WHAT’S ON: THIS WEEKEND AND BEYOND

MUSIC & DANCE Classical concert Prince Mahidol Hall Mahidol University, Salaya campus Phutthamonthon Sai 4 May 6 at 7pm and May 7 at 4pm

Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Welsh maestro Jonathan Mann presents a programme of the most beloved orchestral composers — Wagner, Mozart and Elgar. The concert will open with Wagner’s rousing Prelude To Die Meistersinger, followed by Mozart’s stormy D-Minor Piano Concerto featuring Thai piano prodigy San Jittikarn. Rounding out the programme is Elgar’s First Symphony.

Tickets cost 400, 600, 800, 1,000 and 1,500 baht from Prince Mahidol Hall (call 02-849-6565 ext 6604 and 6609) and Thai Ticket Major outlets (call 02-262-3456).

Cat expo Wonder World Fun Park Ram Intra Road, Km10 May 7-8, noon-11pm

Hailed as the largest Thai music market, the “Leo presents Cat Expo 8” music festival will bring more than 150 artists who will take turn to give a special show on the same stage. The line-up includes Singto Numchok, Stamp Apiwat, Bowkylion, Ink Waruntorn, Violette Wautier, Zom Marie, Morvasu, The Toys, Mean, Ice Paris Mew Suppasit, BNK48, Nont Tanont, Hugo, Yokee Playboy, and Urboy TJ.

Tickets cost 1,500 baht from theconcert.com and The Concert application.

String quartet Siam Society, Asok Road May 12 at 7pm

Siam Society presents a rare chance to hear performances of Haydn’s and Mozart’s early string quartets by Pro Musica Quartet and the Prymarian Junior String Quartet. The repertoire includes Mozart’s String Quartet No.8 In F Major, K 168 and Haydn’s String Quartet Op 20 No.4 In D Major and String Quartet Op 33 No.1 In B Minor.

Tickets cost 800 baht (600 baht for members and 200 baht for students). Call 02-661-6470—3 ext 201 or email chuleeporn@thesiamsociety.org.

An afternoon with idol groups Thailand E-Sports Arena 5th floor of The Street Ratchada Ratchadaphisek Road May 14, 1-6pm

Presented by WotaTeam Management, the “Warudo Show” will see eight Thai idol girl groups of different looks and styles performing a variety of shows enhanced by a full light and sound system. They include Sora! Sora!, Mayday, Deadkat, Siamese Kittenz, Shining Stars, Castella, Habita Land and Bizcuit. A range of official goods from the idol groups will also be available for sale.

Tickets cost 829 baht. Visit facebook. com/WarudoSHOW.

FAIRS & SALES Pet expo Bitec Hall 103-104 Bang Na-Trat Road Until May 8, 10am-8pm

Held under the “Petaverse” concept, the “Pet Expo Thailand 2022” is packed with fun activities and a showcase of adorable pets and exotic pets at many zones. The highlight is “Buddyverse”, a digital land for pet lovers. A variety of products and services are available at special prices at more than 300 booths. Also available are a range of innovative gadgets currently in high demand such as a smart collar, a smart home security camera, and a smart food dispenser.

Entry fee is 20 baht (free for pets). Visit petexpothailand.net or facebook. com/PetExpoClub.

Golf, dive and travel Bitec Hall 101-102 Bang Na-Trat Road Until May 8, 11am-8pm

Held under the “Thailand Premium Travel Fair” theme, the “Thailand Golf & Dive Expo plus Traveler & Outdoor Expo” brings over 500 leading entrepreneurs to offer more than 80% discounts on a wide range of products and services for golfers, divers and travel enthusiasts. They include tour packages, hotel vouchers, trekking and camping equipment, green fee packages, accommodation at golf courses, golf equipment, diving trips, diving equipment, diving courses, and photography equipment. Special activities are also arranged.

There is no admission fee. Visit thailandgolfexpo.com, thailanddiveexpo. com and traveloutdoorexpo.com.

Fruit fest CentralWorld, CentralPlaza Lardprao, Central Bangna, Central Westgate and Central Rama II Until May 11, 11am-8pm

The “Chanthaburi Fruit Festival to the City” brings premium grade fresh fruits straight from farms in Chanthaburi province including mangosteen, salak, rambutan, and varieties of fresh durian. They are available at reasonable prices alongside processed products direct from local entrepreneurs such as crispy durian, crispy jackfruit, santol in syrup, salak in syrup, salak jam, mangosteen jam, durian crackers, mangosteen crackers and mangosteen cheese.

