Sala Chalermkrung Khon show tickets

What the show is

This is a short, polished introduction to Khon, not a full evening of it. The theatre stages one set, the Hanuman episode of the Ramakien, all year round, and each performance runs 25 minutes. The dancers act out the story in masks and costume while live traditional Thai music plays and narrators sing and speak the lines at the side of the stage. Modern lighting, sound and stage effects frame the dance, and English and Chinese subtitles explain the story throughout. Khon itself was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2018.

Read next: The Piphat Orchestra and Narrators Behind Khon

Showtimes, and the days with no show

There are three performances a day, Monday to Friday only: 13:00, 14:30 and 16:00. There's no show at the weekend, so if Saturday is your only Grand Palace day, you'll miss it. The theatre also closes on some weekdays. For October 2026, the palace lists no performances on the 13th, 23rd and 28th, so check its Khon page for your own dates. The tour we link to follows the same pattern: weekend dates weren't bookable when we checked, and the operator advises checking the Khon schedule in advance.

• Monday to Friday: 13:00, 14:30 and 16:00
• Each performance: 25 minutes
• No shows on Saturdays and Sundays
• October 2026 closures: the 13th, 23rd and 28th

Your Grand Palace ticket gets you in

This is the part most visitors miss. If you're a foreign visitor and buy a ticket for the Grand Palace, you can take that ticket to the Khon show at Sala Chalermkrung. The theatre says the palace ticket covers the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew, the temple museum and the Khon show, and that the Khon part stays valid for 7 days from the day you bought it. So you don't have to rush across town straight after the palace. You can come back on another weekday. The palace sells tickets from 08:30 to 15:30, at the gate or online up to a month ahead.

The shuttle from the palace

You don't need a taxi. A shuttle bus waits at Phiman Deves Gate, which is where visitors leave the palace, and runs one way to the theatre. It leaves 30 minutes before each performance, so aim to be at the gate by 12:30, 14:00 or 15:30. The palace stops selling tickets at 15:30, so after a morning there the 13:00 or 14:30 show is the easy fit, with 16:00 as the late option. The shuttle only goes to the theatre, so plan your own way on afterwards.

• Shuttle for the 13:00 show: leaves at 12:30
• For the 14:30 show: leaves at 14:00
• For the 16:00 show: leaves at 15:30
• Bring your Grand Palace ticket to the theatre

The guided half-day tour

The tour we link to is a four-hour private guided tour run by Dream On Trips, not a show ticket. An English-speaking guide takes you to Wat Pho for about an hour, then Wat Phra Kaew, inside the Grand Palace grounds, for about an hour and a half. Next comes 30 minutes of Thai desserts and snacks at The Old Siam Plaza, and the day ends with the Khon show at Sala Chalermkrung. Entry tickets are included. You choose private or public transport, and either hotel pickup or meeting your guide at MRT Sanam Chai, by the Museum Siam exit. The guide contacts you in advance, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before.

• Included: entry tickets, guide, desserts and snacks, your chosen transport
• Hotel pickup and drop-off, if you select it
• Not included: meals beyond snacks, personal expenses
• Not allowed: baby strollers, flash photography, smoking

Doing it yourself, or taking the tour

Be clear about what you're paying the tour for. The show itself comes with a standard Grand Palace ticket, so the tour doesn't get you anything you can't reach alone. What it adds is a guide who explains Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaew, transport between the stops, the dessert stop and a fixed plan that ends at the theatre on time. If you're happy to buy a palace ticket, rent the palace's audio guide and walk to the shuttle, you can do the same day yourself. If you'd rather not think about gates, queues and showtimes in the heat, that's what the tour is for.

The story you'll see: Hanuman

The current set follows Hanuman, the monkey warrior, from boyhood to battle. As a young monkey he picks fruit in the garden of Phra Uma, Shiva's wife, without asking, and she takes away his strength. Only Rama can break the curse, by stroking him three times from head to tail. Hanuman meets Rama, pledges his loyalty and brings his troops with him. Rama sends him and Sugreeva to build a bridge across the ocean to Lanka, Thotsakan's city, to rescue Sita. Underwater, Supan Macha and her sea nymphs work against him until he makes her surrender, and the bridge is built. Then the great battle begins.

Read next: The Ramakien: The Epic Story Behind Every Khon Show

What to wear

If you're seeing the show with your palace ticket or on the tour, you'll be dressing for the Grand Palace first, and its rules are strict because it's a place of reverence for Thai people. Wat Pho also asks visitors to dress politely, with no shorts. Long trousers or a long skirt and a shirt with sleeves should get you through both. We found no separate dress code on the theatre's own pages.

• No sleeveless shirts, vests, short tops or see-through tops
• No shorts, mini skirts or torn trousers
• No tight trousers, bike shorts or sleepwear
• Take your shoes off before entering temple buildings

The theatre itself

Sala Chalermkrung opened in July 1933 as a cinema. King Prajadhipok paid for it from his own funds as part of the celebrations for Bangkok's 150th anniversary, and the name means Pavilion to Celebrate the City. The Modernist building had air-conditioning, a new thing for many in Bangkok then, and a main auditorium of 1,500 seats. After years of decline it was renovated in 1992 for traditional theatre. The stage was widened and a hydraulic stage lift put in, which cut the seating to 600. Look up as you arrive: the sign on the roof spells the theatre's name in Thai, and its original neon lettering was described as the largest in Asia.

Getting there on your own

The theatre is at 66 Charoen Krung Road, Wang Burapha Phirom, in Bangkok's Phra Nakhon district. The nearest MRT station is Sam Yot, and buses 1, 25 and 73 are among those that connect from there. From BTS Siam, buses 25 and 48 run to the theatre. The theatre's ticket counter is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, and you can call it on +66 2 224 4499 to ask about the show. If you're coming from the Grand Palace, the shuttle is the easy option.

Who this isn't for

If you're in Bangkok only at the weekend, there's no show to see. If you want a full evening of Khon, 25 minutes will feel short. And if you already hold a Grand Palace ticket, it covers the show, so you don't need the tour for that part. The tour itself isn't suitable for wheelchair users or pregnant women, and you can't bring a baby stroller.