This year, the Isan Creative Festival, organised by the Creative Economy Agency (CEA), kicks off under the theme "Northeast Modern: Abundance, Adaptation And Connectivity".
The event presents the unique DNA of Isan through cultural wisdom, traditions and the potential of its people and businesses until Sunday, across four main venues in Khon Kaen -- the TCDC Khon Kaen, Central Khon Kaen Campus, the Sri Chan Creative District, and the Khon Kaen International Convention and Exhibition Center.
Here are some highlights.
Venue: TCDC Khon Kaen
The Isan Server Exhibition
According to market research firm Newzoo, the global gaming market reached US$201 billion in 2025. In Thailand, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency reported the gaming industry was valued at 37.1 billion baht in 2021.
Due to the high value of the gaming market, the CEA collaborated with TCDC Korat, SEDA–SUT Entrepreneurship, Adabrain, Lek Fah Sai and Maxion to organise the Korat Frontier Game Jam 2026 to find talented game developers. "The Isan Server Exhibition" presented the Top 10 games which were selected from the competition.
Muea stood out for capturing Thai horror movie vibes. Players must recruit people in a village, but in order to do so, they must distinguish between humans and ghosts. Players must keep the ghost population under control and the game will end if there are too many ghosts in the village.
Sticky Rice Runner is a racing game inspired by the Isan lifestyle, such as rice fields and backyard chicken farming. Many people will relate to Reframe as the main character accidentally travels back in time which, allows him to fix things with his childhood crush.
Organisers plan to launch the games on the Steam gaming platform at an affordable price and believe it has potential to generate a strong return.
Isan Speaks – Bwild Isan
Kanchana Shnatepaporn, founder of Bwild Isan, said the brand is a creative hub of designers who graduated from Khon Kaen University. Their hero product, which went viral during the Covid-19 pandemic, is a chicken-shaped bag. Another well-known design is their fighting fish bag. Kanchana said the chicken and fish symbolise the fighting spirit of Isan people.
Bwild Isan recently teamed up with Perfumers' Journey to design a case for A La Mod Eau De Parfum, which was inspired by a red ant's nest and represents cooperation and unity between Thai designers.
Saren
Saren is a design studio from Surin founded by Junwipa Kaewnare, Asst Prof Ratanarekha Atchariyapitak, Patipat Chaiwitesh and Kalaya Kovidvisith. For the exhibition, the studio presents stools with cushion seats made from fibres of natural waste, rice straw waste and silk waste.
Asst Prof Ratanarekha explained the team came up with the idea of using waste because traditional silk fibre has decreased as the number of people who grow mulberry trees and raise silkworms is declining. The team felt that if local people use new silk fibres to produce handmade products, the high production cost would mean a high product price.
They decided to conduct research on rice straw because it is a fibrous plant left over after harvest and villagers often burn this part to prepare their fields for the next planting season.
However, since rice straw fibres are naturally short, the researchers decided to blend them with silk waste to increase their durability. The product was tested at the Thailand Textile Institute and found to be able to withstand more than 10,000 washes which indicates that its durability ranges from a good to very good. Additionally, the base of the stool was inspired by an element from a traditional elephant saddle.
Resindrome
Resindrome showcases multi-coloured resin Buddha amulets designed as fridge magnets. The founder of Resindrome aims to question the true value of amulets and promote a modern image of them so they are more accessible to new generations.
Circulars Project: Paper Soap by Qalb
Founded by Pattaraphorn Nakhornsingha, Qalb is a paper soap which is thin and square-shaped. Pattaraphorn said her idea started with the need to dispose of waste in her guava orchard. Initially, she thought of burning the waste to make traditional charcoal. After doing some research, she discovered that making biochar was the better way to go. Biochar is highly porous much like a sponge which allows it to absorb water effectively and promotes the growth of beneficial micro-organisms.
As owner of the Mooki Into Soap brand, Pattaraphorn wanted to blend soap scraps from her production process with biochar. The result is a unique paper soap. When biochar-infused paper soap flows down the drain, it helps eliminate odours. When placed in the bathroom, it absorbs surrounding odours. This small and thin paper soap is convenient to carry and can be used individually for personal hygiene.
Venue: Adlib Hotel Khon Kaen (Sri Chan Creative District)
Isan Fermentation Excellence Center
Isan Fermentation Excellence Center was founded to celebrate the wisdom of the Isan people and is being officially launched at the Isan Creative Festival 2026. A total of 23 institutions, including Thailand Science Research and Innovation, Khon Kaen Provincial Industrial Council, Isan Chamber of Commerce and the Faculty of Technology at Khon Kaen University, signed an MoU to enhance the quality of Isan's famous pla ra and promote it globally.
As the fermented fish sauce market is valued at over 10 billion baht, it can drive Thailand's economy. The centre will develop research and innovation regarding micro-organisms, nutrition, flavour and benefits of fermented fish paste.
Nutthaporn Komjit, deputy chair of the Isan Fermentation Excellence Center said the centre also aims to compile knowledge on making fermented fish paste across the country from the Northeast, Central, North and South. She said every region has its own fermented fish, but names it differently, such as thua nao in the North, nam pla in the Central Region and koey pla in the South.
Venue: The Treasury Museum, Khon Kaen (Sri Chan Creative District)
Khon Kaen Reimagined: Climate-Resilient Urban Future by Urban-Act Project
The Urban-Act Project is a project under the GIZ Thailand in collaboration with national and international partners, as well as academic institutions and the Khon Kaen municipality. The Urban-Act Project teamed up with the Meteorological Department to predict which areas will be at risk of flooding over the next 10 to 20 years in Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai and Phuket. This exhibition focuses on the project in Khon Kaen.
The team emphasised the projection is based on the variability of climate change modelled through global climate models. It is not a confirmation that the red-coloured areas on the map will flood.
The team suggested that Khon Kaen officials cope with upcoming floods and droughts by developing "sponge areas" in the city.
Wilasinee Poonuchaphai, deputy director of Urban-Act Project, explained that the urban infrastructure is divided into grey, green and blue. While grey consists of rigid and heavy infrastructures such as roads, houses, buildings and walls, green infrastructure refers to plant life and blue infrastructure comprises water-based features.
The concept of the "sponge" is to create areas where water can seep into the soil, changing a grey area to green. When the soil absorbs water, the flow towards the city will be slowed, reducing flooding. In Khon Kaen, flood is often followed by drought as there is no water storage. Khon Kaen needs to develop water storage or retention ponds for the dry season.
For more information, visit isancreativefestival.com.
