After two long wonder-less years, the mind-blowing Wonderfruit was back last month, from the 15th to the 18th of December 2022. We were blessed enough to have attended.
Nothing says blissful wandering like walking into Wonderfruit. Remembering the first trek into the fields with the chilly air blowing through your hair while you try to wrap yourself warm in your kimono, but ultimately giving up and accepting your fate, is one that you won’t forget.
Over the course of four days, Wonderfruit is the ideal remedy for whatever kind of year you’ve had, just as the holiday season might start to take its toll on your sanity.
The core of Wonderfruit is sustainability. The stages, art pieces, and multi-use spaces, facilities and experiences in the fields, as well as the common food stalls, are all built from sustainable materials that either decompose or stay standing year-round, such as bamboo, hemp, and even mud.
Wonderfruit has made the bold decision to outright prohibit all single-use cups, including so-called “green” options. It was a bold step for such a massive event in 2019, yet over 20,000 Wonderers showed up at The Fields with their own refillable cups or purchased them there. They’ve even grown 30,000 new trees on-site.
Although to many, Wonderfruit is more known as the “Burning Man of Asia.” In a sense, they’re not wrong. The community spirit is so alive and fervent at Wonderfruit. The moment you step out of your vehicle to enter the grounds, you’re greeted by the most cheerful and helpful team possible. My friends and I took the shuttle every night from our hotel, one of Wonderfruit’s partner accommodations, to the fields. Basically, from our hotel’s lobby till the end of the festival, we were taken care of.
Everyone who has ever stepped foot on the fields agrees that the festival grounds are a little piece of heaven. Don’t let Pattaya’s awkward reputation deter you; this hidden gem is nestled over the Siam Country Club grounds, which are far from the city’s infamous nightlife.
The self-styled “sustainable city” is not only accurate but an understatement. From on-site accommodations to literal insect hotels, it’s almost impossible to explain how Wonderfruit functions if you’ve never been. You’re immediately transported to an alternate universe every time you enter and exit the fields. It’s like your life in and outside of the grounds are night and day. It’s almost annoying. You kind of feel like that friend who spent three days in Paris and won’t stop saying random French phrases and ending them with “Ah, you wouldn’t understand.” My friends and I go, “OMG. That beat is so “Forbidden Fruit” when we hear some fire off-kilter beats at a club or a bar.
But you know what, let me try to explain using some of Wonderfruit’s own words.
“Forbidden Fruit provides a home for musical and artistic takeovers from all over the world, and a platform for bold statements and unashamed self-expression.” It’s one of Wonderfruit’s many stages. In fact, it’s the first stage you’ll see after you get through Wonderness and into the main section of the fields. You’ll be beckoned by its alluring lights and mesmerising beats.
While Wonderfruit doesn’t really promote itself as a music festival, for Wanderers, or at least for us, it’s hard not to remember and associate it solely for the music and artists that performed.
The Solar Stage, brought all the way from Burning Man, has been a staple of Wonderfruit’s music programme since its 2017 premiere in The Fields. It’s become an icon at Wonderfruit, where it serves as the home and base of the sunrise and sunset sets. The building’s ability to be disassembled and reassembled annually makes it a model of eco-friendly and cutting-edge design. Gregg Fleishman, an artist and architect, brought his Otic Oasis from Burning Man to Wonderfruit. As the framework is modular, no nails are needed to join the components together. You can have people climbing all over it late at night and it won’t break. Be careful, though; it’s taller than it seems.
If you were to ask me what my most memorable moment during Wonderfruit was, the one that I’ll never forget for as long as I can remember would be Saturday’s sunrise session. After a night of purposeful dancing from stage to stage (the weather was beyond freezing. And of course, it was also the same night we all decided to wear as little as possible. We heard that one of the stages, The Quarry, had to be closed off due to strong winds.) to get some heat into our bodies, we ended up at the Solar Village around 5 in the morning.
Huddled and cuddled together, my friends and I patiently, and at the same time, impatiently, waited for the crowd to form. Never before have we been so grateful to see such a large crowd for more body heat.
And then the first few beats played. We got up, danced and excused our way slightly towards the front of the stage and danced till the sun was up. Now, I must be honest. This isn’t my first time dancing until the sun came up. That’s what Saturday nights are for. But, this was the first time where I danced and laughed and almost shed a tear while dancing, where I felt so connected to Mother Nature itself. I could feel the wind through my hair, the music in my ears and feet, and the sun as it gracefully rose on my face.
We decided to take a rest and sit on the grass by the side of the stage to watch the sun rise completely. Completely silent, with only the music in our ears, we were captivated. It was “everything, everywhere, all at once.” Life felt like it had no meaning and at the same time you felt like you had a new lease of life and a new and more profound and humbling perspective. The feeling wasn’t ironically exactly, but content with what you have and what you are. That moving forward was the only way to go, and that the people around you, the souls that you meet, and the ground that you stand on are guiding lights for what is to come.
The question everyone will ask you after is, “Is it worth it?” After all, it’s not exactly cheap. From the tickets to the accommodation, to transportation and food, is the experience absolutely worth it? From an incredibly privileged standpoint, it absolutely is. Wonderfruit is an experience I wholeheartedly encourage anyone to encounter at least once in their lives if they’re fortunate enough. While you’re not necessarily missing something if you don’t go (don’t worry, the earth will continue to spin and business as usual), it’s a privilege to be able to attend and one that you’ll be grateful for.
Was it perfect? Well, no. It was too dark sometimes. You don’t really know where you’re stepping, and because the ground is uneven, there are many divots and surprises here and there while you’re walking. You really need to make sure you’re paying attention to prevent yourself from falling. In all honesty, the parking area was pretty disastrous. There weren’t signs that you could take note of to remember where you parked. On one of the nights, my other two friends decided to drive my other friend and I back to our hotel instead of us waiting for our shuttle, and we took, we’re not exaggerating, thirty minutes to find their rental. The thing is, the fields are in the middle of almost nowhere, and sand covers everything almost immediately, so even if you had a red car, it absolutely isn’t a guarantee that it’s an immediate spot.
Toilets and water refill stations were also scarce and inconveniently located. You’ll have to really walk to get to them, and there are no lit signs for them like the brightly lit “TOP UP” signs to cash in. You end up mistaking recycling bins for water refill stations. Although we must say, the toilets were immaculate for a festival. Heading in, we prepared ourselves for horrors, but not once did we ever have any issues regarding cleanliness.
From someone whose first festival experience was Wonderfruit 2022, I can gratefully and humbly say that this was the best place to pop your festival cherry. Without a doubt, you just know that from here on out, any festival I’ll experience will be a step below Wonderfruit. From their ethos to the community and activities, you won’t find anything like it. From kids to elders, there’s a space for everyone.
If you’re thinking of coming to the next Wonderfruit, don’t think, just go. You’ll thank yourself later.