Usni Pramoj’s Symphonic Poem from the ballet Sir Praj and Debussy’s Danse Sacrée Et Danse Profane featuring harp soloist Ema Mitarai.

Tickets at the door cost 500 baht (100 baht for students). Email ssms.camp@ gmail.com or visit promusicabkk.com.

FAIRS & SALES Book fair

Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Ratchadaphisek Road Until April 8, 10am-9pm Organised by the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (Pubat), the 46th National Book Fair & 16th Bangkok International Book Fair 2018 features over 400 Thai publishing houses and 16 foreign publishers, plus the release of around 350 new books. There are meetand-greet sessions with popular authors as well as exhibitions and discussions under the theme “Read … Again”. As this year’s guest of honour, Taiwan brings 156 publishing companies to present 1,000 original books in the international copyright book area, as well as cultural performances. Taiwanese author/illustrator Hsu Yu-jung and Ho Wen-yung will also give afternoon talks on April 6 and 7. Visit pubat.or.th or call 02-954-9560—4.

Pet planet

Seacon Square, Srinakarin Road Until April 8, 11am-8pm

The “Pet Planet: Animals From A-Z”

features a total of 300 animals, many of them rarely-seen. They are categorised into 26 species, each of which represents the English alphabet from A-Z.

Call 02-721-8888.

Dog fun fest

Bluport Hua Hin

Prachuap Khiri Khan

Until April 8, 11am-8pm

The “Bluport Dog Fun Fest” features celebrity dogs of various breeds engaged in many fun activities including a dog fancy costume contest and a fashion show on April 6 and a talent show on April 7. Nopadol Duangkaew aka Thai Cesar Millan will share his dog training experience and techniques on April 7 at 4pm and a dog guru will offer tips on how to raise a dog to be healthy on April 8 at 4pm. Free health check-ups and flea and tick medication for dogs and DIY workshops are also available.

Call 02-310-1904.

Sakura fest

Isetan, CentralWorld Ratchadamri Road

Until April 11, 11am-8pm

Held to celebrate Isetan’s 26th anniversary, the “Sakura Festival” features special prices on “Only At Isetan” items, special dishes designed by Japanese restaurants for this event at the “Isetan Washoku Gallery” on the 5th floor, as well as sweet treats by Anri, Chez Recamier, Sunmoulin Royal and Sunmuan. Internationally recognised artist Tadaomi Shibuya will showcase his skills in a live painting session on April 7-8 on the 1st floor.

Call 02-255-9898/9.

Greenery market

Siam Plaza, Siam Discovery, Rama I April 7-8, 10am-9pm

Held under the concept of “Eat Good, Live Green”, the “Greenery Market#6” features organic produce by local farmers including fresh fruit and vegetables, rice, seafood harvested from local neighbourhoods and other products such as dyed cloth. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own shopping bags to help reduce the use of plastic bags and containers.

Visit greenery.org/market.

SONGKRAN CELEBRATION Sense of Thai

Central Embassy, Phloenchit Road Until April 22, 10am-10pm To mark Thai New Year, “A Sense Of Thai 2018” portrays the unique charm of Thai culture through many activities. Visitors will see hundreds of floating lanterns, pour water to Buddha statues for blessing, visit the Thai rice exhibition, witness regal accessories, shop for quality Thai products and indulge in traditional Thai cuisine. Come and experience the traditional Songkran atmosphere on April 13-16. The fair will also take place at Central Chidlom on April 12-15 and activities will include rare Thai performances based on four farewell poetry in the Thai literature — Nirat Muang Klaeng, Nirat Phra Bat, Nirat Pak Tai and Nirat Hariphunchai.

Call 02-119-7777 ext 2001.

Back to the past

Seacon Bangkae, Phetkasem Road April 6-15, 10am-9pm

To celebrate Thai New Year, Seacon Bangkae is holding the “Mon Rak Look Toong” fair that will take visitors back in time to witness the agrarian lifestyle in northeastern Thailand 60 years ago. Based on the literary work of the same title with the fair penned by Rangsee Tassanapayak, the fair portrays more than 20 characters and important locations in an alive museum style. There will also be a musical depicting the love story between the two protagonists every Friday to Sunday starting at noon.

Call 02-454-7777.

