2021 is finally here and we can finally put "The Year That Must Not Be Named" behind us! Though we're not entirely out of the woods yet, the fact remains that a new year means we can turn a new leaf and look forward to the things yet to come this year. Here is a list of things that are in store for us, which hopefully -- fingers crossed -- may actually take place this year.
MUSIC
Kolour In The Park 2021
Mar 6 Thai Wake Park, Lumlukka, Pathum Thani
KolourInThePark.com
Kolour In The Park has grown into an annual party that celebrates art and thumping music, reverberating through your entire being. It's a one-day-only event and is widely considered an event that can't be missed, so it's no surprise that its pre-sale tickets sold fast. This is despite the fact that there has been no announcement about who is performing, so the event's reputation has definitely preceded itself. Don't be bummed if you didn't get a pre-sale ticket. The next available early bird tickets will be available online on Jan 6 at 1pm, but be warned: they're expecting these to sell fast, as well.
Green Day Live In Bangkok
Mar 21
bit.ly/2WM2sOB
Green Day was one of the biggest bands that were supposed to rock the City of Angels last year, and then the pandemic came around. Borders were closed, lockdown was imposed and concerts seemed like a distant thing of the past. Green Day fans were unsurprisingly upset, but while many concerts were cancelled outright, the Green Day concert was instead postponed to this March. It's important to note that we should all be cautiously optimistic. While it's not likely we'll go into another quarantine (hopefully), the possibility of the band flying over here to do their show is 50-50 to say the least. However, as of the writing of this article, the date is still up on the Thai Ticket Major website and we're hoping -- really, really hard -- that it happens.
Maho Rasop Festival
Nov 20-21
MahoRasop.com
For indie music lovers, the Maho Rasop Festival is the place to be. Their 2019 line-up saw a number of indie artists from all around the world converging at Live Park Rama 9 for two days. Their line-up ranged from well-known to up-and-coming artists: Bombay Bicycle Club, Deafheaven, Phum Viphurit and Youngohm & Young Bong are just a few of the talents that took the stage in 2019. The festival was postponed to this year and people have been anxious to buy tickets because as of the writing of this article, their site on Ticketmelon shows that sales have ended for their early bird tickets. Make sure to check their website for any updates on tickets, as well as announcements on who will be taking the stage this year and the venue.
The Impressionists At River City Bangkok
Jan 8 to Apr 18 Moda Gallery, River City Bangkok, Charoen Krung Road
RiveryCityBangkok.com
This exhibition, which runs for a good few months, aims to take its audience back in time 19th century Europe to give a glimpse into the life and culture the Impressionist art movement was born into. It's more than just an exhibition to admire great works of art by art legends like Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet. It uses music and projected artworks to instill life into artwork and to recreate 19th century Paris street life. This gives you a real insight as to when, where and why these formidable artists created their equally formidable artworks. Early bird tickets are available until Jan 7.
Venus In The Shell
Jan 7 to Feb 28 River City Bangkok, Charoen Krung Road
RiverCityBangkok.com
Another exhibition to look forward to is "Venus In The Shell", named after the famous depiction of Venus or Aphrodite as she's known in Greek mythology, by Sandro Botticelli. This exhibition, however, is the work of Phannapast "Yoon" Taychamaythakool, who shows her own take on the myth and will present audiences with her own interpretation of Venus. In the same way that the goddess also experienced jealousy and disappointment much like mere mortals do, the exhibition also shows the many aspects -- and sometimes ugly -- parts of life to encourage audiences "to embrace the reality of life, not just those depicted by the gods", as stated in the exhibition's listing on the RCB website.
Mango Art Festival
Feb 11-14 Lhong 1919, Chiang Mai Road, Khlong San
bit.ly/2WP5dhX
This upcoming exhibition is the new kid on the block and plans to be an annual event. The Mango Art Festival is set to bring different kinds of art pieces under one roof from furniture to jewellery and also varying in different styles. The exhibition will have 22 galleries to show off all these different kinds of art. Some will exhibition artwork from well known indie artists in Thailand while others put the spotlight on up and coming artists. Along with that, the exhibition will also host art vendors, as well as artisan bakers and coffeemakers.
