Gay Songkran Bangkok 2026: The Ultimate gCircuit & Party Guide

April 13–16 is Songkran in Thailand, their version of the New Year. It’s a four-day national holiday where most Thais leave Bangkok and head to their hometowns for the festivities. Bangkok becomes a tourist mecca, and tens of thousands of gays head there for the legendary circuit parties.

But, the circuit parties aren’t the only attraction; yes, they must be experienced at least once, but there’s more for gay guys to get from Songkran if they know where to go.

GCircuit SK2026 Schedule & Venues

Of course, we have to start our guide with the circuit parties. Now, it’s important to know that the circuit party starts the weekend before Songkran in 2026, so check the schedule below to avoid missing out.

The 2026 schedule at EmSphere Shopping Mall looks like this:

Date	Event Type	Title / Theme	Venue
April 10	Night	Opening Party: Team Alpha	UOB Live Hall (Level 6)
April 11	Day	Boy Pool Party: AQUA	Tribe Sky Beach Club (Level 5)
April 11	Night	Main Party: Empire of the World	UOB Live Hall (Level 6)
April 12	Day	Bear Pool Party: AQUAXXL	Tribe Sky Beach Club (Level 5)
April 12	Night	Main Party: Adro Mada	UOB Live Hall (Level 6)
April 13	Night	Closing Party: Kink	UOB Live Hall (Level 6)

Emsphere is conveniently located right next to the Phrom Phong BTS station on Sukhumvit Road. It’s only five stops from the main Siam station. You may want to consider arriving an hour before the party starts to get a good spot in the queue.

The parties have been known to reach 8,000 attendees each night the pool parties 2,000. That’s a lot of shirtless guys in full-on party mode.

Book in advance as these events sell out long before April comes around.

What to Expect at the 2026 Night Parties

The nighttime parties are world-renowned. The venue showcases world-class sound and lighting systems, and the interior features an elaborate themed décor that transforms the space each night. There are always plenty of spectacular stage productions, expect the highest-quality drag shows, acrobatic performances, go-go dancers, and guest performers (including Thai favorites like Snooker).

The music is coordinated by top-tier international and local DJs spinning house, techno, tribal, and progressive circuit music. As the night progresses, the music intensifies. Past DJs have included Tomer Maizner, Luis Vazquez, Mario Beckman, and other circuit legends

The crowd is a mix of local Thai guys plus tourists from across Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe. The age range is predominantly 20s-40s (you must be 20 to enter). While GCircuit emphasizes inclusivity “regardless of gender, race, age, and looks,” you’ll be surrounded by hot, fit, shirtless guys.

While the dress code isn’t mandatory, each party has a specific theme (past themes included cyberpunk, Illuminate, and futuristic/neon), and many go all out to impress. Expect creative, expressive outfits, think glowing bodysuits, metallic fabrics, harnesses, and plenty of skin.

What to Expect at the Pool Parties

Just in case you didn’t get enough flesh at the night parties, there are the daytime parties that will shift your cruise meter into overdrive. 

Yes, it’s wall-to-wall flesh with some of the skimpiest Speedos you’ve ever seen. Daytime DJs play sets with house and circuit music, and there are shows by go-go boys. While the Boy Pool Party celebrates “beautiful boys from around the world,” the Bear Pool Party is all about body positivity and inclusivity, “no matter your age, shape, or size, all are loved and welcomed.”

Gay Nightlife in Place of Circuit Parties 

You may not want to join the circuit parties, but you still want to go out and be surrounded by other gay Songkran revellers. Silom has that covered, too. Along Silom Road are two side streets known as Sois, Soi 2 (dance street) and Soi 4 (bar street).

Silom Soi 2

Home of the world-famous DJ Station, this three-level complex literally goes off during Songkran. It’s open until the early hours of the morning, so you’ll even bump into some hard-core circuit party people hitting more clubs once their venues have closed. If shirtless, muscular Chinese and Taiwanese gay boys are your preference, you may never want to leave DJ Station. 

