Trisubstituted thiazoles were synthesized with excellent yields using ligand-free, palladium-catalyzed, direct 5-arylation of 2,4-disubstituted thiazole and conventional or microwave-assisted heating. The palladium-catalyzed reaction yields were significantly influenced by LiCl additive, solvent, and heating method. The reaction times were reduced dramatically by employing microwave radiation instead of conventional heating. The synthetic methods can be applied to diverse 2,4,5-trisubstituted thiazoles by varying the aryl bromide and disubstituted thiazole reactants.