The curtains have officially risen on the 5th Bangkok International Children’s Theatre Festival (BICT Fest), returning for a landmark 10th-anniversary edition under the theme “Play Attention: Look Who’s Growing Up!” Bringing together 11 productions by Thai and international artists from nine countries—South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. While some performances ended after the first weekend, a wide variety of exciting activities and shows still await everyone every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from today until August 30, 2026.

This year marks the third time One Bangkok has supported the festival, rooted in a shared conviction in the transformative power of arts and culture to connect communities and align with its core philosophy, “Open Up Art to Life.” Serving as the festival’s central hub, One Bangkok has transformed spaces across the district into vibrant stages for performances and workshops, alongside venues at the Goethe-Institut Thailand and the Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University.

An International Contemporary Performing Arts Experience

A defining hallmark of BICT Fest 2026 is its curated programme of non-verbal performances, purposefully crafted to transcend language barriers, heighten the senses, and invite total audience immersion through five international productions tailored for audiences of all generations.

Leading the Asian showcase is IYKYK, a pioneering interactive piece by Thai creative studio DuckUnit that whisks spectators away on a golf-buggy journey across evolving terrains of light and shadow, playfully bending scale, time, and space to evoke the feeling of stepping inside a living animation at Car Park B4, One Bangkok. This is joined by Kaow Kome*, an intimate, immersive performance for infants co-created by Bambino! (Japan) and Crescent Moon Theatre (Thailand), celebrating the “small miracles of growing up” through the shared rice-growing heritage of both nations at the Goethe-Institut Thailand. Completing the Asian line-up is Jala Lan Jana, a contemporary puppetry performance by Indonesia’s Flying Balloons Puppet that weaves a poetic narrative of “rivers” using fabric, illumination, and soundscapes     to examine humanity’s relationship with the natural environment at the Goethe-Institut Thailand.

From Europe, Compagnie Thomas Guérineau (France) presents Une Petite Rêverie*, an acrobatic work that interlaces the physical form, sound, and everyday objects through a multi-talented performer moving effortlessly between juggling, musicianship, and dance to evoke childhood memories. Alongside this, Belgian company Grensgeval brings Plock!, an acrobatic blend of visual art and live acoustics following a performer striving to recreate Jackson Pollock’s iconic drip paintings, encouraging audiences to break boundaries through creative expression. Both productions take place at the One Bangkok Pavilion.

Igniting the Imagination with Free Public Programmes

The complimentary programme begins with Parade Pajai* by Thailand’s Ting a Tong, a participatory live-music procession inspired by traditional northeastern Isan folklore of subterranean treasures, moving festival-goers to the rhythm of bamboo instruments. Meanwhile, Miss Theatre presents Queer Meet: You Can Ask Me Here, a semi-conversational performance establishing a welcoming, safe space where young people can engage in candid, one-on-one dialogue with queer artists with no questions off-limits, fostering empathy and    mutual understanding. Both productions are staged at One Bangkok Park.

International collaborations include (TBC) by Some Club, created alongside artists from Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand in partnership with the Mirror Foundation. The interactive installation repurposes surplus objects, intertwining them with the experiences of foundation members creating an artwork that invites the public to connect, question, and uncover meaning together at One Bangkok Park. In addition, the UK’s Stopgap Dance Company collaborates with Thai performers in Frolic*, an inclusive reinterpretation of the internationally acclaimed outdoor piece “Frock” featuring disabled and non-disabled dancers in a tea-party setting        that celebrates individuality at the Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University.

Audiences can also experience Tree Trees Tres, an outdoor acrobatic show by South Korea’s 64J (Joules) following an emissary from the God of Balance on a mission to restore harmony between the physical and digital realms amidst skyscrapers, using sharp wit to champion present-moment connection. Alongside it, Taiwan’s Anarchy Dance Theatre presents 

You Choreograph, a participatory dance experience inviting spectators to shape the choreography and move instinctively. Both shows take place at One Bangkok Park.

Nurturing Creative Minds Through Hands-On Workshops

Complementing the live stage, the festival features hands-on creative workshops designed to foster learning through practice. At the One Bangkok Gallery, 2nd Floor, The Storeys, include the Parade Pajai Workshop | Melody of the River* by Ting a Tong, introducing children to deep-listening exercises, bodily water-sound mimicry, and bamboo instrument-making; the Une Petite Rêverie Workshop | Musical Juggling* by Compagnie Thomas Guérineau, teaching children rhythmic juggling to build focus; alongside family sessions such as 64J’s Tree Trees Tres Workshop | Balance Every Body, fostering physical stability and trust on balance boards; and Grensgeval’s Plock! Workshop | Leave a Trace Behind, inviting participants of all ages to create dynamic action drawings using crayons across oversized paper canvases.

At the Goethe-Institut Thailand, Bambino! and Crescent Moon Theatre host the Kaow Kome Workshop | Moving with Care: The Echo of Presence – Dwelling in the New Balance*, a movement session for families with infants aged 3–24 months, artists, and the public to discover beauty and a new sense of balance through diverse bodies; no prior experience required. Additionally, Flying Balloons Puppet leads the Jala Lan Jana Workshop |  Leading and Lending, a dedicated session for artists exploring the exchange of creative energy on stage.

Performances and workshops run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from today until 30 August, featuring both ticketed and complimentary events. The complete festival schedule and detailed information are available at: https://bictfest.com/2026/

Tickets for all events can be reserved today at: https://www.eventpop.me/c/bictfest2026

* Held exclusively on 21, 22, and 23 August 2026.