Get into your glad rags and order in the Espresso Martinis, because this weekend is a big one in Phnom Penh! There’s music, there’s racing, there’s art, there’s pool parties… and there’s an astonishing array of burgers and free flowing beer. Enjoy!

Friday

Food & Drink

What better way to kick off your weekend than with a burger and unlimited beer? That’s precisely what’s on the menu at Kingdom Taproom tonight, where the booze is flowing, 99 Boys are playing live, and $12 gets you a delicious Mike’s Burger and as much beer as you can drink ($7 without the burger; 6-11pm @ Kingdom Breweries, National Road 5).

Film

Looking for a date night movie that gives you an excuse to cuddle up for safety? Vikalcharet, showing at Legend Cinemas, is a gruesome Cambodian horror-thriller that looks creepy as hell (Khmer with English subtitles, 6.10pm @ City Mall / 8.05pm @ Tuol Kork).

Meanwhile, film buffs: rejoice! The Bophana Centre is screening multi-award-winning Nepalese masterpiece The Black Hen, followed by a Q&A with the director (6pm, St 200). Note that if you can’t make it to Friday’s event, there is a second chance on Saturday afternoon, at 2.30pm, too.

Or, for a dose of history, META House explores how Cambodian culture was nearly destroyed by the Khmer Rouge (and its impressive revival in recent years) with a series of short documentaries on the genocide and the arts. Tough watching, but ultimately hopeful. (7pm-9pm @ META House, Sothearos Boulevard, Tonle Bassac).

Comedy

There’s another chance to get your giggle fix with Comedy Club Cambodia tonight, as award-winning English comedian Paul Ricketts takes the mic at 3Mangoes guesthouse.

Scottish standup Roddy Fraser and Phnom Penh-based Sam Thomas are also performing – more info on tickets here. (8.30pm @ 3Mangoes, Street 360).

Live Music

There’s another street party on Bassac Lane tonight, this time featuring infectious funk and soul from Double-A and starring Mirasol Aguila on vocals. Grab a cocktail and pick a spot in one of the street’s open-fronted bars, or take your drink for a dance with the crowd.

Pulses will also be racing at Show Box, where Hong Kong rockers The Side Burns unleash songs from their new album (8pm-11pm, St 360, BKK2), and at Oscar’s on the Corner, which tonight hosts an awesome lineup of metal and hardcore bands from Tokyo and Hanoi as well as Phnom Penh heroes Knell, Doch Chkae and Hardihood Band (from 9pm, corner of St 13 & 104, Daun Penh).

Sound a bit on the heavy side? Try Botanico instead, where the lovely Lisa & Alaika Conception are performing a joint set of melodic pop classics (7-9.30pm, St 29, BKK1), or META House, where Colin and Pavel explore the roots of blues and rock & roll in the live concert Me and the Devil – a Blues Conspiracy.    

Jazz fans also have three great acts to choose from: Mary & Takeshi’s “Jazz in the Garden” set (6.30-8.30pm @ Farm to Table, St 360, BKK1), Friday Jazz with Clay George & Larry Martinez (8.30-11pm @ Alchemy Gastropub, St 123, Russian Market) and Jazz with the Metta Legita Trio (8-11pm @ The Jazz Club, St 282) all offer a top way to spend your night.

Saturday

Art

Our pick of the week is a superb new art exhibition at META House; painted over an 18 month period, the collection by Battambang artist Nget Chanpenh chronicles his gradual descent into Meth addiction and subsequent struggle to recover. The vivid, powerful “pictoral diary” deals with themes of self-annihilation, dependency, escape and despair and the result is a must-see insight into one of the biggest health epidemics plaguing Cambodia today.

Food & Drink

There’s not one but two beer festivals going on in the capital today: Sailing Seafood’s Phnom Penh Beer Festival (6-11pm @ Sailing Seafood Restaurant, National Assembly Boulevard) and the Indochine / Kingdom Breweries Beer Launch Party at Cloud (9pm-2am, St 9).

