🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Cicada Market sits on Phetkasem Road (the Hua Hin–Khao Takiab stretch), near the Hyatt Regency — the hotel sign is a handy landmark for the entrance. The market itself is an open-air garden space laid out in clearly marked zones: easy to walk, clean, and far less crowded than the downtown night market. Its character is a "craft market plus music lawn" more than a pure food market, so it suits people who'd rather stroll, listen to a band, and take photos than charge in to eat.
Two things are worth knowing before you go. First, Cicada is open only Friday, Saturday and Sunday — show up on a weekday and it's closed, which catches a lot of people who don't check first. Second, the Cicada Cuisine food zone runs on a coupon system: you buy coupons at a counter and then pay each stall with them. The food stalls in this zone don't take cash directly (the craft and clothing shops take cash and bank transfer as normal).
What zones does Cicada have?
The market splits into a few main zones you can work through in order. If it's your first time, we'd do a loop of the crafts and art first, then drop into the food zone once you're hungry — that way you're not carrying food while you browse.
Cicada Cuisine (food zone)
A food court of stalls lined up under awnings — Thai food, Western dishes (pizza, pasta), desserts, roti, drinks, and oddities like pineapple fried rice with prawns. This is where you pay with coupons, so buy them at the counter first.
Cicada Art Factory
A rotating art space with paintings, sculpture, and work from up-and-coming artists. Free to walk through, and it's the part that sets Cicada apart from Hua Hin's regular night markets.
Art a la Mode (craft zone)
Handmade goods, designer clothing, jewellery, homeware, and ceramics by local artists and designers. Prices run a touch higher than your average market because it's handmade work.
The amphitheatre (live music)
A half-circle seating area in the middle of the market with live music — jazz bands, singers, piano — alternating with magic and acrobatics shows. It starts around 7 PM into the evening and is the highlight people linger over.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Hua Hin food tour or cooking class
Half a day with a local who knows the lanes — or cooking a dish yourself — teaches you more than just eating. Book ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide.
What to eat in the Cicada Cuisine zone — 10 things people order most
The food zone is a row of stalls, mostly one-plate dishes that are easy to eat while you listen to music. The order below ranks by how much each one defines the market and what real reviews say, not by some fixed measure of which tastes best. Prices are rough ranges as of early 2026 and are counted in "coupons" (1 coupon generally equals 1 THB). Expect prices at Cicada to run about 15–20% higher than Tamarind Market next door — honestly, part of what you're paying for is the atmosphere and the music.
Pineapple fried rice with prawns (served in the pineapple)
The most-photographed dish in the food zone. Fried rice with prawns, cashews and pork floss, served right inside a halved pineapple. It leans slightly sweet, photographs well, and is easy eating — a safe order with no spice surprises, and a good match for sitting and listening to the band.
Charcoal-oven pizza & pasta
A Western stall baking thin-crust pizza fresh and serving hot plates of pasta — a fallback for anyone who doesn't want Thai food every meal, or who's with kids who can't take the spice. It's solid market-grade food rather than a serious Italian kitchen, but it works in a garden setting on a warm evening.
Pad thai with fresh prawns — a Thai one-plate classic
Pad thai with prawns wrapped in egg, fried to order at the front of the stall: soft noodles, well-balanced flavour. It's the safe pick both Thais and visitors order, and an easy bite to keep you going while you browse the crafts. It runs a little pricier than pad thai at a regular market, as Cicada tends to.
Korean-style grilled pork/chicken — skewers off the grill
A grill stall with pork skewers, Korean-sauce grilled chicken, and beef on sticks — the smell pulls you in as you walk past. Easy snacking, cheap per skewer, and good to carry around or pair with a drink while you listen to music.
Som tam, larb & Isan food
An Isan stall for the spice lovers: som tam pounded to order, larb, nam tok, with sticky rice on the side, and you can call your own heat level. It's a more filling, proper meal than the snacks — but Cicada only has a couple of Isan stalls. If you want more Isan options, Tamarind Market next door has a wider spread.
Grilled seafood — prawn/squid skewers
A small grilled-seafood stall with prawns, squid and shellfish on skewers brushed with seafood dipping sauce. Portions are skewer-sized snacks, not the big plates of a proper seafood restaurant in town, and per-skewer prices run higher because of the ingredients. For serious seafood, we'd point you to the downtown night market or a seafood restaurant in town instead.
