Well, it is that wonderful time of the year. It’s the last month and the holiday season is upon us. This also means the weather, although for a very short time, is going to be cooler here in Bangkok. We all look forward to it – the Thais and the foreigners who live here. So what does one do when the weather is nice and cool? It was certainly the perfect opportunity to check out the so-called Winter Market Festival.

I know, 23 Degrees Celsius at night is hardly winter. Most would call it mildly pleasant but for Bangkok it is definitely winter.

After our errands and family time on a Sunday, we finally made our way to the Winter Market Festival. Apparently this was the 5th edition of it but for some reason we never went before. God knows why because it was an amazing setup and a winterful experience (see what I did there). Let me tell you why and why you should absolutely go for the next one.

The Vibe & Atmosphere

As we came through the main entrance at On-Nut Road, there was the signage for the market. It was well lit up and definitely had a festive feel to it. There were a LOT of people so we knew it was going to be even more crowded inside.

As we passed the gates, we noticed a large layout map on the side to get an idea of what is where.

On the other side was a check-in post where you can collect a pin badge after checking-in on social media. Bunch of things were written on the badge that defines people’s lifestyle like “day dreamer”, “available” “Rhino” (I have no idea what that is other than the animal). I chose the “party animal” badge. I guess these are great as conversation starters.

Straight ahead, the road curved up and down a small bridge over the canal. First came designer shops and stalls from Thai local brands and were all aligned on the left side of the road. Festive music was playing along and often interchanged with pop songs.

The road winded down further ahead and just as you would start thinking the market area had ended it would continue on from the corners.

Unlike big markets like Chatuchak or Rod Fai Fa, the Winter Festival was spacious for walking. It was airy so even though the temperature wasn’t that low, the cool winds definitely made it feel like a winter wonderland of food and shopping.

We kept walking till we came to the end of the market space. It was probably a 800 m walk from the entrance to the end. Here, there was a little fenced dog yard for pets to run around and play at. We saw some really adorable dogs.

On the other side of the yard, a pool was filled with plastic balls for the kids (and adults) to play in while EDM hits were being blasted by DJs.

It was like a music festival meets popup market meets I don’t know what else. The Winter Market Festival clearly had something for everyone.

The Food, OMG the Food

People go to markets to shop. So does Kanika but I go to markets to eat and drink. At restaurants you can try 2 at most 3 dishes but at these popup markets, you can try so much more. There was so much variety of food here, it was a bit overwhelming. Everything from western favorites like ribs and burgers to local delights. There was North Eastern Thai food, daily snacks the locals eat, fusion food trucks, Japanese, pizzas, more ribs and burgers and much more.

The only problem was that almost every food stall had queues a mile long. Of course I exaggerate but to put things in perspective, I waited 10 minutes in line to order this popular spaghetti from spaghetti house 789. After that I had to wait another 40 minutes for my order to serve! It was family run with the husband taking orders and the wife cooking the spaghetti in 4 or 5 flavors. I ordered the salmon with an addition of sausage. The spaghetti had a Thai chili twist to it so it was worth the wait.

The only stalls that didn’t have lines were the boozy ones. When we got there, the first thing we bought was a glass of craft beer from Smiling Mad Dog and then a few more from other stalls while we waited for our food.

There were a lot of other food trucks and stalls that I wanted to try but it was getting late, lines were long and again it was just all so overwhelming. You could literally spend all day from afternoon to night trying out all the food, drinks and shop. I do wish we went earlier in the day to get a better feel and look of the market. Maybe next time!

Here’s what people were tweeting about the market.

I love this event, was fun and was nice.#wintermarketfest5 @ T77… https://t.co/rUWNJSM6d2

— Mind Melody (@punpilai) December 17, 2017

I love this feel 🎪🥁🎸🍖🥓🍺 #wintermarketfest5 #habito #sansiri @ T77 Community https://t.co/gmq0r0a0tI

— SASI_PRP➠มีไว้บ่นนะ (@SASITPRP) December 17, 2017