REOPENING
Amari Watergate Bangkok Reopening
April Amari Watergate Bangkok, Phetchaburi Road
The hotel industry has taken one of the hardest hits when it comes to the pandemic with many closing their doors for a period of time. The Amari Watergate Bangkok, however, has also taken that opportunity to refurbish the hotel. The result? A brand new collection of suites and premier rooms with aesthetics inspired by the culture found along the city's central canal, Khlong Saen Saeb. The contemporary design makes the modern and traditional intersect wonderfully, but the revamp isn't just limited to the hotel's rooms. On top of its 564 rooms and suites, the hotel is also refurbishing its meeting rooms. The hotel officially opens in April where it will hopefully be kept busy by the influx of Songkran travellers.
Cartoon Network Amazone
March Cartoon Network Amazone, Na Jomtien, Sattahip
Water parks should basically be a necessity here in Thailand, and what's better than a water park but a Cartoon Network-themed waterpark? Cartoon Network Amazone closed last year for obvious reasons but have announced that they will be back to welcoming guests both young and old this March. If you've bought an annual pass, don't fret. They've also announced that the validity of the passes have been extended to Mar 31 of next year. While you wait for March to come along so you can finally slide away to your heart's content, they've also said their taking this time to renovate and add new attractions though they haven't announced as of yet what those attractions are. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
OTHER EVENTS
Bangkok Flora Festival
Jan-Oct
Bangkok's parks will be a the site of floral spectacles the whole year round with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Bangkok Flora Festival. The festival actually kicked off back in December with the popular Rot Fai Park at Chatuchak boasting four rai covered with gorgeous sunflowers. Until Oct, different parks in Bangkok will be showcasing different season flowers for people to visit and feature on their social media (new floral FB cover photo/profile pics incoming). The next park will be the Wanaphirom Romklao Park at Lat Krabang, which will feature a Madagascar Periwinkle field from Jan 12-31. Visit bit.ly/3pqkn9K for the complete list of parks and what flowers they'll feature.
Songkran Festivities
April
One of the many casualties of the pandemic is the annual Songkran celebrations all around the country. It's the only time of the year where the city of Bangkok transforms into a battleground of a full-scale water war (sans laced water cannons). If you don't want to get wet, nowhere is safe, and that feeling of knowing you can get drenched any moment is a feeling we took with us when we had to run to 7-Eleven really quick. However, that wasn't the case last year and the entire nation was bone dry without any sort of celebration happening. For the first time in a long time, there were no water fights because all of us were cooped up at home. But that was last year. We're definitely making up for the Songkran-less 2020 and going all out this 2021 -- hopefully.
Movies! All the movies!
The pandemic also caused a number of long-awaited movies to be pushed back to this year. That meant that even though we here in Thailand are lucky enough to have had cinemas open back up again, there wasn't really anything worth watching. Blockbuster films like Black Widow were postponed to this year giving us a 2020 without any MCU films and even more big budget films like Free Guy, the Ryan Reynolds comedy about a video game NPC, and Death On The Nile, Kenneth Branagh's follow-up to Murder On The Orient Express, were all delayed to 2021. Even movies that were supposed to be released this year felt the sting, like R-Pattz's The Batman; we were supposed to see him in his full caped crusader glory this year but instead we'll have to wait until 2022. However, the backlog of movies does have an advantage: it means there's a bunch of movies to watch in cinemas and we're definitely looking forward to watching films worthy of the big screen.
HOTEL
Two new brands enter the hotel industry
The flagship hospitality arm of Singha Estate, S Hotels & Resorts isn’t letting the no-travel situation get them down. Much the reverse, in fact.
In 2021, the company is launching two new lifestyle brands: SAii, a fun and free-spirited upper-upscale concept for experience-seeking travellers, and nābor, an all-new “luxury-midscale” brand designed for smart explorers with digitally-driven lives.
SAii Phi Phi Island Village.
SAii, which derives from the Thai word for “sand”, was unveiled in 2019 with the opening of SAii Lagoon Maldives. The next two SAii resorts will open in Thailand in the first quarter of this year.
