Festival season is in high gear. A bevy of EDM and indie rock gigs are happening in the next few months. So Coconuts decided to compile a list of all the big events for eager festival goers looking to plan their weekends.
What about a list of solo concerts and gigs? In case you missed it, we’ve got that covered too.
Festivals in 2023
Oct. 21 – Transmission Bangkok 2023
Bitec Bangna
Price: THB3,100. / Combo ticket with Hardmission Festival – THB5,200.
Mix an international roster of trance music DJs and lasers. Lots and lots of lasers. Transmission is a festival best known for its incredible display of illuminated lights and bright beams shooting everywhere as DJs dish out emotional and melodic trance music.
After melting people’s faces off in 2017 and 2018, Transmission Bangkok went on a long dormant hiatus before finally surprising trance heads everywhere with the return of their third edition this year, dubbed “The Awakening”.
Originating from Prague—alongside shows in Australia, Germany and China—Transmission sets itself as one of the major electronic music festivals to look forward to in the subgenre of trance music as the festival brings in top names from the scene.
Love hardstyle music too? Then buy a combo ticket that gives you access to this show as well as its sister festival Hardmission happening the day after. (more on that later).
A total of nine diverse trance acts are set to perform at Transmission, many of them high profile, including Cosmic Gate, Ferry Corsten (under his System F alias), MarLo, Blastoyz, Stoneface & Terminal, Will Atkinson, Daxson, Xijaro & Pitch.
RCA club Spaceplus is hosting both the pre-party and afterparty, occurring a day before and right after the main festival, respectively. The pre-party (Oct. 20) features Cosmic Gate at the decks, while the afterparty (Oct. 21) invites MarLo.
A separate afterparty, dubbed “The Aftermath”, will occur a day after the festival (Oct. 22), taking place at the newly opened Portal venue in Sathorn. Three international acts are in the lineup: Daxson, Stoneface & Terminal, and RAM.
Oct. 22 – Hardmission Bangkok 2023
Bitec Bangna
Price: THB2,900. / Combo ticket with Transmission Festival – THB5,200.
For those who love their EDM a little more, erm, harder, look no further than Transmission’s sister festival Hardmission. Where Transmission is characterized by trance music, Hardmission specializes in hardcore/hardstyle. And it doesn’t get even more hardcore than throwing in tons of lasers for good measure, offering one hell of a euphoric experience.
Also worth noting is that this is the very first edition of the festival for Thailand, themed “The Prophecy,” so this is a big deal for hardstyle fans.
Buy a combo ticket that gives you access to this as well as sister festival Transmission (see above) that’s happening the day before Hardmission.
Big names in hardstyle are playing at this inaugural edition, as to be expected, including Code Black, Coone, D-Block & S-te-fan, Darren Styles, Keltek, Mish, Overdrive, and more.
Warm-up at the festival’s pre-party at Spaceplus in RCA that’s happening, oddly enough, two days before the main festival (Oct. 19) with sets by Sure and Pulsar. If you’ve still got energy after the main festival, D-Block & S-te-fan are playing a second set at the afterparty in Spaceplus too (Oct. 22).
Nov. 3-4: Waterzonic
Live Park Rama 9
Price: GA – THB3,500. / VIP – THB5,200.
EDM festival Waterzonic sets itself apart from other festivities by soaking ravers with water—despite Songkran happening six months ago.
A festival mainstay in the Bangkok circuit, expect lots of bods, bikinis, water cannons, and non-functioning phones.
Every year, Waterzonic packs in a respectable roster of EDM artists and this year features a selection of acts ranging from dubstep and future bass to progressive/electro house. The lineup includes Breathe Carolina, Cubrick, Dub Dogz, Dubvision, Excision, Liu, R3hab, Said the Sky, Sikdope, Thomas Gold, and an epic B2B bass music set by Tchami and Malaa.
Nov. 11-12: Diage Festival
Show DC
Price: Early bird – THB3,500.
Leaning toward the “left field” side of things compared to mainstream picks in this list, the Diage Festival promises to be a visual feast for the senses where digital art installations complement underground electronic music.
The festival features three stages and over 60 (60!) local and international acts, digital art and lighting exhibitions, and multiple workshops.
