Wonderfruit is a 4-day International festival that celebrates music, arts, wellness and adventure in an incredible set piece location that looks something straight out of a movie set.
Annually held in Pattaya, Thailand, the ecologically-conscious festival centers around Life itself while at the same time promotes overall positivity and social responsibility towards nature.
WONDERFRUIT
The Fields at Siam Country Club, Pattaya, Thailand
Website: www.wonderfruitfestival.com
E-mail: info@wonderfruitfestival.com
Facebook: @wondefruitfest
Instagram: @wonderfruitfestival
Next Event: December 2017
One thing you’ll notice once you enter Wonderfruit is the diversity of the crowd. It’s a melting pot of different nationalities, delectable food, awesome music and beautiful Instagram-worthy set pieces.
It’s an entirely different world out there, where everyone from every part of the world seems to just get along with each other.
Just before you enter the festival grounds, Wonderfruit has implemented an easier way of making cashless transactions. Every festival goer is given a bracelet with “Debit card” features, wherein you just have to top it up with money.
Every festival goer is given a bracelet with “Debit card” features, wherein you just have to top it up with money.
We didn’t book any hotels during our stay in the festival because it’s not advisable. We even brought our own tent and camped there till the last day.
You’ll be spending most of your time inside the festival grounds anyway and will only go back to your tent to sleep.
(Note: They also offer various types of boutique camping and glamping)
We didn’t want to waste precious time and money going in and out of the festival grounds because it’s located around 1 hour away from the city Hotels.
Plus, camping is free of charge, and clean showers, free water, secured lockers, charging stations, and portable toilets are all provided.
Everywhere you go, you’ll find yourself staring at different kinds of installations and beautiful architecture that doubles as either a stage or a food place.
It gets scorching hot during lunch time, so we treated ourselves to this refreshing Greenergized Smoothie Whapow made out of mixed berries, and a local Ice candy brand all blended into one smoothie. Yum!
Most food stalls have their own unique look and feel to attract festival goers to have a look at their menu.
#SOT Straight Outta Thonglor serves farm-fresh food straight out of the grill.
This stylish food truck, on the other hand, serves local street food dishes and cold drinks.
Wonderfruit is home to many Art Installations some of which are just downright beautiful to look at!
While others require some interaction between the canvas and the artist, anyone can just grab a paint brush and paint whatever you feel like expressing in this moving canvas.
If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of this lucky unicorn wandering around. Just kidding!
Horse Bikes are scattered all over the festival grounds and are free to ride. They even come in different colors, sizes and some even light up at night.
Another thing I liked about the Wonderfruit is that they cater to all ages.
There is even a dedicated camp packed with fun activities and games aimed towards families and kids.
Festival goers can also participate in different kinds of free activities like wood carving, tie dyeing, shirt printing, painting, pottery and much more.
The best part is they can bring home whatever things they’ve created.
They also offer free wellness activities which are an ideal opportunity to get realigned and find a little peace, as well as action-packed programs to enjoy.
Activities include Yoga, boot camp, meditation, capoeira, photo walk, etc.
Fashion is another thing to consider in Wonderfruit and you can pretty much wear anything you like to stand out.
So make sure to bring lots of unique festival clothes for your daily Instagram OOTD.
Another thing to watch out for are Filipino talents participating in the event like this power duo Allan Malabanan (@lustbass) and lyricist Jess Connelley (@jessconnlley) as they impress you with their blissful and electronic Music.
Eddie Agamos from Tao Philippines also gave a talk about culture conservation in Palawan.
Just before the sun sets be sure to catch the famous “Soul of Angkorn” and witness a jaw-dropping fire and dance display combined with blazing poles, fans, and fireworks along with the tribal music.
Nature also shows off its beauty come sunset as the sun turns the sky into a sea of red. Sunsets are incredibly amazing in this part of the world despite the hazy environment.
Come night time Wonderfruit completely transform into something entirely different. It’s truly a sight to behold.
Climb on and explore the interactive exhibits inside the crowd favorite Molam Bus by Jim Thompson.
