Venue
Damnoen Kasem Road, Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri Khan 77110, Thailand
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Hua Hin International Jazz Festival guide
Two free nights of jazz on the sand.
In short
The Hua Hin International Jazz Festival is usually two evenings on Hua Hin Beach, but the month varies, and the 2026 dates had not been announced by late October 2026. Thai and international players perform while audiences picnic on the sand. It suits relaxed music lovers and families; check announcements before travelling.
The Hua Hin International Jazz Festival turns the beach of Thailand's royal seaside town into a free open-air concert hall for two nights. Thai bands and players flown in from abroad share the bill, and most of the audience listens from the sand, with the Gulf of Thailand dark behind the stage.
Nearly twenty years on, it keeps an easy, local feel. Families bring mats and picnics, hotel guests watch from their tables, and the programme tends to honour the town's royal connections as much as the music. It is one of the few big jazz events in the region where nobody has to buy a ticket.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Where: Hua Hin, Thailand
Venue: Hua Hin Beach
Held: Every year
Type of event: Live Events, Musical Events
Currency: Thai baht (฿ THB)
Time zone: UTC+7, no daylight saving
Language: Thai
Map
Close to the venue
- Hua Hin Beach Attraction · 1.5 km
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Seating on the beach and paid tables
Entry to the beach costs nothing, and most people sit on the sand. Bring a beach mat or a sarong to sit on; plastic sheeting works in a pinch if the sand is damp. If you would rather have a chair and a table, some beachfront hotels and restaurants sell dinner packages with a reserved seat facing the stages. These are the first thing to sell out, often within days of the dates being published, so book one as soon as you know you are going.
Clothing, insects and getting back at night
- Evenings are warm, but the breeze off the sea turns cool towards midnight. A long-sleeved shirt or thin layer is enough.
- Pack insect repellent; mosquitoes find the crowd once the sun is down.
- Keep valuables on you while you go for food.
- Coming by car is rarely worth it on a festival night. If you must, the Hua Hin Municipality Parking Building is a short walk from the stages and saves circling the beach roads.
What happens on the day
- Late afternoon
Find a spot on the sand
Arrive before sunset, while there is still room to spread a mat near the front of the main stage.
- 17:00
First sets
In 2025 the music began at 17:00 on both nights, with more than 20 acts each evening across the two stages.
- After dark
The beach fills up
The sand in front of the main stage is packed once night falls. Latecomers listen from the water's edge, where the sound still carries.
- 23:00
Last band
The 2025 programme finished at 23:00. The night market in the centre of town is a short walk away when the music stops.
Booking a flexible room before dates are confirmed
The awkward part comes first. By mid-October 2026 the organisers had still not fixed dates for the 20th edition, and the best guess is a weekend in late November. It could just as easily move into December or into 2027, so book only rooms you can cancel and keep an eye on the Hua Hin Jazz Facebook page and the municipality's announcements.
The stages face the Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas, which began life as the Railway Hotel that Prince Purachatra opened by the beach in 1921. Staying there puts you a few steps from the music, and its rooms go quickly once a date appears. The other beachfront resorts along the same shore fill next. On a tighter budget, look at the guesthouses in the lanes between the railway and the sea: Hotel Pananchai, for example, is about 300 m from the beach, and the whole quarter is walkable after the last set.
Give yourself a spare day either side. Hua Hin is an easy town to linger in, and our Hua Hin travel guide covers the beaches, markets and day trips beyond the festival.
Hua Hin's royal connection and King Bhumibol's jazz
Hua Hin became a royal resort in the 1920s, when King Prajadhipok built the summer palace he named Klai Kang Won, meaning far from worries. King Bhumibol lived there full time between 2004 and 2006. The festival has always drawn on that bond, and in 2025 it was openly a tribute: the programme honoured the late Queen Mother, and a saxophone ensemble played new arrangements of royal compositions. After the postponement, the gesture felt right.
The music itself is broad. Eleven international players from 9 countries came in 2025, among them the American percussionist Mitch Frohman and the Australian saxophonist Dale Barlow, sharing the bill with Thai acts such as Siam Cubano and Pom Autobahn. Expect Latin jazz and fusion as often as smooth jazz or big band.
Food is part of the night. Beachfront hotels and restaurants serve dinner with a view of the stage, and the night market in the centre of town is a short walk away when the music stops.