Fun fact: The name “Diage” takes itself from the geology term ‘diagenesis’, which refers to “the physical and chemical processes that affect sedimentary materials during deposition, weathering, and metamorphism,” according to the festival’s website.
There are too many creatives performing to list them all here, ranging from audio-visual performances by DJs and visual artists to a wealth of art on display.
Highlights include Icelandic media designer duo 404.zero, a collaborative performance between American DJ Nosaj Thing and Japanese media artist Daito Manabe, animator Jesse/Doon Kanda, French producer Coucou Chloe, among others. Check out the full roster at the festival’s official website.
Nov. 25-26: Very Festival
Ballroom Hall, Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre
Price: Two-day pass – THB5,600.
Concert organizer Very has brought in many celebrated indie acts, and it all culminates here at their very own festival, called, um, Very Festival.
One of two big festivals for world-class indie music acts, ranging from indie alternative and rock/pop to R&B, the 2023 edition features two stages – Main and Rising – with a modest selection of artists spread out over two days.
Day 1 includes British indie pop darlings Prep, K-pop indie duo 92914, Korean-Canadian R&B songwriter Slchld, D4vd, and Johnny Orlando Day 2 brings in the bigger headliners with the likes of Joji, Nothing But Thieves, Bloc Party, The Lathums, and Last Dinosaurs (the latter of which, interestingly, saw them play at competitor festival Maho Rasop).
Dec. 2-3: Maho Rasop Festival
ESC Park, Rangsit
Price: THB4,190.
The other big indie rock festival, Maho Rasop, brings highly anticipated acts for Thai fans to get hyped about.
Expect a plethora of big names and local acts to grace its two stages this year—spread out over two days including headlining acts post-punk legends Interpol, dream pop darlings Alvvays, and punk band Idles.
There are more acts joining the fray including quirky schoolgirl group Atarashii Gakko!, post-rock group Caspian, Montreal-based songwriter Homeshake, and psychedelic jazz fusion band Mildlife, among others.
There’s plenty of regional acts too, from South Korea collective Balming Tiger and Japanese band Otboke Beaver to Thai bands Soft Pine, Death of Heather, and more.
That’s not all, the festival features a third stage showcasing Boiler Room, the online electronic music platform that made its debut last year at Maho Rasop, where attendees can dance behind the DJ decks during a livestream.
Dec. 8-10: 808 Festival
Bitec Bangna
Price: GA – THB4,200. / VIP – THB8,200.
808 Festival remains a top choice for EDM fans in Thailand, thanks to the event’s selection of globally-recognized DJs.
Many global EDM all-stars have played at 808 Festival from the likes of Armin van Buuren, DJ Snake, Hardwell, and Zedd.
This year is no exception with David Guetta set to headline alongside Alok, Oliver Heldens, Timmy Trumpet, and W&W. More are expected TBA in the coming weeks.
Dec. 14-18: Wonderfruit
Siam Country Club, Pattaya
Price: Full pass – THB8,900. (sold out) / At the door: THB20,300.
Boutique lifestyle festival Wonderfruit continues to gain considerable buzz among attendees thanks to a unique festival experience unlike any other in Thailand and a steadily increasing pricing system each year that’s too hard to ignore.
This year, the event will run for a full five days instead of four and will bring a large and carefully curated roster of musicians and artists of all musical styles and genres, activities, and workshops with a focus on sustainability and wellness—as well as tons of food and drink.
Those who have yet to buy a pass, get ready to fork over loads of cash as this one is more expensive than other festivals listed here. The festival promises it would open a Wonder Market soon, where Wonderers can safely resell their tickets without fear of scams.
Wonderfruit has already announced lineups for their Forbidden Fruit, The Quarry, Creature, Solar Village, Theatre Pavilion, and Polygon stages via Facebook and Instagram. There are way too many to list here, and the joy would be in discovering them on your own so have at it.
Dec. 29-31: Neon Countdown
Wonder World Theme Park
Pricing: GA – THB4,200. / VIP – THB5,600.
Neon Countdown continues to provide ravers an EDM fest to close out the year with a bang.
The first lineup features heavy EDM hitters including Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, DJ Snake, Hardwell, Yellow Claw, and most notably, popular techno DJ Charlotte De Witte in her second appearance in Thailand. More DJs TBA at a later date.
