TL;DR: Cicada Market is Hua Hin’s polished weekend arts-and-crafts market, out near Khao Takiab about 7km south of the centre. It opens Friday, Saturday and Sunday only, from 4pm to 11pm (Sunday often winds down around 10pm), and entry is free. It’s built around four zones: an arts-and-crafts flea market, indoor art galleries, an open-air amphitheatre with live music and performances in the evening, and a food zone serving Thai and international dishes on a voucher system. It sits on a large plot on the Nong Kae-Khao Takiab Road, near the Hyatt Regency and Sasi Dinner Theatre, with Tamarind Market right next door. The easiest way there is the green songthaew toward Khao Takiab, about ฿15 per person. Arrive around 5-6pm to browse in daylight and stay for the evening performances. All prices ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026).
If you’ve searched “Cicada Market Hua Hin,” you’ve found the one weekend market most people single out from the crowd: an arts-focused, well-run night market near Khao Takiab that trades the plastic-souvenir feel of a typical tourist market for handmade crafts, galleries and live performances. This guide covers exactly when it’s open, what’s in each of its four zones, how the food vouchers work, where it is and how to get there, and how it compares with the market next door. Every day, hour and detail below is checked against current 2026 sources, listed at the end, with baht converted to US dollars at ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026).
What is Cicada Market?
Cicada is Hua Hin’s most polished weekend market, an arts-and-crafts destination built around a stylish flea market, galleries, an amphitheatre and a food zone. It runs on a large (10-rai) plot near Khao Takiab and describes its own concept as a market for arts and creativity, per Thailand-HuaHin.com. Rather than the usual T-shirts and phone cases, you get handmade jewellery, art, home decor, clothing and design pieces, alongside live music and performances. It’s free to enter, so the atmosphere alone is worth the trip even if you don’t buy anything.
When is Cicada Market open?
Cicada opens Friday, Saturday and Sunday only, from 4pm to 11pm (Sunday often closes around 10pm), and is closed Monday to Thursday. Its official site lists 4pm to 11pm across all three days, while some visitor guides note Sunday winding down a little earlier, per its official site and Thailandee. Because it’s a weekend-only market out near Khao Takiab, it’s worth planning around rather than assuming you can drop in any evening. Arriving around 5-6pm is the sweet spot: enough daylight to browse the crafts, then the evening performances as it gets dark.
The four zones
Cicada is organised into four themed zones, which is what makes it feel more curated than a standard night market, per Thailand-HuaHin.com:
| Zone | What it is |
|---|---|
| Art a la Mode | The main arts-and-crafts and stylish flea market: clothes, home decor, souvenirs, stationery, new and used |
| Art Indoor | Galleries in white houses hosting photo and painting exhibitions and portrait drawing |
| Art of Act | An amphitheatre-style concert ground for live music, theatre, storytelling and dancing |
| Art of Eating | The food zone, mixing local Hua Hin dishes with regional Thai and international food |
Zones per Thailand-HuaHin.com; see Sources.
The food zone and how vouchers work
Cicada’s ‘Art of Eating’ food zone runs on a voucher system: you buy vouchers first, then redeem them at the individual stalls rather than paying each vendor in cash. The food mixes local Hua Hin dishes such as khao khluk kapi and pad thai with regional Thai (Northern, Isan, Southern) and international options including Japanese and Italian, per Thailand-HuaHin.com and Jonesy in Thailand. Hold on to any unused vouchers and cash them in the same night. Prices at the polished weekend markets tend to sit a bit above the downtown street stalls, but the variety and the setting are the trade-off. If a big, cheap feed is the priority, the neighbouring Tamarind Market leans harder into food.
Live music and performances
One of Cicada’s biggest draws is the evening entertainment: the amphitheatre and open-air theatre host live music, performances and shows once it gets dark. That’s why the timing matters, per Thailandee. Come too early and you get the market without the atmosphere; arrive around 5-6pm and you can shop in daylight, eat, and then catch the performances as the crowds build. It’s a genuinely different feel from a purely transactional night market, more of an evening out than a quick shopping stop.
Where is Cicada Market and how do you get there?
Cicada sits on the Nong Kae-Khao Takiab Road, near the Hyatt Regency Hua Hin and the Sasi Dinner Theatre, about 7km south of central Hua Hin. The cheapest way there is the green songthaew heading toward Khao Takiab from the town centre, about ฿15 (~US$0.45) per person, per Thailandee. A taxi, tuk-tuk or motorbike taxi also works if you want to go direct and skip the wait; you’ll pay more but save time. Because it’s so close to Khao Takiab, the natural plan is to climb the temple hill in the late afternoon and roll into the market for the evening. See outthailand.com’s Khao Takiab (Monkey Mountain) guide for that half-day.
Cicada vs Tamarind Market
Tamarind Market sits about 20 metres from Cicada and is the food-and-music counterpart to Cicada’s arts-and-crafts focus. Where Cicada is the bigger, more polished browse with galleries and performances, Tamarind has a hawker-centre feel with open-air seating, grilled food and a live band, per Thailandee. The simplest plan is to do both in one evening: browse Cicada, then cross to Tamarind for a sit-down meal. For the full lineup of the town’s markets and how they differ, see outthailand.com’s Hua Hin night markets guide.
Honest downsides
- It’s weekend-only. Cicada opens Friday to Sunday, so a midweek visitor misses it entirely.
- It’s a ride out of town. At about 7km south near Khao Takiab, it’s not a downtown stroll; factor in transport each way.
- It gets very crowded. Saturday nights in particular can be shoulder-to-shoulder, so go on a Friday or arrive early for room to browse.
- Prices run a little higher. The curated setting and handmade goods cost a bit more than the downtown street stalls.
Bottom line
Cicada is the market to prioritise if you’re in Hua Hin over a weekend and want more than souvenirs and street food: genuine arts and crafts, galleries, live performances and a solid food zone, all free to enter, near Khao Takiab. Arrive around 5-6pm, take the green songthaew to save money, keep your food vouchers handy, and pair it with the neighbouring Tamarind Market and a late-afternoon climb up Khao Takiab. Pair this with outthailand.com’s things to do in Hua Hin guide, the wider Hua Hin night markets guide, the Hua Hin beaches guide for the daytime, and where to stay in Hua Hin if you want to base near the south end. Check outthailand.com’s live Hua Hin events for what’s on while you’re in town.
Sources
- Cicada Market: official site: opening days (Fri-Sun) and hours (4pm-11pm), Khao Takiab location, free entry
- Thailand-HuaHin.com: Cicada Market Hua Hin: the four zones (Art a la Mode, Art Indoor, Art of Act, Art of Eating), 10-rai plot near Hyatt Regency and Sasi Dinner Theatre, food voucher system, cuisine range
- Thailandee: Cicada Market Hua Hin: Fri-Sun 4pm-11pm hours, amphitheatre performances, crowds, songthaew (~฿15) access
- Jonesy in Thailand: Top 8 Hua Hin Night Markets: Cicada hours (Sunday to 10pm), food-voucher system detail, free entry
- Thailandee: Tamarind Market Hua Hin: Tamarind Market beside Cicada, food-and-live-music focus, same weekend evenings