5 things to do in Bangkok this weekend (May 15 to 17)
Bangkok’s weekend line-up feels nicely varied this time around. There is a heritage book sale in one of the city’s most beautiful old buildings, a live Muay Thai show, a custom car event, a talk programme in Siam, and a river-based indie music night to start the weekend. It is a good mix for anyone who wants plans that feel a little more distinctive than the usual mall stop or café catch-up.
On this page
| Event | Date | Location | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neilson Hays Library Bi-Annual Book Sale | May 16 to 24 | Neilson Hays Library, Bang Rak | A heritage book sale with affordable English and Thai books inside one of Bangkok’s most historic libraries. |
| Thai Fight League at World Siam Stadium | May 17 | World Siam Stadium, Tawanna | A live Muay Thai stadium event with a high-energy crowd atmosphere and full fight-night experience. |
| Bangkok Hot Rod Custom Show 2026 | May 16 to 17 | IMPACT Exhibition Center, Hall 11–12 | A large custom car and motors culture show packed with modified builds and visual spectacle. |
| GIRL Talks 2026 Seen, Felt, Found | May 17 | SCBX NEXT TECH, Siam Paragon | A conversation-led event focused on community, connection, and shared experiences. |
| NONT TANONT The Moment of Spectacle Concert | May 16 | BITEC LIVE | A polished Saturday concert built around NONT TANONT’s key songs, milestones, and emotional performance moments. |
Neilson Hays Library Bi-Annual Book Sale
Date & Time: Saturday, May 16 to Sunday, May 24, excluding Monday, May 18, 9.30am to 5pm
Location: Neilson Hays Library, 195 Surawong Road, Bang Rak
Price: Free entry
The Neilson Hays Library Bi-Annual Book Sale is an easy standout this weekend. Alongside shelves of pre-loved and ex-library books in English and Thai, the event offers the chance to browse inside one of Bangkok’s best-known heritage buildings. Prices start at 20 baht, and the selection covers fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs.
Because stock is rotated daily, it is the sort of sale that rewards a second visit if something catches your eye. The library’s own events page confirms the sale dates, while the venue itself remains open Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30am to 5pm.
What makes this one especially worth including is the setting and the purpose behind it. Proceeds from the sale support preservation of the Neilson Hays Library and help fund its wider community programming, which gives the event a little more weight than a standard bargain browse. It is also one of those Bangkok events that feels both practical and memorable at the same time.
Thai Fight League at World Siam Stadium
Date & Time: Sunday, May 17, 6pm to 10pm
Location: World Siam Stadium, Tawanna, near The Mall Bangkapi
Price: 1,000 baht all seats
Thai Fight League gives the weekend a more energetic headline event. The event page lists the Sunday card at World Siam Stadium from 6pm to 10pm, with the venue located in the Tawanna area near The Mall Bangkapi and accessible via the Yellow Line. It is also set up as a regular Sunday-night fight event, which gives it a clear stadium-show atmosphere rather than the feel of a one-off showcase.
The appeal here is fairly straightforward. It is a live Muay Thai night in a purpose-built arena, with a 3,000-seat capacity and a full crowd atmosphere. That makes it a strong choice if the weekend calls for something louder, more intense, and more distinctly Thai than a concert or market.
Bangkok Hot Rod Custom Show 2026
Date & Time: Saturday, May 16 to Sunday, May 17, 12pm to 10pm
Location: IMPACT Exhibition Center, Hall 11–12
Price: 300 baht
Bangkok Hot Rod Custom Show 2026 is one of the most visually packed events of the weekend. The official show site confirms the May 16 to 17 dates, Hall 11–12 at IMPACT, and opening hours from noon to 10pm. IMPACT’s event listings also place it at the venue across the same weekend.
This one should work well even beyond dedicated car fans. The show is built around custom cars and Thai craftsmanship, with a broader motors culture feel around it, which gives it a lot of spectacle value. It is the kind of event where the styling, detail, and scale do much of the work, making it an easy weekend browse for anyone who likes design, machinery, or a bit of visual excess.
GIRL Talks 2026 Seen, Felt, Found
Date & Time: Sunday, May 17, 12pm to 7pm
Location: SCBX NEXT TECH, 4th Floor, Siam Paragon
Price: Ticket details were not clearly shown on the public listing
GIRL Talks 2026 brings a more reflective and conversation-led option into the weekend mix. The event listing places it at SCBX NEXT TECH on the fourth floor of Siam Paragon and frames it around the theme Seen, Felt, Found, described as “a journey of being seen, feeling connected, and finding community.” That makes it feel more personal and ideas-driven than a standard expo or stage show.
It is also a useful contrast to the louder entries on this list. Instead of spectacle, the focus here is on talks, shared experiences, and connection, which gives the weekend at least one event that leans more toward conversation and perspective. In a central location like Siam, it also feels easy to fold into the rest of the day.
NONT TANONT The Moment of Spectacle Concert
Date & Time: Saturday, May 16, 7pm
Location: BITEC LIVE
Price: Tickets start from 2,000 baht
NONT TANONT The Moment of Spectacle Concert feels like the kind of event that can turn a normal Saturday into something a little more special. The show is built around key songs and milestones from NONT TANONT’s career, so it should feel more intimate and emotionally charged than a standard pop concert. For fans, that means a night that is not just about the music, but also about the story behind it.
It also brings a nice sense of occasion to the weekend. While the rest of the list moves between books, sports, cars, and conversations, this is the one that leans fully into performance and atmosphere. If the plan is to end Saturday with something polished, heartfelt, and easy to get excited about, this is probably the one to go for.
Bangkok is offering a good spread again this weekend. You can spend part of the day hunting for cheap books in a historic library, head to Bangkapi for live Muay Thai, wander through custom cars at IMPACT, catch a talk programme in Siam, or start the weekend on the river with indie music. It is a line-up with a bit of personality, which makes May 15 to 17 feel easy to build around.
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