Getting there
Flying into Thailand
International flights land in Bangkok at Suvarnabhumi (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK). Travelling on a Bangladeshi passport? See our Thailand visa page.
Straight from the airport
The Roong Reuang coach runs from Suvarnabhumi to Hua Hin in about three hours and ends at a terminal near Hua Hin Airport, roughly 7 km north of the centre.
By train or bus from Bangkok
Up to ten trains a day run from Krung Thep Aphiwat or Hua Lamphong, taking about four hours to the old station on Prapokklao Road, some 850 m from the beach. Buses and minivans from the Southern Bus Terminal take about three and a half hours; the drive is 199 km.
Flying to Hua Hin
Hua Hin Airport (HHQ) has very few routes, mainly from the north: see Chiang Mai to Hua Hin flights.
On festival nights
Walk east along Damnoen Kasem Road to the sand. Green songthaews run along Phetkasem Road every ten minutes or so for 10 baht, which beats a taxi stuck in festival traffic.
Where to stay during the festival
The next date is 27 November 2026. Book your room as soon as your dates are fixed, since rooms close to the festival are the first to go.
Weather and what to pack
Hua Hin's weather depends on which month the festival lands in. November averages a high of about 31°C and a low of 24.5°C with some 73 mm of rain over four wet days; December is drier, with around 12 mm on one or two days (1991-2020 normals).
Either way, evenings on the beach are warm. A sea breeze usually takes the edge off the heat after sunset.
Worth packing
- A beach mat or sarong to sit on
- Insect repellent for the evening on the sand
- A light rain jacket if the dates fall in November
- Cash in small notes for food stalls and songthaews
- A torch or phone light for the walk back along the beach
Car hire in Hua Hin
Airport transfer to Hua Hin International Jazz Festival
Met at arrivals at Hua Hin Airport (HHQ) and driven door to door to Hua Hin Beach.
- Hua Hin Airport (HHQ) → Hua Hin Beach
- 11 km · 15 min
Restaurants and food in Thailand
Places to eat in Thailand before or after the celebrations.
Yamazato
24th floor, Park Ventures Ecoplex, 57 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330
Cuisine:KaisekiEdomae sushi
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Delivery
Vertigo
61st Floor, Banyan Tree Bangkok, 21/100 South Sathorn Road, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
Cuisine:GrillInternational
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
- Bar
Khao Soi Mae Sai
29/1 Ratchaphruek Road, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand
Cuisine:Northern ThaiNoodles
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Raya Restaurant
48/1 Dibuk Road, Talat Yai, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Cuisine:Southern ThaiPhuket
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Sorn
56 Soi Sukhumvit 26, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Cuisine:Southern ThaiFine dining
- Dine-in
Jay Fai
327 Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Cuisine:ThaiStreet food
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
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Need help?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Prices & payment
No. The beach concerts are free and open to everyone. You only pay if you want a reserved table through one of the hotel or restaurant dinner packages.
General
Yes. Apart from the station building itself, the platform area holds the Phramongkutklao Pavilion, a royal pavilion moved here from Sanam Chandra Palace in 1967. Give it ten minutes before walking down to the beach.
No. Jazz City is a different event in late May, spread across bars and venues around town. The International Jazz Festival is the free beach concert by the Centara Grand.
A wide spread. Recent line-ups mixed Latin jazz and fusion with smooth jazz and big band, and Thai groups play alongside visiting soloists. It is a crowd-friendly programme.
Close to Hua Hin Airport, about 7 km north of the town centre. A taxi or songthaew gets you into town and down to the beach.
Often, yes. The season brings ticketed jazz dinners elsewhere around Hua Hin, such as the evening concerts at the Monsoon Valley vineyard.
The next one will be the 20th. The 2025 festival, which went ahead in December after its postponement, counted as the 19th edition.
Yes. Plenty of people stroll the shoreline and stop to listen. The sound carries, but the view of the stage is best from the middle of the beach.
Getting there
Not a daily one. The regular crossing stopped in 2018, and only a seasonal catamaran has been announced for the high season since. Check before counting on it, or go by road via Bangkok.
Not usefully. Hua Hin's small airport has very few routes, mainly AirAsia from Chiang Mai. From Suvarnabhumi, the direct coach to Hua Hin is the practical choice.