‘There’s more to life than work’: Bangkok’s young people embrace mass outdoor aerobics sessions

Group exercise had been associated with older people, but the playlist of K-pop and US hip-hop is a hit with gen Z It’s evening rush hour in central Bangkok, the roads are clogged with traffic and the air is heavy from the heat. But in a corner of the capital’s biggest park, the crowds are already gathering to dance. As the music starts, an aerobics leader glides across a small stage. A sea of arms move from side to side, then touch the sky. Knees pop up and down. Ankles tap. The after-work aerobics classes in Lumphini Park once drew a modest crowd of mostly older people, organisers say. Now, they’re a gen Z hit. Students and young adults are flocking to the sessions to join in the fun, and clips are going viral on TikTok and Instagram. The sessions have become so popular that projector screens and extra speakers have been added Attendance numbers, now in the hundreds, have grown so much that authorities have put up a projector screen to help the crowds follow the routine and installed extra sets of speakers to blare music across the park’s walkway. Aether Li, 22, who works nearby as a paralegal, joined the sessions after seeing videos on social media. “Seeing it on TikTo