Bangkok has accidentally found itself with something of a print theme for the long weekend. Handmade zines are filling a Chinatown café, queer writers and independent presses are gathering at TK Park, and Book Expo Thailand is opening ten days of serious shelf-filling at QSNCC.
Illustrators get their own spotlight at centralwOrld, while anyone needing a break from paper can spend the evening with banjos, fiddles and Irish traditional music on Sukhumvit 31. Here are five things to do in Bangkok from October 23 to 25.
The Basement Zine Fair
Date & Time: October 23 to 25, 1pm to 8pm
Location: Arai Arai, 587 Maitri Chit Road
Price: Free entry
The first Basement Zine Fair brings more than 14 writers and artists together for three days of handmade publications, small-run books, illustration and independent artwork. An open call also invited creators from outside Bangkok to send work for sale, giving the tables a little more range than the usual city-centred art market.
This is the smallest book-related event on the list, which is part of its appeal. Zines are usually personal, limited and slightly rough around the edges, so browsing here should feel very different from walking the aisles of a convention-centre book fair.
Talks, live music and DJ sets run alongside the stalls, while The Basement TH launches the third issue of its own magazine, themed around the rising cost of living. Entry is free throughout the weekend.
Thai Queer Book Fair 2026
Date & Time: Saturday, October 24, noon to 6pm
Location: TK Park, 8th Floor, centralwOrld
Price: Fair activities are free; non-TK Park members pay 20 baht for a one-day visitor pass
Thailand’s first Thai Queer Book Fair puts the focus on writers, illustrators and small presses behind queer literature rather than treating the genre as a shelf of BL titles alone. Romance, poetry and fantasy sit alongside erotic short stories, human-rights non-fiction, zines, prints and other handmade publications.
The afternoon also includes talks, book clubs, writing activities and performances, with visitors able to meet some of the authors and illustrators behind the work. It is designed as an open reading and publishing event, not just one aimed only at LGBTQ+ audiences.
The fair itself is free. TK Park charges non-members 20 baht for a one-day visitor pass, which allows access to the learning park for the day. Register at
Book Expo Thailand 2026
Date & Time: October 23 to November 1, 10am to 9pm
Location: Halls 5–7, LG Floor, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center
Price: Free entry
At the opposite end of the scale is Book Expo Thailand 2026, which opens on Friday and takes over three halls at QSNCC for ten days. The 31st edition uses the theme Unread Messages, playing with the idea of finally opening the stories and ideas that have been waiting unread.
Seven sections cover general books and fiction, BL titles, comics and teen reads, children’s and educational books, second-hand finds and foreign-language editions. That makes it an easy place to lose several hours even for readers who arrive without a shopping list.
The long weekend also gives visitors the advantage of catching the expo right at the start of its run, before it continues through November 1. Admission is free, and MRT Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre connects directly to the venue.
Bangkok Illustration Fair 2026
Date & Time: October 23 to 25, 11am to 8pm
Location: centralwOrld PULSE, 7th Floor, centralwOrld
Price: 150 baht advance; 200 baht at the door
Bangkok Illustration Fair shifts the weekend from words to pictures, bringing established and emerging illustrators together to exhibit and sell prints, books, characters and original work.
Artists from 32 countries submitted work to this year’s showcase, while the physical fair brings selected creators into centralwOrld for four days of exhibitions, conversations and opportunities to meet the people behind the drawings.
There is plenty here for aspiring illustrators too, including portfolio activities, workshops and professional networking. The fair closes on Sunday with the announcement of its annual rewards and Popular Vote results from 5pm.
Southeastern Gathering 2026
Date & Time: October 23 to 25, programme varies by day
Location: Public House Bangkok, Sukhumvit 31
Price: Individual events from 1,250 baht advance; weekend pass 3,799 baht
After four entries involving books, print or illustration, Southeastern Gathering provides a fairly dramatic change of soundtrack. The six-day festival celebrates bluegrass, Irish traditional and old-time music, bringing musicians from Thailand, the United States, Japan and Ireland together in Bangkok.
Friday starts with a welcome jam from 7pm to 10pm. Saturday is the main gathering, with six hours of performances from more than ten bands and artists, while Sunday slows down for an acoustic brunch with music and storytelling.
The line-up includes Tokyo’s Bluegrass Police, Irish musicians and Bangkok’s own small community of banjo, fiddle and acoustic players. It is the most expensive choice this week, but also the one least likely to be confused with anything else happening in the city.
This long weekend belongs largely to people who like things printed on paper: books, zines, drawings and the independent creators behind them. Once the tote bag is full, though, there is always a banjo waiting on Sukhumvit 31.
The story 5 things to do in Bangkok this long weekend (October 23 to 25) as seen on Thaiger News.