Prices and hours checked October 2026
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The Bangkok Art Biennale 2026, known as BAB 2026, runs from 29 October 2026 to 28 February 2027 across 11 venues in Bangkok, including Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Museum Siam and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
It is the fifth edition of the Biennale, its theme is Angels & Mara, and the official programme lists 72 artists and collectives. There is no single Biennale ticket to plan around.
Entry depends on the venue: the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre lists entry to exhibitions as free, while the temple venues charge their own admission at the gate. The practical way to see it is to pick a cluster of venues, check the hours for that day, and pay any temple admission on arrival.
When is Bangkok Art Biennale 2026, and what is Angels & Mara?
The dates are 29 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, confirmed on the Biennale official site at bkkartbiennale.com and in the official BAB 2026 press release announcing the full artist line-up.
That release puts the scale at 72 participating artists and collectives, and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre describes the edition as more than 200 contemporary artworks by 72 artists from 29 nationalities, presented across 11 venues.
Angels & Mara is not a simple contest between good and evil. According to the Biennale, the title takes Bangkok's identity as the City of Angels and sets it against Mara, a figure associated in Buddhist cosmology with temptation, desire and the forces that obstruct enlightenment.
The works explore where those forces overlap, in subjects that include spirituality, memory, identity and transformation. The media in the official line-up announcement include painting, sculpture, photography, moving image, textile, installation and performance.
One date detail matters at the BACC. Its Biennale listing says the 9th floor Main Exhibition Gallery runs 29 October to 25 November 2026, while the 7th and 8th floors run the full period to 28 February 2027. If the BACC is high on your list, visit earlier.
Where can you see BAB 2026?
The full venue list in the official BAB 2026 press release is: Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Wat Prayoon, Museum Siam, the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, One Bangkok, centralwOrld, Siam Paragon, National Museum Bangkok, the Art Centre at Silpakorn University, and Alliance Française Bangkok, which joined in the final announcement.
That spread rewards planning by area rather than by artist. The old city and riverside cluster, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Wat Prayoon, Museum Siam, the National Museum Bangkok and Silpakorn University, can fill a full day. The Siam cluster, the BACC, Siam Paragon and centralwOrld, with One Bangkok further south, suits a second day indoors.
How much does it cost to see the Biennale?
Budget by venue, not by festival. The BACC states on its official Plan Your Visit page that entry to exhibitions is free, except for special events. Its opening time there is Tuesday to Sunday, 10.00 to 20.00, closed on Mondays. Build around that closure: a Monday in the old city can still cover the temples, which open daily.
The temples charge separately, and admission is bought at the gate. For Wat Arun, the Tourism Authority of Thailand figure in the venue research is THB 200 for foreign visitors and free for Thai nationals, with the temple open daily from 08:00 to 18:00.
Wat Pho's own official site lists an admission fee of 300 Baht and operating hours of 08:00 to 19:30, with free entry for children under 120 cm in height. Museum Siam and the National Museum Bangkok set their own admission and hours, so check the venue before you go.
The Biennale official site did not publish a single festival pass or admission price in the material checked for this guide, so treat any third party selling a general Biennale ticket with caution.
What should you see at the temple venues?
Start with the pairing the theme was made for. At Wat Pho, the official press release highlights Leiko Ikemura's Memento Mori, a reclining bronze figure that connects mortality and rebirth with the temple's own Reclining Buddha.
Seeing a contemporary work answer a historic image in the same grounds is the clearest version of what BAB does well. Wat Arun, across the river, and Wat Prayoon, on the same Thonburi side, extend that route without a long transfer.
Both main temples are working religious sites, and the dress code is enforced. At Wat Arun, shoulders and knees must be covered.
Wat Pho's official site asks tourists to dress politely and says no shorts, although trousers are permitted, and its visitor tips ask for shoes to be removed before entering religious buildings. Wear clothes that work for both temples from the start, and carry small notes for gate admission.
If you want context while you walk that riverside route, a guided option is the Klook Wat Pho and Wat Arun half-day walking tour. It is a guided tour, not an admission ticket. Temple admission itself is gate-only, so you still follow the temples' own entry arrangements on the day.
How do you plan a route between venues?
A workable pattern is two days, one for each cluster. Day one: start at Wat Pho when it opens, cross the river to Wat Arun, then add Wat Prayoon or Museum Siam if your pace allows.
Museum Siam sits in the same old city area, a short walk from Wat Pho, which makes it an easy indoor stop between temples.
For that combination, another guided option is the Klook half-day tour with Museum Siam and the Golden Mount, which pairs the museum with a viewpoint temple rather than with the Biennale programme itself.
Day two: base yourself at the BACC, which connects to the BTS at National Stadium station according to its official visitor information, and add Siam Paragon and centralwOrld on foot. That day is mostly indoors, so it is also the better choice in heavy rain.
If you only have one day, choose the riverside temples plus one indoor anchor, either Museum Siam or the BACC, and leave the rest for a return trip.
The Biennale runs for four months, so there is no need to rush it in opening week unless you want the 9th floor BACC galleries, which close earlier on 25 November 2026.
What should you know before you go?
Check three things on the morning of each visit: the venue day, the venue hours, and whether a specific gallery within that venue is still open. The BACC Monday closure and its shorter 9th floor run show why a venue can be part of the Biennale and still not show everything on every date.
Go early for the temples, for cooler weather and quieter grounds. Photography rules also vary by venue.
The BACC states that photo taking is allowed in its main galleries unless prohibited, with no flash, tripod or selfie stick, and that large bags must be left in lockers on the 5th floor before entering the main exhibition floors.
Follow the signs at each venue rather than assuming one rule covers the whole Biennale.
Check the calendar
BAB 2026 runs to 28 February 2027, but individual exhibitions and partner events start and finish inside that window. Before you set a date, check the Bangkok events calendar for the current dates and match it against the venue hours above. That quick check is the difference between a smooth two-cluster plan and arriving at a closed gallery on a Monday.