Roti, Thai sweets & Western desserts
A dessert stall with crispy roti drizzled with condensed milk and sugar (with banana or egg), Thai sweets, and Western-style cake and waffles — to round off a meal or snack on while the music plays. The roti has the longest queue in the dessert row, made fresh and hot.
Fruit shakes, smoothies & cold coconut
A drinks stand with fresh blends — mango, watermelon, passion fruit — plus cold coconut water to cool off on a muggy night. It's the natural companion to sitting and listening to the band, and you can ask for less sugar if you don't want it too sweet.
Draught beer, cocktails & small bars
There are small bar stalls pouring draught beer, bottled beer and simple cocktails for sipping while you catch the live music — a charm Cicada has that most food markets don't. Some bars take cash or bank transfer separately from the coupon system, so ask before you order to be sure.
Quirky snacks & rotating street food
Small stalls that rotate through the seasons — ice cream, gyoza, takoyaki, fried things on sticks — the kind of snacking you can graze through without filling up fast. Good for sharing among a group.
How to use the coupon system without wasting any
The Cicada Cuisine zone uses coupons instead of cash — you buy them in a bundle (around 100 THB a bundle, in mixed small denominations) at the counter. The trick is to buy a little at a time and top up, because any leftover coupons have to be cashed back at the counter the same night before you leave, and at peak hours that means queuing again. If you over-buy and end up with extras, you'll waste time standing in the refund line. Roughly planning what you'll eat before you buy keeps it the smoothest.
Live music and the evening atmosphere
The thing that brings people back to Cicada is the amphitheatre in the middle of the market — a half-circle of seating with live music and shows alternating all evening. Early on, around 7 PM, it's usually lighter acts: magic, acrobatics, piano. From about 8 PM it shifts to live bands, anything from jazz and acoustic to contemporary Thai pop, with the seating filling right up. It's an atmosphere Hua Hin's regular food markets can't match. If you want a good seat near the stage, grab one before 8 PM to land a nice spot.
- 4–6 PM — stalls just opening, still quiet, sun softening. Easy time to browse the crafts and take photos; music hasn't started yet.
- 7–8 PM — the early-evening shows begin: magic, acrobatics, piano. People start claiming seats on the music lawn.
- 8–10 PM — peak time. Live bands in full swing, the most crowded it gets, with longer queues for coupons and at the food stalls.
- After 10 PM — the crowd thins, some stalls start packing up. The market closes around 11 PM (Sunday may wrap up earlier).
Cicada vs Tamarind Market — how to choose
What a lot of people don't realise is that Tamarind Market sits right next door, just a few steps away on the same road, so plenty of people do both in one night. Tamarind is open Thursday to Sunday, focused purely on food, with every stall taking cash directly (no coupons), prices about 15–20% cheaper than Cicada, and a car park alongside. Cicada's strength is the crafts, art, and live music.
Come to Cicada if…
you want to stroll, hear live music, browse art and crafts, and take nice photos — not eat heavily — and you don't mind paying a bit more for the atmosphere. Good with a partner or a group of friends who like sitting and listening to a band.
Come to Tamarind if…
you're here to eat properly, want more variety at better value, prefer paying cash without dealing with coupons, are with a hungry family — or you're here on a Thursday when Cicada isn't open yet.
How to get to Cicada · parking · best time to go
Cicada is south of Hua Hin town centre on Phetkasem Road, on the Khao Takiab side, near the Hyatt Regency. From town it's about a 5–7 minute ride by songthaew (shared truck taxi) or tuk-tuk — only a few baht per person if you take a songthaew on the line. If you drive yourself there's a car park, but it fills up fast on weekend nights, so coming in the early evening makes finding a space easier.
Straight talk before you go
Cicada is open only Friday to Sunday — check the day before you leave your hotel every time, because a weekday visit means it's definitely closed. · Food and craft prices run higher than a regular market; some handmade pieces can be found cheaper elsewhere, so look before you commit. · The coupon system means planning your buying and refunds — if you'd rather skip that hassle, walk over to Tamarind next door, where you can just pay cash. · On long weekends or during festivals it gets packed and Hua Hin room rates swing up sharply, so booking your stay ahead works out better.
Plan a full eat-and-explore trip to Hua Hin
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