Visit facebook.com/ CentralPattanaFanpage.

Online auction Until May 28

Phuket Hotels Association invites interested people to join “Absolutely Fabulous Online Travel Sale”, an online silent auction featuring spectacular five-star stays and exciting experiences with big discounts for the highest bidder. They are donated by sponsors in Dubai, Sydney and the Maldives, as well as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Koh Samui. The silent auction also includes a range of exhilarating activities such as yacht charters, golf, tennis, surfing classes and gym memberships. It is being continually updated with new prizes. Bidders can check back on their progress, make new offers and see what other exciting prizes are coming up. Proceeds will go to fund scholarships for talented young people in Phuket.

Visit phab.phukethotelsassociation. com/silent-auction.

Enjoy Aussie beef

Central Food Hall CentralWorld and Central Bangna May 7-8 and May 14-15

The “Taste of Tradition” promotion invites beef lovers in the Kingdom to witness a cooking demonstration by a famous chef who will show how to cook local dishes using 100% Australian beef — grilled beef with Thai spicy sauce and Thai style beef bulgogi wrapped with fresh vegetables. The two dishes will be served up for free sampling three times a day from noon to 2pm, 3pm to 5pm and 6pm to 8pm. Australian beef is available with promotions and a cook book featuring recipes from many regions is given away.

Visit trueaussie.co.th and facebook. com/TrueAussieTH.

Book sale Neilson Hays Library Surawong Road May 14-15 and 17-22, 9.30am-5pm

The “Neilson Hays Library Book Sale” features fiction books galore for everyone. The range of non-fiction books available is extensive, with some fantastic history books covering many different periods and areas. There are a large number of children’s books, foreign language books and a range of books in Thai. Also presented will be a huge number of classical CDs and DVDs. Prices start at 20 baht.

Visit neilsonhayslibrary.org or call 02-233-1731.

EXHIBITIONS

Meaning of life

Kalwit Studio & Gallery Ruamrudee 2, Witthayu Road Until May 29, 10am-6pm Tuesday-Sunday

“ENDneagram” is the first solo exhibition by Knn.Five, a talented illustrator reputed for his signature character of a fire-headed figure with four eyes. In some of his unique artworks, viewers will be taken on an adventure to explore the meaning of life with the nine travellers (enneagram) from the so-called “neothaicivilization” universe.

Call 02-254-4629.

Art and the world

Number 1 Gallery, Silom Road May 7-27, 10am-7pm Tuesday-Sunday

“The Conquer” features a collection of large-scale paintings by multi award-winning artist Verapong

Sritrakulkitjakarn, aka Ayino, who reflects on the possibilities of the world and the nature of life that is complex, diverse and subject to change. His paintings feature oversized characters to represent values such as persistence, honour and bravery. However, they are set alongside flashy signs of modern life and consumerism and pop elements that create a striking contrast of values and aesthetics.

Visit number1gallery.com.

Inner inspiration

Tang Contemporary Art

Room 201-206

River City Bangkok

Charoen Krung 24

May 7-June 11, 11am-7pm Tuesday-Sunday

“Diary Of Inner Inspiration” is the latest solo exhibition by famous Chinese contemporary artist Wu Yi who will lead viewers on his intellectual journey which mixes between daily realities and his inner inspiration. On display will be 21 recent works from his “Dunhuang” series, including oil paintings and watercolours depicting Dunhuang Cave 98 and stories of the Buddha’s previous incarnations. The show will also present a dozen oil sketches made in Prague, Aschaffenburg, and Beijing.

Visit tangcontemporary.com, email bkk@tanggallery.vip or call 02-000-1541.

GET-TOGETHERS Mango art fest River City Bangkok Charoen Krung 24 Until May 8, 11am-10pm

Held under the theme “A Vision For A Better Tomorrow”, the “Mango Art Festival 2022” features more than a thousand artworks by Thai and international artists at more than 90 booths, including those from private collections, works by old masters and contemporary artists, NFTs. The festival consists of four major zones — Galleries, Independent Artists, Product Designs, and Craft Accessories and Food & Beverage. There are also talks with topics revolving around art trends, the soaring prices in the art market, and how to match artists with galleries.

Visit mangoartfestival.com or call 098-846-0969.

