E-San Music festival is held every year in Khon Kaen province, at the Ubolrat Dam (around 1h drive from Khon Kaen City). Some consider it at the “Thai Woodstock”! 

Get together with music aficionados from all over Thailand for this three-day event in the open air and get a feel for real Thai music from the Esan area, deeply rooted in the northeastern region of Thailand, known locally as ‘Isan’. This genre is characterized by its unique rhythms, traditional instruments and soulful melodies. Over the years, E-San music has not only preserved its traditional essence but has also evolved by incorporating contemporary elements, making it relevant and captivating for the younger generation. Next year, the festival will be organized from 31st January to 2nd February 2025.

In addition to the festival, spend some time exploring the lesser-known Khon Kaen and try our 4 days / 3 days program that includes visits to temples, national parks (including Phu Wiang Park where the first dinosaur bones in Thailand were discovered in 1976), markets and foodie experiences (local Isan food, cooking classes, beer & coffee tasting, bar hopping… Khon Kaen counts more than 20 restaurants listed in the Michelin Guide). 

You will stay at the outstanding Ad Lib Khon Kaen Hotel perfectly located in the city center, which embraces local crafts and modern comforts and offers fantastic views of the region. 

You can travel to Khon Kaen by flight (1h), night or day train (6 to 8 hours) or by road with a stop at Khao Yai National Park.  Direct flights to Chiang Mai are also available. 

You have time? 

Our longer 5 days / 4 days West Isaan package also starts in Khon Kaen and connects with neighboring Udon Thani known for its UNESCO Listed World Heritage Site Ban Chiang (one of the most important “prehistoric” site in Southeast Asia) as well as Phu Phra Bat Historical Park, the “Thai Stonehenge”. The trip ends in Dansai, famous for its Folk Museum, which presents the history, culture and costumes of the Phi Ta Khon ritual festival, an ancestral Dansai tradition that aims to awaken the spirit of the Man River. This fascinating festival includes games, concerts, parades, and dances of locals wearing their masks and teasing spectators with wooden phalluses. It takes place over 3 days, the dates are chosen each year (generally in June or July) by the city’s mediums.