Silom Soi 4

For around 30 years, the bars in Silom Soi 4 have been attracting a gay crowd. While some have closed down and re-branded (Telephone Bar is now Circus), some like Balcony and Connections have been there for years. Less of a party zone and more of a “grab a drink and watch the passing parade” kind of vibe. The Stranger Bar has been providing world-class drag shows for decades, and its new location at the end of the soi allows for a larger audience. 

Banana Bar and Jupiter 2018 have go-go boy shows, and there are money boys plying their trade up and down the street. There’s no harm in buying one or more of them a drink. You’ll pay 20 baht more than you did for yours, but that goes directly to them.

Patpong Soi 2

The notorious Patpong Road also comes off Silom Road. While it’s the former home of the ping-pong shows, the street has lost its appeal. However, the adjacent soi, Patpong 2, is where all the go-go bars moved to when Soi Twilight closed down to become a condo. Dreamboys, Freshboys, and Hot Male bar can all be found there. Now, while the new government has banned sex shows in Thailand, word on the street is that occasionally, if you pick the right night, you may get to see as much as you want. 

Something to keep in mind in Patpong Soi 2, if you’re having a drink outside, downstairs, or on the street, and you’re not in the showroom, you’ll be paying average drink prices. As soon as you go up the stairs, behind the curtain, or through the door, they’re bumped up to around 400 baht (US$13) (even for water).

Where are the 2026 Daytime Street Parties

You don’t even need to attend one of the circuit events to see sexy shirtless guys celebrating Songkran. You only need to head to either Silom Road or Khao San Road. Both roads are closed to vehicles, and it’s a full-on water pistol and water bucket free-for-all.  You will get wet!  It’s very well coordinated, you enter at one end of the street, walk, dance, water-fight, eat, drink, to the other end, u-turn and walk down the other side. 

Silom Road

Silom Road in the heart of Bangkok’s gayborhood is where you’ll find the bulk of the sexy, muscled, shirtless boys who flock to Songkran to see and be seen at this legendary street event. Everybody is welcome, and you’ll find people from every walk of life here. If you need food, a toilet break, or just a breather from water fighting, duck into one of the side streets (sois). Soi 4, the official gay street, has a zero filled-water guns policy, so you can feel safe and free to eat and drink at many of the bars there while you dry off. It’s April in Thailand, you’ll be bone dry in 20 minutes, 

Allow a couple of hours to do the full street walk. Sure, it’s only 850 meters, but 70,000 people a day flock to Silom Road every day of the event, so at times it can be a snail’s pace. Look around, soak it up, and enjoy every moment of it.

Khao San Road

The infamous Khao San Road, the former backpacker haunt, has been transformed in the past few years, but for Songkran it returns to its manic roots. Unlike Silom, which is just one street, Khao San blocks off the adjacent streets, making for a giant loop. Enter at one of the four entrances and walk in one direction. There aren’t the escape sois that Silom Road has, so once you’re in, you’re committed. There are bars and streetfront restaurants on all four streets, but no real places to dry off, expect to get wet and stay wet for the duration. 

If you can only choose one, how do you decide? Khao San Road gets a broader crowd than Silom, and there’s a lot less flesh, so if that’s a priority, head to the gayborhood. If you’d prefer to party in one of Bangkok’s most famous streets, Khao San Road is the pick for you.

Songkran in the Provinces

If all that partying and flesh ogling isn’t for you and you want a more local experience, head on out into the countryside. Thailand has 70 provinces, and it’s really only the tourist cities that have the full-on super-soaker street parties. In the provinces, it’s more sedate, but you get more of a sense of what Songkran means to Thais.

Most cities, towns, and even villages will do something celebratory during the four-day holiday. The most common is gathering in the city center with a small bucket of wet white clay. You walk up to someone, look them in the eye, say Sawasdee Pee My (Happy New Year), and gently smear clay down the side of their face. It’s a lot more intimate than full-on water-pistol fights, and more in keeping with centuries of tradition. 

And yes, there are plenty of hot, shirtless country boys willing to smear and be smeared. 

Where to Stay near gCircuit Emsphere for Songkran 2026

Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok

Best for: Luxury seekers who want to be in the center of the action.

Located on Sukhumvit Soi 24, the Hilton is just a stone’s throw away from Emsphere. This hotel is famous for its sophisticated “1920s Italian-American” design and its stunning rooftop infinity pool, Laps, which is a favorite hangout for the circuit crowd to soak up the sun before the night events.