Into space with Snoopy

8th floor of Central@CentralWorld Ratchadamri Road

Until May 31, noon-7pm MondayThursday and 11am-8pm on weekends and holidays

Presented by House of Illumination, “Snoopy Space Odyssey” is a new immersive art 360-degree experience that takes everyone on a journey with our favourite cartoon characters. The fantastic adventure is divided into eight zones, all packed with multimedia and interactive techniques. Prepare to play among the stars with a 45-degree tilted mirror that shifts the ground to outer space, spark your imagination with a sculpture created from kinetic 3D LED pixels, and explore the mysterious path of the Space Odyssey with projection mapping and 3D sculpture.

Tickets cost 350 baht (300 baht for students and 250 baht for children under 110cm tall). Visit houseofillumination.com.

Comics art festival Bangkok Art and Culture Centre Pathumwan intersection May 10-22, 10am-7pm Tuesday-Sunday

BKK Unzine, a digital art magazine, is holding the “BKK Comics Art Festival” to shine a light on the country’s rich comic book culture. On showcase will be pieces from expert and emerging artists including Aphichat Rodwathanakul, Art Jeeno, Jod 8 Riew, Jonathan Scott, Namsai Khaobor and Nirut Chamsuwan. Also presented will be the revamped, comic-inspired design of the new Belgian passport whose unique aesthetic features art from classic European comics. The highlight will be a two-day convention on May 14-15 which will gather comic book creatives, publishers and scholars and present a sensational array of activities.

Visit bkkunzine.com/comics.

Dine with crafts

Baan Din Mon Studio, Koh Kret Nonthaburi

May 12

Asamon, a Mon community on Koh Kret island of Nonthaburi, presents “Thara”, the first in a series of 12 dinner showcases titled “Asamon — Mantra of the Craft Masters”. This is the first time in the history of the finest homegrown craftsmanship to see rare and specially-crafted creations and precious collectors’ items by 10 leading Thai artists to adorn and augment elegance to a dinner table set up. A culinary feast of the best of Mon and Koh Kret’s renowned cuisine will be served and guests will also take home as souvenirs the handicrafts and dining utensils.

Seats are limited to 12 persons. The fee is 150,000 baht per person. For reservations, call 063-527-4175 or visit bit.ly/3MzlZK3.

CLASSES/COURSES Rock art

Presented by the Seameo Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts, “Rock Art Of Southeast Asia And The World” is an online course to take participants to explore the world’s rock art sites and learn the variety of rock art traditions in Southeast Asia, Greater Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas and Oceania from an international line-up of experts. The course is designed to be flexible and includes lectures, supplementary materials and virtual site visits. It is running every week until June 24.

The registration fee is 1,000 baht. Visit seameo-spafa.org/rockart.

Turn ideas into reality

Thailand Knowledge Park (TK Park) in collaboration with the School of Changemakers invites young people aged 15-18 years who want to start doing good for society to join the “TK Dreammakers Project” which gives them a platform to make their ideas a reality. They will learn about the creative thinking process, planning, teamwork, troubleshooting, and how to undertake social-spirited activities as part of this. They will also learn from real-life situations and obtain certifications, portfolios, and project financing through six lessons. The project will take place from May to August and include six lessons.

Visit bit.ly/3Nz5fne or email makers@tkpark.or.th.

CONTESTS Design a solution

Budding inventors and aspiring young engineers in Thailand are invited to submit their radical and game-changing ideas to the “James Dyson Award 2022” which offers up to 222,000 baht to national winners, plus a chance to win 1.33 million baht in the global competition. The annual student design competition has come to the Kingdom for the first time and is accepting submissions from young inventors with engineering potential. They are required to design something that solves a problem that we all face in daily life or is a global issue. Entries will be judged by a panel of external judges and a Dyson engineer. A national winner and two runners-up will receive £5,000 (222,000 baht) each. The national winner will proceed to the international shortlist of 20 entries in the global competition.

Applications should be made online by July 6. Visit jamesdysonaward.org.

Portrait prize

The second edition of “RCB Portrait Prize” is back and is accepting submissions from across the country. It’s open to artists residing in Thailand and they are required to paint a portrait of a person distinguished in art, literature, science, business, media, civil society or politics. It must be painted from life, with the subject know to the artist, aware of their intention and having at least one live sitting with the artist. Each competitor can submit only one painting of any medium — oil, acrylic, watercolour or mixed media. Winner of the RCB Portrait Prize will be awarded 500,000 baht. There are also the Packing Room Prize, worth 200,000 baht, and the People’s Choice Prize, worth 100,000 baht.

Submission can be made via shorturl.at/bguFO by Aug 14. For details, visit rivercitybangkok.com/rcb-portrait-prize-2022 or email portraitprize@rivercity.co.th.