Dec. 29, 2023-Jan. 2, 2024: Fly to the Moon
Koh Mak, Trat
Price: Full pass and boat party – THB7,755. / Full pass, no boat party – THB7,155. / Boat party only – THB2,755.
Alternatively, if flashy EDM festivals aren’t for you, take a trip to the island of Koh Mak for the highly-celebrated annual techno and lifestyle festival Fly to the Moon.
Now entering their 10th year, Fly to the Moon is more than just five days of DJs dishing out cosmic beats every sunset and sunrise spread out over unique locations throughout the island. There will be a plethora of fun beachy activities during the day for the whole family including yoga, cooking, frisbee golf, volleyball, kayaking, and coral planting. The festival also encourages attendees to clean up after the beach once new year festivities are over.
Festivals in 2024
Jan. 12-14: Thantawan Music Festival
Lanna Rock Garden, Chiang Mai
Price: GA – THB2,100. / VIP – THB4,500.
Thantawan Music Festival boasts more than 50 DJs and 20 bands performing at Chiang Mai’s Lanna Rock Garden in Hang Dong district, known for its swimmable streams and mountain views.
There’s a wealth of genres on display here at the three-day fest including rock, folk, punk, rap, Thai Molam, indie, funk, and, of course, DJs bringing techno, house, drum and bass, and psy-trance.
There’s also space for visual art, dance, and live shows that, unlike a lot of other electronic and rock concerts, will be family friendly. You’ll find dance troupes, circus acts, and fire dancers among the art installations.
Jan. 30-Feb. 4: Unkonscious
Various locations, main event at Alexa Beach Club, Pattaya
Ticket details available at official website.
Billed as “Asia’s biggest trance festival on the beach,” Unkonscious is doing something different next year as it unites numerous events for a full six days spread out across locations in Pattaya and Bangkok, billing it as trance’s biggest week.
The festival begins with a boat party with Roger Shah at Pattaya’s Tappia Cafe followed by a pre-party a day after at the Dam Pattaya venue.
Next is the two-day main event at Alexa Beach Club featuring two stages with big name trance artists such as Craig Connelly, John 00 Fleming, Richard Durand, Sneijder, and more.
After the festival is over, head back to Bangkok for an Unkonscious-branded boxing event at the New Lumpini Boxing Stadium where pugilists duke it out while trance music plays as well as the afterparty set to take place Eden Club.
February 2024: Mystic Valley Festival
Mountain Creek Golf Resort, Khao Yai
Pricing: GA – THB1,999. / VIP – THB3,599.
Those who attended past iterations of Khao Yai’s Mystic Valley Festival will know what to expect – a showcase of all the local talent Thailand has to offer from the vast realm of electronic music.
The 2024 edition themed “Enchanted Forest”, promises a whopping 10 stages with over 150 artists. Each stage is dedicated to one electornic music promoter/organizer focusing on a specific electronic music genre including Mustache (house and techno), Hardstyle Thailand, Trance Lovers Thailand, EDM Addicts, Urban Music Bar (hip-hop and trap), Epic (deep house, tech house, melodic techno), Headbanger (dubstep, future bass), Energy, and two more TBA.
Mar. 1-2: Pelupo Festival
Siam Country Club, Pattaya
Tickets start from THB3,500.
With a full line up yet TBA, Pelupo Festival announced that electropop group Parcels and Jack Johnson are headlining the upcoming second edition.
The festival first debuted this year in March, and saw a lineup consisting of Phoenix, Kings of Convenience, Men I Trust, Summer Salt, among many other venerated indie acts.
Mar. 1-3: Subculture
Show DC
Price: GA – THB2,500. / THB3,600.
It seems like the trance scene in Thailand is on a roll with their frequent big festival gatherings.
Despite its small scale compared to most EDM fests, Subculture’s first edition in March was positively received by fans, featuring a no-frills, solid lineup of trance artists from beginning to end.
The one-day festival boasts an all-star trance lineup ranging from uplifting to tech consisting of Aly & Fila, John O’Callaghan, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Karney, Simon Patterson, John Askew, Factor B, Lostly, Cold Blue, Paul Denton, and Alan Morris.
There’s also a boat pre-party and a helipad afterparty, but tickets for those are sold separately.
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