SAii Laguna Phuket, which takes over the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort, a beachfront property on Bang Tao, with an event hall, a reimagined seafront restaurant, an improved beach bar and more. SAii Phi Phi Island Village is an enchanting, eco-friendly retreat on Koh Phi Phi Don. Currently known as Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort, it will undergo an extensive refurbishment and repositioning before reopening under the SAii brand. Like its sister property in the Maldives, SAii Phi Phi Island Village encourages eco-conscious travellers to preserve the environment with offshore excursions and regular activities at its onsite Marine Discovery Centre. Both resorts will showcase innovative wellness and F&B concepts, including Mr Tomyam, Miss Olive Oyl and Lèn Be Well.
nābor (pronounced “neighbour”) will make its debut in April with its first property in Bophut, Koh Samui, a beautiful and Instagrammable beachfront retreat. Like all future nābor hotels, this repositioned resort will put guests in control of their stay, with an integrated digital platform to enhance guests’ experience, booking and journey during their stay. Curious explorers will be able to get under the skin of their destination with insightful online “nāborhood” guides and activities that can be pre-booked by mobile. Guests will be invited to mix their own bathroom amenities in the M.I.Y Aroma Lab workshop, or purchase pre-mixed scents from the M.I.Y vending machine to take home as a fragrant reminder of their vacation.
S Hotels & Resorts plans to open six nābor hotels and resorts in 2021, with other potential destinations likely to include major Thai tourism centres and key leisure markets in Asia.
Visit shotelsresorts.com.
WELLNESS
Cellular skincare
Clinique La Prairie Spa will open its doors and be fully-operational towards the end of the month, on the 15th floor of The St. Regis Bangkok.
A state-of-the-art wellness and beauty, it aims to be a luxurious haven of rejuvenation offering forever young treatments and healing therapies in line with Clinique La Prairie’s holistic approach to well-being, based on the four pillars of cellular rejuvenation, wellness, nutrition and exercise. Clinique La Prairie Spa Bangkok will provides cellular skincare treatments from Swiss Perfection.
The spa, 1,500m² spread over two levels, will have wet area facilities, including rain showers, Thai herbal steam rooms, a twilight rhassoul, vitality pools, foot reflexology water walk and relaxation pods. The 10 treatment rooms include a dedicated hamam facility, Thai massage room, couple suites and massage therapy rooms.
Clinique La Prairie Aesthetics and Medical Spa, The St. Regis Bangkok, 159 Ratchadamri Road / Call 02-207-7779, email info@cliniquelaprairiebangkok.com, visit cliniquelaprairiebangkok.
Medical retreat
Having launched recently, Rakxa Fully Integrative Wellness & Medical Retreat brings a new way of being well, where renowned Eastern healing disciplines blend with Western modern science to create a ground-breaking wellness experience.
Tucked away on Bang Krachao, known as the “Green Lung of Bangkok”, Rakxa’s concept curates personalised three-14-day programmes. The Rakxa experience, which begins at home and carries on long after you leave, unearths a complete blueprint of health that enables certified medical doctors and holistic therapists to prescribe a precise treatment plan based on one of the 10 packages available. Programmes span all corners of health and wellness issues such as gut health, immunity booster, weight management, facial solution and de-stress. Completing the wellness journey is a high-tech medical gym with Olympic athlete training equipment, hydrothermal spa facilities, an anti-inflammatory food philosophy, a cleansing tea lounge, and an enticing menu of workshops and activities.
Rakxa has 27 garden villas open now, with the remaining garden and pool villas and presidential residences expected later this year. It will house VitalLife’s scientific wellness clinic, Rakxa Jai - holistic wellness centre, Rakxa Gaya - Medical Gym and Rakxa’s Wellness Cuisine.
Rakxa Fully Integrative Wellness & Medical Retreat, 28/8 Moo 9, Bang Nam Phueng sub-district, Phra Pradaeng / Call 02-055-3100, email rakxa@rakxawellness.com, visit rakxawellness.com.
