Siem Reap
Cambodia's answer to Cirque du Soleil, Phare the Cambodian Circus is so much more than a conventional circus, with an emphasis on performance art and a…
Must-see entertainment in Asia
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
An outing at the races is one of the quintessential Hong Kong things to do, especially if you're around during the weekly Wednesday-evening races. Punters…
Battambang
Battambang's signature attraction is the internationally acclaimed circus (cirque nouveau) of this multi-arts centre for Cambodian children. Although it…
Mandalay
Colourfully costumed dancers perform around 10 dances from a larger repertoire. Some give human form to traditional stories of local folklore, while…
Mandalay
At this puppet theatre, colourful marionettes expressively re-create snippets of traditional tales on a tiny stage. Occasionally a curtain is lifted so…
Ginza & Tsukiji
The flamboyant facade of this venerable theatre is fitting for the extravagant dramatic flourishes that are integral to the traditional performing art of…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Enjoy a day at the races at Seoul's impressive and hugely popular horse-racing track. A 40,000-capacity grandstand faces the sandy track and its backdrop…
Mumbai (Bombay)
India's only surviving opera house reopened to suitably dramatic fanfare with a 2016 performance by Mumbai-born British soprano Patricia Rozario, after a…
Bukit Peninsula
Although the performance obviously caters for tourists, the gorgeous setting at Pura Luhur Ulu Watu in a small amphitheatre in a leafy part of the grounds…
Alisher Navoi Opera & Ballet Theatre
Tashkent
Tashkent's main opera and ballet theatre is worth a visit as much for its impressive interior as its fine opera and ballet performances. Verdi and Puccini…
The Bund & People's Square
Shanghai’s state-of-the-art concert venue hosts everything from Broadway musicals to symphonies, ballets, operas and performances by internationally…
Kowloon
This Town Needs…more underground music venues like this, staging 10 to 15 gigs monthly in a hip warehouse space in the coastal Kowloon burb of Yau Tong…
Central Java
Held at the outdoor theatre just west of the main Prambanan temple complex, the famous Ramayana Ballet is Java’s most spectacular dance-drama troupe. The…
Kowloon
The oldest and most atmospheric of Temple St's singalong parlours, Canton resembles a film set with mirror balls and glowing shrines. Singers take to the…
Tashkent
Tashkent’s main cultural highlight is this progressive theatre, whose productions often touch on gay themes and racial subjects, to consternation of the…
Old Chiang Mai Cultural Centre
Chiang Mai
For an interactive immersion in all things Lanna, this first-of-its-kind Khantoke dinner-theatre experience remains unparalleled in Thailand. Guests…
Bangkok
Rajadamnern Stadium is Bangkok’s oldest and most venerable venue for moo·ay tai (Thai boxing; also spelt muay Thai). Be sure to buy tickets from the…
Phnom Penh
For this must-see performance, put on daily by Cambodian Living Arts, artists come from CLA's incubator program and work on specific shows for up to two…
Solo
The theatre in this vacant plot (formerly an amusement park now undergoing redevelopment) is the unlikely venue of one of the best shows in Java!…
Htwe Oo Myanmar Traditional Puppet Theatre
Yangon
Book ahead for this utterly charming cultural experience by Htwe and his family, who stage traditional puppet shows in their front living room. They've…
Hong Kong
Charming Peel Fresco has live jazz every day of the week, with local and overseas acts on an intimate stage close enough for listeners to chink glasses…
Little India & Kampong Glam
This is the headquarters of Singapore's premier dance company, which keeps fans swooning with its repertoire of classic ballets and contemporary works,…
Chengdu
This famous century-old theatre and teahouse puts on excellent 1½-hour shows that include music, puppetry and Sichuan opera's famed fire breathing and…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This is Tokyo's best jazz spot: intimate, unpretentious and with an always solid line-up of influential, avant-garde, crossover and up-and-coming…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Running since 1997, with no end in sight, is Korea's most successful nonverbal performance. Set in a kitchen, this high-octane, 90-minute show mixes magic…
Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre
Kuala Lumpur
Part of the Sentul West regeneration project, this modernist performing-arts complex puts on a wide range of progressive theatrical events including…
Ebisu, Meguro & Around
This subterranean club stages live music and DJ-hosted events (sometimes staggered on the same night). The solid line-up includes Japanese indie bands,…
Macau
The House of Dancing Water, Macau’s most expensively made show, is a breathtaking melange of stunts, acrobatics and theatre designed by Franco Dragone,…
French Concession
The JZ brand has been in Shanghai for decades, and its newest spot hosts live music every day of the week in an old Shanghai–style jazz club. It's always…
Shanghai
Small enough to feel intimate, but big enough for a sometimes pulsating atmosphere, Yùyīntáng has long been one of the top places in the city to see live…
Siam Square, Pratunam, Phloen Chit & Ratchathewi
In addition to housing Thailand’s largest IMAX screen, Major Cineplex's options include the Blue Ribbon Screen, a cinema with a maximum of 72 seats, where…
Dhaka
Dhaka's coolest music and arts lounge, Jagra Biroti hosts regular live music and spoken word events. Brightly painted walls, soft lights and billowing…
Ubud
Sharing a building with the vegan Earth Cafe & Market, this surprisingly plush 150-seat cinema screens two films daily. The price of admission is…
Guandong Guild Hall Peking Opera
Tianjin
Popular Peking opera performances are held every Saturday and Sunday afternoon at this fabulous 100-year-old wooden tea house-theatre inside the Guangdong…
George Town
This shabby-chic bar in China House has an indie vibe and is one of George Town's most reliable live-music venues for jazz and rock. Gigs usually kick off…
Osaka
For going on three decades this has been the place to hear underground music live in Osaka. It's a small, bare-concrete, smokey space – well suited to the…
Ubud
The beauty of the setting may distract you from the dancers, although at night you can’t see the lily pads and lotus flowers that are such an attraction…
Thanon Sukhumvit
Don’t let looks deceive you: every night this bland hotel lounge transforms into the city’s best venue for live jazz. True to the name, there’s comfy,…
Phnom Penh
This German-run cultural centre screens art-house films, documentaries and shorts from Cambodia and around the world at its rooftop cinema. Films are…
Seoul
The 'Lost Continent of Mu' has been hiding out in Sangsu-dong all these years? Join those in the know for live bands, piano, improv jazz or electronic…
