“When you think of the word ‘Bar’—what do you think of?”
For me, it’s a conversational place, a space that serves drinks (ideally crafted ones; either cocktails, niche wine, or some IPA beer rarely found in department stores). To tender the heart and soul of visitors, whether they come in a group, as a couple, or alone. But it’s always a place for connection (or hopefully so).
Now, I would like you to imagine the scene of a Wednesday evening, past 9 o’clock, and what I saw was a different kind of people than I normally saw at the bar called ‘Mutual Bar’—by regular standards, it’s a cocktail and after-work hangout place for white-collar workers in the CBD area; but this time, it was quieter and contained an ‘intentive aura’ that went beyond drinking and talking endlessly about life.
A ‘Lecture Bar’ is a trend that came out of nowhere but surprised me plenty. The idea of turning bar into cultural symposiums, lectures, or discussions from artists, influencers, and KOLs from different industries and sectors, from finance, sociology, and psychology to pop culture.
The first time I heard about it 3 months ago, to be honest, I was skeptical. I thought it was just a trend, a ‘counterculture’ to previous decades of hedonism, just like the mass adoption of “Longevity” buzzwords, where everyone in Bangkok seems to wake up at 6 am and go to Benjakitti Park with a ‘run club’…and perhaps I still might be right, since it has been less than a year since dozens of ‘Lecture Bars’ across the city have occurred. Only time will tell, but the more interesting thing I’ve come up with is that—whether it’s a trend or not—it’s proof that ‘meaningful conversation between humans’ is still a concern among the public and still matters—and it ‘can be done’ alongside alcohol.
This made me think of the visual image I always romanticize—the idea of intellectual salons back in the Belle Époque in Paris during the late 19th century or ‘cafe society’ in Manhattan during the early 20th century. A gathering of artists, writers, socialites, or just social climbers; both sides of interesting thinkers and, on the other, ‘clout chasers’; yet it doesn’t deny the image of well-dressed people, well-curated venues, and well-thought-out conversations. Vanity or not—it’s an experience that feels sophisticated to be in.
Back to the ‘Lecture Bar’ of 2026—that happens in Bangkok (and perhaps other major cities around the world), the reason why it relates to urban people is perhaps the erasure of ‘tradition, excessive formality, and rigidity’ from it. No dress code, no salonnière, no exclusivity based on status. Only a ticket price, a price for a drink, and that’s it…entering the ‘well-cultured’ space of modern days.
Sure, there’s certainly one who just went there for ‘content’, as I witnessed the act of taking a photo or short video of the guest and moderator on stage for an IG story, and after that, ‘got hooked’ by endless scrolling instead of what was really happening on the stage; but most people actually sat, listened, and engaged (since the discussion itself was far from a business seminar or something hyper-intellectual that sprays quotes from Schopenhauer or Descartes).
Another aspect that has shifted in context and shown itself to me is ‘how people here treat alcohol differently’.
In Europe, the idea of having a bottle of wine and a 3-hour-long conversation is certainly not a new thing. Aperitivo is an ingrained culture that unconsciously blends into the everyday lives of natives who were born and live there. However, back in the last decade, the perception of alcohol in Bangkok was far from that ‘slow burn’ but rather an intense hedonism of escapism.
Now, with this thing happening, an after-work drink, a group of people in a single space, gathering for an idea, a conversation, a connection between other humans—is another proof that drinking alcohol is not entirely bad here anymore. It serves as a companion for the night that makes dialogue smoother, ideas flow more freely—with the ‘optimal amount taken, of course’.
Hope might be the word I’d have for this trend.
Even if it’s a temporary hype for some to attend and post on IG to accumulate social capital, it doesn’t matter. It’s evidence that there’s a demand for meaningful conversation between humans. Moreover, with depth, with critical thinking…these are virtues that never fade away.
By the end of the night, after a glass of Negroni and Gin Rickey, and over an unexpected connection with another individual, I could reassure myself that night that my idea of creating my own ‘salon’ might not be a daydream anymore.