Latest news with #BangkokPride
Time Out
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Join the crowd where drag meets power at Drag Bangkok Festival
There's a quiet power in sequins. Or rather, in who gets to wear them, how loudly, and where. Across the globe, drag has gone from the margins of nightclubs and basements to something more spectacular – more televised, more codified, more Instagrammable. Yet in Bangkok, drag isn't simply performance. It's protest, lineage, celebration, defiance. It's the kind of beauty that doesn't ask for permission. This year, that spirit takes centre stage at Drag Bangkok Festival, a three-day event co-organised by Yellow Channel and Bangkok Pride, held from May 30 to June 1 at Parc Paragon. Visibility is political. And in a country where LGBTQIA+ identities remain legally unprotected in many ways, the sight of 500 drag performers from around the world gathering under the Bangkok sun is more than fabulous. It's necessary. The crown jewel of the festival is 'Thailand's Drag Star' on May 30 at 5pm, a competition drawing in 20 contestants from across the country. They won't just be judged on looks or lip-syncs. Instead, it's a showcase of artistry rooted in Thai heritage, filtered through the aesthetics of high camp, punk defiance and sheer ingenuity. The theme – Thaituristic Drag Scene – points toward a larger cultural ambition: to assert drag not only as entertainment, but as a legitimate, viable profession within Thailand's creative economy. One with the power to generate income, craft identities and export local expression to international stages. Unlike many corporate-backed Pride events, this festival folds drag back into the centre of the conversation. Not as a sideshow, but as the main act. The final day will see Bangkok's streets taken over by the Drag Bangkok Pride Parade on June 1 at midday-10pm, a kaleidoscopic procession dovetailing with the larger Pride celebrations. What emerges isn't just a festival, or even a competition. It's a reframing of drag in Thai consciousness – less niche, more national. Less imitation, more origin story. Somewhere between the runway and the revolution, Bangkok is writing its own drag legacy. And it's anything but quiet.
Malay Mail
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Embracing diversity, Thailand banks on month-long Pride fest in June to boost tourism and economy
BANGKOK, May 13 — Thailand is set to host the Bangkok Pride Festival 2025 from May 30 to June 30 under the campaign 'The Celebration: Right to Love,' with the highly anticipated Pride Parade taking place on June 1. The event is part of a nationwide effort to promote diversity, equality and LGBTQ+ tourism, supported by government agencies, local industries and private sector players, The Bangkok Post reported. 'Thailand is an ideal destination for LGBTQ+ tourism. 'We need to make sure Thailand is truly the ideal destination for LGBTQ+ tourists, and not only in Pride Month,' Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was quoted as saying in a May 6 news conference. The festival is reported to be part of the broader 'Amazing Thailand Love Wins Festival' and will feature events in five major tourist destinations – Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Phuket, and Pattaya – and 10 more provinces will also organise Pride-related events at the community level. One of the key initiatives is the 'Paint the City with My Pride' campaign, spearheaded by the Creative Industry and Soft Power Institute (Cispi) in partnership with the Creative Economy Agency. 'The passage of the Marriage Equality Bill this year inspired Cispi and the Creative Economy Agency to create the 'Paint the City with My Pride' campaign,' Pimjai Leeissaranukul, who is both Cispi president and vice-president of the Federation of Thai Industries, was quoted as saying. The campaign aims to raise public awareness about gender inclusivity and support the economy, although no specific revenue projections were provided, The Bangkok Post reported. Collaborations with Thailand's top character designers to create Pride-themed illustrations and products inspired by both traditional and pop culture will also be featured during the festival. Surapong Suebwonglee, Deputy Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister and chairman of the National Soft Power Development Committee, said the Thai government views diversity as a cornerstone of the country's future economy. 'The economy based on diversity and equality is a driving force for Thailand, especially now when we need a new economic engine to drive growth,' he was quoted as saying. This year's Pride Festival is expected to attract local and international visitors, strengthening Thailand's reputation as a regional leader in LGBTQ+ rights and tourism.
