Wonderfruit is an annual arts, music and lifestyle festival that takes place at The Fields at Siam Country Club, outside Pattaya in Chonburi Province, Thailand. With an emphasis on participation and inclusion plus sustainability and social responsibility, the event features musical performances, art installations, workshops and talks, plus banquets by renowned chefs. The event was launched in December 2014, produced by Thai-based production company Scratch First; the second iteration expanded from three to four days and took place a year later. Wonderfruit 2016 was originally scheduled for 15–18 December 2016. Due to a period of mourning in Thailand following the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, however, it was postponed to 16–19 February 2017. Wonderfruit returned later that year for its fourth iteration in its usual winter position over 14 to 17 December 2017. December 2018 saw the event move a kilometre east of the original site, to a larger, more topographically diverse space; the fifth edition took place from 13 to 16 December 2018. Notable musical acts have included Richie Hawtin, Roots Manuva, Izzy Bizu, Wild Beasts, Lianne La Havas, Rudimental, Young Fathers, De La Soul, Woodkid, Little Dragon, José González, Seth Troxler, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Submotion Orchestra, Chris Levine x Jon Hopkins, The Faint, Blonde Redhead, Goldie and Nightmares on Wax. Controversy was caused in the first two years with no-shows from billed performers Chet Faker and Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def.
History
Wonderfruit was created by founder Pranitan “Pete” Phornprapha with Thai musician and co-founder Montonn “Jay” Jira in an effort to bring the festival experience to Thailand, with an emphasis on arts and awareness. The son of the founder of Think Earth, Pete was inspired by the environmental projects of his father’s organization but wanted to merge fun with social responsibility, and to solve environmental problems in a relevant, contemporary way. He aimed to combine quality curation and social responsibility in a platform that would engage audiences.
Pillars
In 2014 and 2015, Wonderfruit was structured around six "pillars": Arts, Music, Farm to Feasts, Health & Wellness, Talks & Workshops and Natural Adventures. In 2016, Wonderfruit announced a slight alteration the original list: Music, Arts, Family, Farm to Feasts, Wellness & Adventures, Talks & Workshops. In 2018, the pillars became Music, Art & Architecture, Family, Farm to Feasts, Talks & Workshops, and Wellness.
Line-up 2018
Music
International artists included Goldie, who played with The Ensemble, as well as Nightmares on Wax, Stars and Rabbit, Kweku Collins, Costlywood, Carmen Rizzo & Huun Huur Tu, Howie Lee and KNOWER. Local Thai acts included Mendy Indigo, Sirintip and Job2do. The DJ line up featured CYK, Alixkun, and Sisi Jesse You, Fleetmac Wood, Craig Richardson, Horse Meat Disco, Bobby Pleasure and Cobletone Jazz.
Art & Architecture
A focus was placed on the aesthetics of the stages and platforms for content. The Theatre Stage was built from hemp by mpdstudio. Late night dance stage The Quarry was reimagined for 2018 with a network of flexible panels made from recycled material designed like a canopy. Ab Rogers built the Eco Pavilion into a landscaped amphitheatre to host Scratch Talks under handmade cotton umbrellas. The same studio was responsible for the Bath House, a cluster of floating islands built from bamboo, suspended over the natural lake. British artist Sean Rogg continued his art series, The Waldorf Project, at Wonderfruit with FUTURO-X, a festival-wide experiment in empathy engineering.
Talks
Scratch Talks 2018 included topics as diverse as technology, sustainability, urban farming, biotechnology, waste management, and mindfulness. Ashoka Finley of ConsenSys discussed blockchain, Lance Diaresco of Google, ran a meditation seminar, and serial entrepreneur Constant Tedder presented Earth.org, explaining how it tracks climate change with satellite imagery.
Line-up 2017
Music
, Roots Manuva, Songhoy Blues, Gui Boratto, Craig Richards, Bangkok's More Rice and Hong Kong’s ALTN8, Sarayu, Nicola Cruz, Chronixx with Zincfence Redemption, Izzy Bizu, Wild Beasts, Khun Narin and his Electric Phin Band, Yeasayer, All Thidsa, Be Svendsen, Bobby Pleasure, Boonhugsa, Crew Love Takeover, Curtismith, CYRK, Eduardo Castillo, Gapi and the Thai Dub Mafia, Hernandez Brothers, Kingkong and The Chum, Marmosets, Matt Sassari, Mimi Love, Nerve, Side Effect and Singto Numchok.