Prefer wine? Now’s your chance to get hold of a bargain: The Providore is holding a massive Wine Clearance Sale, with up to 40% off many bottles (12-6pm, Sothearos Boulevard).

Food-wise, who can resist a delicious Cajun Shrimp Boil … especially one with live music to keep you entertained? If that has your stomach rumbling, head to Black Bambu on St 228 from 6.30pm.

Or, if you’re stuck for dinner ideas in Russian Market, Long After Dark’s Saturday Night Dinner Party is back, with 3 delicious courses for $12.

For the Kids

Fancy a weekend to yourself AND somewhere fun for the little ones to play? Check the kids into vKirirom Pine Resort’s Kids Summer Camp for the weekend, where they can camp around a fire in the forest and get involved in a bunch of science and art activities. It’s a win-win situation! (7am Sat – 5pm Sun, leaving from Phnom Kririrom)

Events & Talks

As you no doubt know, the national elections are exactly a year away… and tensions are already starting to bubble. To help you get your head around what all this means, Politikofe is hosting a very special talk with Sebastian Strangio, author of Hun Sen’s Cambodia, to go over the key points and concerns surrounding the 2018 election (2.30-4.30pm @ Politikofe, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Street 462)

Get Active

Want to get off the sofa and shake your stuff? Join Urban Space’s very own Hip Hop dance class, led by Mr Fresh (5.30-6.30pm @ Urban Space Playground & Cafe, St 287, Tuol Kork).

Alternatively, get grooving to Latin rhythms at Duplex’s Social Salsa night (9pm-12am @ Duplex Belgian Taverne, St 278, BKK1).

Or, for something a little gentler, stretch out those muscles at Ensa Healing Space’s Evening of Yoga while you watch the sunset from the rooftop (5-9pm, St 240).

Live Music

Starting the evening early? The glamorous Miss Sarawan is The Box Office’s “Live at 5” this week (5pm, St 244), while over on Koh Pich, “Gen-S Style Your Life”, Honda Cambodia’s massive motor show, features performances from top Cambodian acts like Khmer Girls, Pich Sophea, Stepk Ruth, Suzanne, Long Deng, and Jimmy, as well as visiting Thai singers (from 4pm @ Koh Pich Theatre)

Later, there’s awesome blues, latin and jazz from Les Trois Moustiques at the Jazz Club (9pm, St 282), Khmer classics from Sambath Bun at Phka Slaa (7-11pm, corner St 240 & St 19) or rocker Ace Zappa live at Sharky Bar (9pm, St 130).

Sunday

Sport

The big one this weekend is the National Go-Karting Championship, held all day at Cambodia Karting Circuit. Drivers from all over the world are coming to Phnom Penh to take part – although we’ll be cheering for speedy sister Lay Sreyrath, one of Cambodia’s top drivers today. Click here to learn more.

Day Trips

Fancy getting out of the city and seeing something a bit different? The Scholar’s Library is organising a one-day tour to Koh Krobei in Kandal Province, where you can explore the village and learn to make your own flower masterpieces for just $3 including transport.

Pool Party

Prefer to kick back with a beer and let the sun soak up your hangover? Head to the Heineken Pool Party at Hotel Cambodiana, where you can enjoy the fabulous facilities completely free, all afternoon (3-8pm, Sisowath Quay).

Food & Drink

If you haven’t yet had your fill of burgers and beer this weekend, loosen your belt and make for Rustic Restaurant in Russian Market, where the beer is FREE and unlimited with every yummy burger you buy between 2 and 6pm (Rustic Restaurant, St 172)

Club Nights

Still not done? You’re a MACHINE! And luckily for you, Club Love isn’t done either. Tonight is their “Glowversary” – the first anniversary of their popular glow-in-the-dark parties, so expect an even larger-than-usual rave on Golden Street (11pm-4am @ Club Love, St 278, BKK1).

Phew! We’re knackered just writing that. Go forth and be merry and we’ll see you on the other side. In the meantime, make sure you never miss the weekend’s top events – click here to get this roundup delivered to your inbox every Friday.