Back by popular demand, the Molam Bus was a very popular installation from last year that showcases a taste of Isaan culture and Molam music.
Another crowd favorite is the Solar Stage which comes from the mind of Gregg Fleishman, whose creations are regular highlights at Burning Man.
It’s a climbable structure with different levels of lounge-like spaces. The structure itself is made of interlocking wood panels that holds itself together.
And possibly the brightness and the most eye-catching of them all is this playful art installation by Basurama.
The Cym Temple is lined with hundreds of ropes and brightened up by different colored lights. Up close and personal it gives you that dazzling and mesmerizing feeling.
At night all sorts of boutiques and pop us stores starts to sell and showcase different kinds of products and services.
They sell clothes, bags, accessories and they even have an actual Beauty Salon where you can get your hair done.
They also offer beauty services like hair braiding, henna, makeup, nail design and even body painting.
Did I mention that dogs are also welcome at the festival? They even have their own bracelet to match, but sadly you have to pay a small fee for their entry as well.
We also got to try local Thai dishes like the Thai Grilled Sticky Rice & Sato Sticky Rice Wine which kind of reminded me of our own Tapuy.
Tip: Be always on a lookout for some stalls that only operate at night (6pm onwards) Meal price ranges from Baht 150 to 250 while drink starts at Baht 50 to 150.
Among the best seller in the festival were the Thai Soup Noodle (Extra spicy of course!) and the surprisingly famous Mother Trucker Burgers which seems to always have a never-ending line of hungry festival goers.
Everywhere you go, you will always stumble upon Fashionistas that are always dressed to impress and are more than happy to strike a pose.
Moving towards the other end of the festival, The Farm Stage takes the spotlight as local bands serenade the crowd in this Temple Like stage made out of harvested rice.
Right beside the Farm Stage, a towering installation called the Dancing Muntjacs (Local Deer) by Joel Stockdill which is built entirely with reclaimed wood.
This small hidden island, located at the center of the lake, houses soothing musical instruments that isolate you from the hustle and bustle of the festival.
Another installation that only shows up at night is this cool projector-like interactive art that mimics the movement of whoever stands in front of the beam of light.
You can still participate in some activities at night like the Power Nap aimed at recharging and rejuvenating your energy.
The soothing sounds of the Meditation Gong calm your senses and help you sleep faster.
Various Moroccan inspired tents are also open at night for anyone who wants to get a quick nap.
The Rainforest Pavilion also shines brighter at this time of the day with its incredible light display that lights up the whole sky at night.
The main highlight of this year’s festival is the highly anticipated music of Rudimental.
A world renowned London based band know for their layers of brass and vocals over heavy hitting beats, they’ve collaborated with artists like Ed Sheeran and John Newman.
Crowds gather in front of the main stage as they cheer and chant for their favorite music and bands.
Also, a Persian Inspired mobile platform positions itself at the back of the crowd for a better viewing angle for the VIP’s.
Last but not the least, Lianne La Havas ended the night by serenading the crowd with her soulful sound and effortless soaring vocals.
Lianne is an enormously talented singer, songwriter, and multi-Instrumentalist with two acclaimed albums under her belt.
But just when you think the festival is over, The Quarry is just about to start. It opens after midnight and is an off-site party place just outside the main grounds.
Roughly 7mins walk away, The Quarry caters to an even wilder crowd who loves that Party and club feeling.
Overall, Wonderfruit was a huge success, and everything was running smoothly and organized. The 4-day festival had a balanced mix of excellent music, good food, and awesome art installations. I enjoyed every part of the festival especially the friendly locals and the overall feel and vibe of the place.
I also liked the fact that most of the installations are interactive and massive. Also, the free activities included when you join the festival are all worth more than the tickets in my opinion.
The only thing that I didn’t like about the place is that it gets hot and dusty during lunch time. But I guess it’s all part of the fun experience here at Wonderfruit. So be sure to bring sunblock and a ton of wet wipes if you plan on attending this year.
Live an Awesome Life,
NICO of Team Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: Our experience was a joint project organized by Third Culture Music. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. Check their website for this years Wonderfruit Festival in December 2017.