Aloha in the city

EmQuartier, Sukhumvit Road

April 11-18, 11am-9pm

The “EmQuartier Summer Republic: Aloha in the City” fair invites everyone to celebrate the Songkran fun in a grand in-city sand beach filled with thousands of beach pool balls and daily workshops on face painting and crazy colouring. There will also be mini concerts by famous acts and artists on April 11, 12-13 and 18 at the Quartier Avenue, ground floor. The line-up includes Panchan Porama, Mean Band, Love Is Group, BanglaMola Band and 20 Town.

Call 02-259-8345 or 02-269-1000 ext 1811.

Mega fun

Megabangna, Bang Na-Trat Road April 12-15, 10am-7pm

The “Mega Songkran: Mega Splash … Mega Lanna Happiness” features replicas of Buddha statues from famous temples for visitors to pour water on for blessing; a programme of exciting and rare Lanna performances daily at 11.30am, 3pm and 5.30pm; and a mobile water park featuring a giant water slide and a water tunnel. Myriad snacks and sweets reminiscing about the traditional temple fair and carnival games such as shooting game, balloon and dart, hoop throwing and dunk tank girl will be available.

Call 02-105-1000.

Wonderful Songkran

Siam Paragon, Rama I

April 12-16, 10am-9pm

The “Siam Paragon Wonderful Songkran” invites everyone to worship and sprinkle water on nine sacred ancient Buddha statues on loan from the Bangkok National Museum, learn to make nam ob or Thai fragrance and create flowers from pandan leaves, and learn about the history of Songkran — all at the Hall of Fame of Siam Paragon. There will be the “Songkran Food Fest: Taste Of Thai Tradition” offering authentic Thai foods in five categories — rice, noodle, dessert, appetiser and beverage — from more than 50 shops.

Call 02-610-8000.

Fun Songkran

Future Park and Zpell

Phahon Yothin Road

April 13-15, 11am-8pm

The “Zanook Fest 2018: Delightful Songkran” is a chance to make merit and pay respect to Buddha statues on loan from nine famous temples in Bangkok, have a splashing fun at the giant bouncy house and indulge in delicious food from 30 restaurants. Offering mini-concerts on all three days will be Pop Pongkul on April 13, DJ Scratch Darkdong on April 14 and Ice Sarunyoo on April 15, starting at 6pm.

There is no admission fee. Call 02-958-0011.

EXHIBITIONS Picture book showcase

TK Park, 8th floor of CentralWorld Ratchadamri Road

Until April 8, 10am-8pm, Tue--Sun

The “TK Park International Children’s Picture Book Festival 2018” features a selection of 32 picture books for young readers from Taiwan, Japan, European countries, the US, Thailand and other Asean countries. Many of them won national and international awards and some are best sellers. Among the highlights are illustrations by seven Taiwanese illustrators/authors including Chiu Chen Tsung, Ali Ginger, Shu-Ti Liao and Mei Yen Chen. There will be workshops for children.

Call 02-257-4300 ext 136 or 098-832-4151.

Politics in games

Design Center, Faculty of Architecture Chulalongkorn University

Phaya Thai Road

Until April 12, 10am-6pm Tue-Fri and 10am-4pm Sat--Sun

Held in collaboration with Goethe Institute and Germany’s Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, “Games And Politics” is an interactive exhibition comprising 18 different computer games, 16 of which are open for playing. The players will find themselves confronted with a wide range of political issues. The topics include precarious working conditions as in Sunset

(2015); the aftermath of armed conflict as in This War Of Mine (2014); migration and refugees as in Papers, Please (2013) and Escape From Woomera (2004); and governmental surveillance as in Touchstone (2015).

There is no admission fee. Visit goethe. de/thailand or call 02-108-8231/2.

Korean patchworks

Korean Cultural Center Between Sukhumvit 15 and 17 Until May 11, 9am-5pm Mon-Fri

Held in collaboration with the Ssamzisarang Korean Boudoir Craft Academy to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Korea, the “Jogakbo: The Handicraft of Harmony” exhibition features almost 80 pieces of jogakbo or traditional patchwork used to create domestic wrapping cloths from scraps of leftover fabrics. Included in the collection are the creations inspired by the national flags of two countries.

There is no admission fee. Visit facebook.com/koreanculturalcenterTH or call 02-651-0165—8.

