Muay Thai legend Buakaw, T-pop stars to join Sawasdee Seoul Thai Festival 2025 this weekend

Sawasdee Seoul Thai Festival 2025 will take place this weekend from Sept. 6-7 at Cheonggye Plaza with programs highlighting Thai food, music, dance, and Muay Thai. (Royal Thai Embassy Seoul)

Thailand’s biggest cultural showcase in South Korea returns to central Seoul this weekend, marking 10 years of growing ties between the two countries through food, music and tradition.

The Sawasdee Seoul Thai Festival 2025 will take place on Sept. 6-7 in the Cheonggye Plaza and Gwangtonggyo Bridge area, hosted by the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul. Organizers expect more than 60,000 visitors, with over 30,000 anticipated on the first day alone.

Admission is free.

This year’s event, themed “Discover Thailand,” celebrates a decade of cultural exchange and growing tourism and economic partnerships between Thailand and South Korea. According to Thai Ambassador Tanee Sangrat, the festival has become a powerful cultural platform for connecting the two nations. In his words, it will spotlight “the fusion of Korean and Thai cultures through collaborations in K-content and T-content, Muay Thai and traditional performances.”

The Sawasdee Seoul Thai Festival 2025 will bring more than a dozen Thai pop artists, traditional performers, and a Muay Thai showcase to Cheonggye Plaza in central Seoul this weekend with organizers expecting more than 60,000 visitors over two days. (Royal Thai Embassy Seoul)

One of the festival’s biggest draws will be a live Muay Thai demonstration by Buakaw Banchamek, a global icon of Thai martial arts, who will also meet with fans. A 593-meter opening parade featuring traditional Thai performers and an elephant balloon will kick off the celebrations Saturday morning.

The event will also spotlight Thailand’s growing cultural exports through a K-pop and T-pop music stage, including performances from major Thai artists such as Nanon Korapat, Ally and Fourth Nattawat. A T-pop singing contest on Sunday will offer a further look at Thailand’s expanding entertainment industry.

Beyond the stage, visitors can explore more than 80 booths offering authentic Thai street food, traditional massage, crafts and tourism information. Evening performances will include Thai dance, the "Pattaya Fantasy Show" and collaborative cultural stages.

The festival is supported by Thai government bodies, including Thailand’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Culture, and Interior, as well as the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Korean partners such as Seoul districts of Jongno-gu, Jung-gu, and the ASEAN-Korea Center.

As Korea and Thailand continue negotiations on a bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement, following the broader Korea–ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, this weekend’s celebration aims to deepen public and diplomatic ties in one of Seoul’s most iconic public spaces.

Visitors are advised to use public transportation (City Hall Station on Seoul Subway Line Nos. 1 and 2, or Gwanghwamun Station on Line No. 5), as traffic will be restricted in the area.