Today is the last day of 2021 and depending on when you’re reading this, you may only have a few more hours or even just minutes to say goodbye to the year that’s basically been a repetition of 2020. There have been a number of ups and downs as we went through another lockdown and reopening, but the good news is that we made it: we’re still here and still trudging along, though some of us would really like to get a breather from all the craziness.
However, nothing’s going to stop the clock and since we’ve already done a sarcastic look back at the year last week, it’s fitting that we look ahead. Here are a few things we can look forward to in 2022.
COMEDY
JOHN CLEESE: WHY THERE IS NO HOPE
Jan 11
The legendary comedian is making his way to the City of Angels! John Cleese, one of the founding members of the iconic comedy troupe Monty Python and the mind behind the iconic sitcom Fawlty Towers will bring his brand of unapologetic comedy to Bangkok. It’s a great treat to start the year. The show, humorously titled “Why There Is No Hope”, will be for one night only at Impact Exhibition Hall 5. Tickets are selling at a ridiculously low price of B1,500 so it’s best to get them now. Aside from Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, Cleese has also lent his humour to the James Bond franchise playing Q’s assistant and eventually taking over as Q. He has also played the House Ghost of Gryffindor in two Harry Potter films and voiced King Harold in two Shrek films. Look for our interview with him on page 11.
NIGEL NG: THE HAIYAA WORLD TOUR
Jun 19
Uncle Roger became a crowd-favourite after he savagely critiqued how a BBC presenter cooked rice, and his reputation was solidified when he continued to slam Jamie Oliver’s egg fried rice. Now, Nigel Ng, the comedian behind Uncle Roger, is coming to Bangkok on June 19 — and yes, he’s bringing the advocate of MSG with him. No venue has been announced though you can sign up to his mailing list to get pre-sale tickets (visit bit.ly/3mqUdo7). Ng’s brand of comedy has always been about Asian culture but it’s no mystery that what we’re looking forward to is the appearance of everyone’s favourite orange polo-wearing uncle. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even see him behind a street food stall as he does in his YT videos.
OPENINGS
BOUTIQUE CORPORATION LIFESTYLE MALL
Q2
The unnamed mall being built by Boutique Corporation will add to the growing number of developments on Charoen Krung Road. The company behind Summer Hill at BTS Phra Khanong plans to make the property a lifestyle community mall with stores, dining, wellness and education services. The mall is expected to have 2,100m² of leasable area with a contemporary design that the company has described as “a minimal Nordic patterned façade with the use of light wood that is reminiscent of Charoen Krung’s rich heritage”. There’s no opening date other than it will be sometime in the second quarter of 2022.
THE STANDARD BANGKOK
Q2
King Power Mahanakhon is already a well-known building in the city, but in 2022, it will house The Standard’s Asian flagship. The Standard Bangkok will have 155 rooms and will include restaurants such as Mott 32, which will be the first in the country, as well as the hotel’s signature The Standard Grill. The hotel is being designed by Spanish artist Jaime Hayon and will “celebrate the brand’s Hollywood glamour” while also having an East-meets-West flair. With the brand’s reputation for flipping the standard for hotels upside down (hence their logo), it only seems fitting that their Bangkok location is in one of the city’s unique buildings. Keep your eyes peeled for a specific opening date.
MUSIC FESTIVALS
KARMA KASTLE 3
Mar 18-20
Karma Kastle returns for the third time for another round of great music in an intimate setting while surrounded by mountains. The three days and three nights event will be held at Mirasierra Khao Yai, a boutique bed and breakfast located in the middle of lush greenery with a design that’s reminiscent of Mediterranean houses. You’ll be partying to your heart’s content in a place that makes it seem like you’re in the French Alps minus the cold. Early bird tickets have unfortunately sold out but their Phase 1 tickets are set to go on sale next month so keep an eye out. Be on the lookout for the list of talents that will be coming to the event as they haven’t made an announcement yet. However, it’s safe to expect that your days and nights will be filled with good music and good company, accompanied by good drinks.
KOLOUR IN THE PARK
Feb 26
The famous Kolour In The Park comes back for its seventh edition! Once again being held at Thai Wake Park, Kolour In The Park 2022 is set to bring a number of activities and food and a great place for house and techno lovers to party the day away. Past events have always brought about a number of great talents and produced great spectacles. This year’s Kolour is also set to feature four stages so you won’t run out of talents to see. Unfortunately, pre-sale tickets are already gone so you’ll have to check KolourInThePark.com to see when tickets go on sale again. Plus, keep an eye out for when they announce the featured artists.
CITY DEVELOPMENTS
RAMA I ROAD SIDEWALKS
The sidewalks of Bangkok are a cause of grief for all pedestrians for many reasons whether it’s the dirty sidewalk water that splashes all over you when you step on a loose piece of pavement or the motorcycles that still don’t seem to understand that “walk” is the operative word in “sidewalk”. It’s good news when the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced that they’ll be renovating the sidewalks of Rama I Road, namely the ones at the BTS Siam. There’s a lot of foot traffic thanks to the many malls and nearby Chula so it makes sense that they would start here (though I sincerely hope they would roll out this sidewalk renovation city-wide). Reportedly, the sidewalks will be expanded so as to give motorcycles — sorry, I mean pedestrians — even more space. They’ll also be adding more Braille blocks to help blind pedestrians navigate the sidewalk. Plus, they’re also planning to plant more trees. Here’s hoping that this is just the beginning of renovations to sidewalks around the city.
CANALS
Bangkok’s klongs are part of the city’s charm and also provide an alternative transportation route to avoid the heavily congested streets. The BMA announced a plan to renovate the canals of the city. In fact, they’ve already started with Phadung Krung Kasem canal, which is on Rattanakosin Island. Future zones to be renovated include Talat Noi, Bo Be, Nang Loeng and Thewet. Pavements along the canals will be cleaned and more trees will also be planted, which is definitely a welcome addition to the city instead of malls. The Traffic and Transport Department has also said that they plan to expand electric boat services.
BENJAKITTI PARK
Feb
The expansion of Benjakitti Park has long been touted as something that would become the “lungs of Bangkok”. It’s definitely a welcome addition to the urban jungle that is the City of Angels though it’s doubtful whether it’ll entirely solve the PM2.5 problem we’ve been having year after year even before the pandemic. It’s set to be 450 rai with a 2.8km jogging trail and will include an elevated walkway that will connect to Lumphini Park. The park will also have an indoor gym, a recreation area and an outdoor auditorium that can reportedly accommodate 15,000 people. It will open in February 2022 though no specific date has been announced at the time of going to print.