Wonder of Ninja house

WWestgate Hall,W4th floor CentralPlaza WWestgate Nonthaburi

Until May 31, 10am-2pm and 2-7pm

The “Ninja Maze … The Big Adventure” exhibition is the first chance to witness the famous Iga Ninja Village outside Japan. Divided into Family and Adult zones, the interactive exhibition features a typical ninja house full of escape routes, hidden doors and traps. Children will be taken on an exciting adventure while testing their ninja skills in eight rooms while 10 rooms are awaiting adults to explore the secrets of how the ninja are able to infiltrate and escaped undetected.

Tickets cost 450 baht from thaiticketmajor.com or call 02-262-3838.

GET-TOGETHERS Tropicana fun

Attitude, Avani Riverside Bangkok Hotel, Charoen Nakhon Road

April 13, 1pm-1am

The “Tropicana Party” will feature two parts of cool-down fun for the Songkran festival. Get wet in the infinity pool during the “Tropicana Beach Pool Party”, which will come with tropical cocktails and share plates full of Caribbean specialities. Starting at 7pm will be “Tropicana Groovetop Party” where professional dancers will twist and twirl in the Havana-decor and flower garlanded space. Expect to see a fire show by sensual dancers and special appearances by Fabao from Brazil.

The fee is 650 baht (5,000 baht for a table for two and 10,000 baht for a table for four). Email attitude.vriv@avanihotels.com or call 02-431-9120.

Turtle release

Marriott Phuket Resort and

Spa Phuket

April 13, 2.30-4.30pm

The Mai Khao Marine Turtles Foundation invites interested persons to celebrate the Thai New Year by releasing turtles into the sea during the annual “Mai Khao Marine Turtles Release Ceremony”. It will see 55 new batches of rehabilitated green turtles introduced to their natural habitat in the Andaman Sea. Every 5,000 baht raised through donations and additional money raised during the event will go towards supporting the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation and its partners — the Phuket Marine Biological Centre’s injured Turtle Rehabilitation Program and the Third Naval Area Command’s Turtle Hatchery Program.

Visit facebook.com/maikhaomarineturtlefoundation or call 076-338-040 ext 3309.

COURSE The art of being human

Bangkok Shambhala Meditation Center Yogatique Bangkok, Sukhumvit 23 April 14, 8.30am-6pm and

April 15, 8.30am-1pm

Suited for both beginning and experienced meditators, the “Shambhala Training Level 1: The Art Of Being Human” is a weekend programme that offers a foundation of mindfulness-awareness with mind/body practices. Participants will be introduced to the Shambhala path of warriorship based on the development of genuineness, confidence, humour and dignity within the complexity of daily life. There will be an introductory talk open to the public on April 13 from 7pm-9pm.

The fee is 1,500 baht. Places are numbered. Visit shambhala.or.th.

CONTESTS Young bike racing

Interested members of the public are invited to witness “The Mall Shopping Center Presents Strider Cup Thailand 2018”, which will see young Thai kids ages 2-6 years competing on balance bikes to vie for a chance to represent the country in the Asian level in China. The competition will be held in the MCC Hall of The Mall Bangkapi, Lat Phrao Road, on April 6 at 11.30am. There are many other categories open to both Thai and foreign children to compete on April 7-8. There are also the Strider Adventure Zone for children to practice the sports, drawing and face painting workshops, lucky draws and shopping booths offering sports equipment for children.

Visit striderthailand.com/strider-cup-2018 or call 02-310-2351.

Sea boxing

25 Degrees Burgers, Wine & Liquor Bar at Pullman Bangkok Hotel G is holding a “Songkran Contender” competition at its own muay talay sea boxing arena at the front of the restaurant on April 13-15 from 4pm to 6pm. Contenders will battle to overpower each other and knock them into the water. The winner of each day will receive free burgers all-year with a one-night accommodation for two at the hotel.

Visit facebook.com/25DegreesBangkok or call 02-352-4192.

Design products

Organised by the Ministry of Commerce’s Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), the “DEmark Award 2018” is accepting Thai products with outstanding designs under the “Look Back Think Beyond” theme. The competition has six categories — furniture, lifestyle, industrial, creative and innovative fashion, packaging and graphic design. It is open to both corporate and independent designers and they can submit no more than five entries. The winners will receive many benefits from the DITP.

The submission deadline is April 30. Visit demarkaward.net.