If city life has taught us anything, it’s that stargazing is rarely a metropolitan pastime. Bangkok’s high-rises have a way of eating the horizon whole, yet for two evenings this year a small corner of the city will belong to the sky. The Bangkok Planetarium’s Star Party promises, for once, a night where the cosmos feels closer than the chaos of Ekkamai.
Rather than guessing at which stubborn dot might be Mars, the Astronomical Society of Thailand will be there with telescopes, charts and the kind of calm precision that turns an indifferent blur into Saturn’s rings. It’s surprising how much of the universe survives the city’s glare, waiting for someone with a lens and a little patience to point it out.
And it isn’t just about looking. The night comes with things to make, touch and pocket. Planets strung onto bracelets, the sort of slime that children can’t stop prodding, and a light art lab where lanterns glow like bottled constellations, bright rebellion against the noise outside.
The highlights
- Look through a real telescope with the Astronomical Society of Thailand
Forget the smartphone apps that label constellations for you. There is something infinitely better about peering through a full-sized telescope while someone who spends their life thinking about stars points out Saturn’s rings or the deep scatter of the Milky Way. - Spend an evening inside science rather than just reading about it
There are activity corners where the serious business of planetary movement becomes a chance to craft, experiment and make a bit of a mess without anyone minding. - Build your own planetary bracelet
At one table, you can string together beads that stand in for the solar system, each planet marked by a different size and shade, so you end up wearing a tiny universe on your wrist. - The light art lab, where astronomy meets sculpture
Lanterns, installations and experiments with light take over a section of the grounds. The lab mixes the precision of physics with the imagination of an art studio, turning photons into play. It’s less about being told how things work and more about seeing them for yourself. - Make slime, the good kind
For those with a fondness for textures, the slime station lets you create your own satisfying, squishy concoction. It is chemistry disguised as fun that keeps children glued to the table and adults quietly joining in. - Gather by the central stage for talks and small prizes
The stage becomes the heart of the evening, hosting short talks from astronomy influencers who speak about galaxies as if they were old friends, with quizzes and giveaways woven in to keep everyone entertained. - Live music under the sky
As the night grows darker, musicians take over, softening the background with sets that feel surprisingly intimate in such a public space. - Food trucks worth arriving hungry for
Lining the grounds, a mix of food trucks park up to serve a little bit of everything – an easy way to turn an evening of science into something more like a night out.
At Bangkok Planetarium for two dates: August 2 and September 3, from 5pm-8.30pm. Mark this rare pause in the city’s relentless schedule. It’s a brief alignment of stars over Bangkok – and a reminder to look up.