Why stay here? The rooms are spacious and plush, perfect for recovering after a long night. Plus, you are literally steps away from the BTS Phrom Phong station and the luxury malls.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Sukhumvit Bangkok

Best for: A vibrant, social atmosphere and trendy vibes.

Directly connected to its sister property (the Hilton) and accessible via Sukhumvit Soi 26, the DoubleTree offers a slightly more casual, high-energy vibe. It’s well-known for its friendly service (and those famous warm chocolate chip cookies at check-in).

Why stay here? The pool deck here is legendary for its retro-cool styling and often becomes a social hub during gCircuit weekend. It’s an excellent spot to meet fellow party-goers before heading over to Emsphere.

Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20

Best for: Modern style and incredible rooftop views.

A short walk or a quick motorbike taxi ride from Emsphere, Novotel Sukhumvit 20 offers a sleek, contemporary stay. It strikes a great balance between high-end amenities and great value.

Why stay here? Two words: Sky on 20. Their rooftop bar is one of the best in the area, offering 270-degree views of the Bangkok skyline. It’s the perfect spot for a “pre-game” cocktail with friends before hitting the main gCircuit event.

Pro Tip for gCircuit Attendees:

All three of these hotels are located in the Phrom Phong area on Sukhumvit Road. This means you won’t just be near the venue at Emsphere Shopping Mall; you’ll also be surrounded by some of Bangkok’s best massage parlors, trendy cafes, and international dining options. KRUBB, Bangkok’s hottest gay sauna, is heating things up at Phra Khanong BTS Station—just two stops from Phrom Phong BTS Station.

Rooms fill up fast during the Songkran/gCircuit period, so booking early via the links above is highly recommended!

Where to Stay in Silom For Songkran 2026

While there are gay friendly hotels across the city, most visitors for Songkran prefer to be close to the action, or at least only a few stops away on the BTS skytrain. Here are four that are very popular with gay travelers. 

Le Meridien

For those of you prioritizing the Silom Road street party, Le Meridien Bangkok is in the ideal location. It’s one block back on Surawong Road. It’s an 8-minute walk to the nearest entrance. Surawong has plenty of massage shops, so why not drop in at one on the way back to the hotel to unwind after partying all day?

The Standard

Next door to Chong Nonsi BTS station is The Standard Bangkok, a worldwide gay favorite hotel chain. Walk directly north, and in 7 minutes you’ll be at one of the Silom Road entrances. How often do you get to say that you’ve slept in a room at one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the Mahanakhon building.

SO / Bangkok

SO / Bangkok is another option for those of you hitting the Silom Road party. It’s in neighboring Sathorn and a 12-minute walk to the main street party entrance. After playing with water pistols all day, take a time out at the rooftop pool; there are sure to be plenty of like-minded guys taking a break there, too.

Pullman King Power

Circuit party attendees, the Pullman King Power Bangkok is for you. It’s right on the BTS line at Phaya Thai, and the train goes straight to the Emsphere without you needing to change at Siam. The location is perfect for winding down after all the action, as it’s slightly tucked away from the hustle and bustle.

Pick your perfect stay near Silom

2026 First Timers Guide

Songkran is one of the busiest times of the year for Bangkok, and if you’ve never been, here are some things you’ll need to know:

Except for the party destinations, the city is surprisingly quiet. That’s because not many Thai people are “from” Bangkok. They live and work there, but most come from outlying provinces, and this is the time of the year when they return to the family fold, leaving the city ghost-town-like in some areas.

Thailand has finally lifted a very old law forbidding sales of alcohol between 2 pm and 5 pm. 2026 will be the first Songkran where you can drink from 11 am until midday (responsibly, of course).

You are going to get wet, there’s no escaping it.  Be prepared beforehand, buy a plastic phone and money holder, wear it securely around your neck, and off you go. If you want to join in on the water pistol fun, buy your toys away from the party streets. The prices are inflated (up to 10x) at Silom and Khao San Road, so stock up at a shop near your hotel (even 7-Eleven prices are better than on the streets).