Things to do in Bangkok in June

A bit about my thinking behind these things-to-do posts, which is the same as the thinking behind most things I feature on Streets of Bangkok: I try to find events or activities that are convenient and accessible, which means you don't need a car to get to them (pedestrians and public-transport users are people too...) and that they're either free or not too pricey. Occasionally I'll put something expensive in if it's awesome enough, but I try to limit that, partly as I'm tired of reading events listings and thinking 'OOH-oh wait it costs a large fraction of my salary'. Personal taste comes into it as well, which is why you'll see art exhibitions every time but no shoe sales (urban strolling isn't kind to pretty shoes anyway...). I'm always looking for new things and open to suggestions, especially for things that could use a little extra coverage - so if you have/know of an event, drop me a message.

Enough of that, here's some stuff to do in June:

Weather

Monsoon! It's beautiful! Curl up and let the rain sing you to sleep (or the thunder wake you, unless you're a heavy-duty sleeper like me), huddle in a café or just run down the street, jumping in puddles and chasing frogs.
Location: everywhere!

Art

First, an event - First Friday #7 at Attic Studios - this time with a timely 'make art, not war' theme. Bound to be as fun and full of interesting people as ever.
Friday May 7, 7-11 pm, Sukhumvit 31.

And some exhibitions: Thai Puppetry, an exhibition featuring traditional and contemporary Thai puppets.
Thailand Cultural Centre exhibition room, until June 7

Wonderful Thai Friendship at WTF café and gallery, featuring 13 local artists.

ARDEL galleries have several interesting ones, including All About Her by Bussarapong Thongchai (until June 30), in which the artist examines her relation to gender roles in modern Thai society.

History

Not June-specific, but the National Museum Volunteers offer free guided tours of the museum in several languages. There's usually an English-language tour on Wednesdays and Thursdays, starting at 9:30 am. On Wednesday June 16, the tour will be led by yours truly. I've recently completed the guiding workshops and try to balance overviewy stuff for tourists with details that residents might not know. If you haven't been to the National Museum it's well worth it - see you there?
The National Museum faces Sanam Luang and is a 10-minute walk/quick motorbike-taxi ride from Tha Chang express boat pier. Most buses will take you to the area, too.

Volunteering

The Little Light Project, a programme that promotes volunteering at the Bangkok School for the Blind, is holding a day of activities at the school on June 5, 8:30-11:30am. The project, which aims to "use group activities to promote learning and confidence", sounds wonderful and if you're free this Saturday I hope you'll consider going and making a difference.

Sales

To celebrate its 6th anniversary, the nicest second-hand bookshop in town, Dasa Book Cafe, is selling their books at a 20% discount. They also do a fiiine chocolate brownie and have a good selection of teas, so this is highly recommended as a spot of book-buying/brownine therapy for us busy Bangkokians.
Dasa Book Cafe, Sukhumvit (between soi 26 and 28). Daily 10 am to 8 pm until June 10 .

And at the Bull's head, Nancy Chandler's Thailand (they make the awesome candy-coloured maps) is holding its Summer Anniversary Sale, with activities for all ages and up to 50% discounts on Nancy Chandler products.
Sukhumvit soi 33/1, June 5, 11am-5pm.

Out of Town

For several interesting festivals and events country-wide, including the Phi Ta Khon festival (oh oh I so want to go to that festival one day!), check out Talen's nifty event calendar.