Arts
Artistic creations were curated based on their adherence to Wonderfruit’s sustainable ethos and many were selected for their choice of and use of recycled or sustainable materials. Architectural additions included The Quarry, by artist and designer Adam Pollina and architect/bamboo supplier and contractor Thor Kaichon. The previous iteration’s Solar Stage by Gregg Fleishman was redeveloped for 2017.
Talks & Workshops
Activities emphasized self-improvement and environmental awareness and included permaculture, orangutan conservation, crystal healing and a raku ceramics workshop by Thailand Young Farmers. The event’s series of seminars, Scratch Talks featured speakers including Dianna Cohen of Plastic Pollution Coalition, Bea Johnson - author of Zero Waste Home, activist and paddle boarder Shilpika Gautam and Dr. Arne Fjortoft of Worldview International. 016 Note: Wonderfruit 2016 was postponed and actually took place in February 2017.
Music
, Rudimental, Young Fathers, Buke and Gase, Kate Simko and London Electronic Orchestra, Simian Mobile Disco, Nicole Moudaber, Headless Horesman, Yaya, Eric Volta, Sabo, YokoO, Wolf + Lamb, Norman Jay, KMLN, Marc Antona, Akimbo, Superglasses Ska Ensemble, Yena, Sahai Hang Sailom, Srirajah Rockers, At Adau, Luna City Express, Noxro and Uone.
Art
Arts included Solar Stage, created by geometric architect Gregg Fleishman, and Farm Stage, which was designed by Thor. Kaichon and PO-D Architect and inspired by traditional rice farming ceremonies and decorated with harvested rice; it stood in the middle of the Wonderfruit farm. Theatrical performances included a puppet show, pyrotechnics and circus acts, and Friday night saw the event's first LGBT-friendly party, hosted by eminent Thai drag queen, Pangina Heals. Installations included "Dancing Muntjacs" by Joel Stockdill and "CYM Temple" by Basurama, both of which were made from recycled materials. Wonderfruit's creative designer, Adam Pollina, built the event's first moving art installation - Wonder Kar, which traveled around the site.
Family
Family-friendly offerings in the dedicated kids' zone included games and crafts.
Talks & Workshops
Interactive activities included martial arts and parkour with local experts and there were talks on subjects including sustainability, Bitcoin and blockchain technology. Wonderfruit's series of seminars, Scratch Talks, took place in new venue, Rainforest Pavilion and speakers included Trash Hero Thailand and Michaelangelo Moran - co-founder of Go-Jek.
Wellness & Adventures
Wellness sessions included yoga workshops, gong meditation and power naps. The program for more active participants included Muay Thai and capoeira, as well as a range of fitness sessions with instructors from Guava Pass.
Farm to Feasts
Food offerings included raw vegan dishes by Chef Daphne Cheng, cheesesteaks by Full Moon Food Truck, lobster rolls, sashimi and organic Thai omelets. The Wonder Feasts banquet series featured lunch by Cocotte, a reggae brunch by Jarrett Wrisley of Soul Food Mahanakorn and Paolo Vitaletti of Appia, dinner by former Thai Iron Chef contestant Chef Panupon "Black" Bulsuwan - part of F.A.C.T. Collective, and a return from Chef Gaggan Anand, who was joined by chef Daniel Chavez of Singapore's Ola Cocina del Mar.
The main Living Stage was designed by Coachella and Burning Man artist Joel Stockdill, and featured spiralling bird structures either side of the proscenium. Gregg Fleishman, the designer behind the Temple of Whollyness At Burning Man 2013, built The Playground, incorporating climbing frames, slides and a Headis pitch on which guests played the German game - a hybrid of table tennis and football. Thai installation artist, “O” Witaya Junma created an interactive bubble blower, and Blossom Poetica by French-Laotian artist Aligna featured flowers sculpted from aluminium cans and other discarded materials.
Design
Local and international designers showcased and sold festival gear at A Taste Of Wonder, the day-to-night fashion market. The Wonder Salon offered hair and makeup treatments.
Food
At the Theatre of Feasts, Wonder Feasts were presented by Gaggan Anand of Gaggan, and Bo Songvisava and Dylan Jones of Bo.lan. Cocktails designed by mixologist Shingo Gokan were served in hidden bar, The Shingo Shack.
Talks & Workshops
In 2015, Wonderfruit introduced Scratch Talks, a new series of seminars by international speakers. Talks included “Creativity at the Source” by Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag, and “Unleash your Legend” by Dream Rockwell - founder of Lucent Dossier Experience. John Hardy, founder of Bali’s Green School and Melati and Isabel Wijsen of Bye Bye Plastic Bags also delivered talks and eco-friendly workshops. A number of additional craft workshops took place in The Sharing Neighbourhood, including traditional skills and techniques, as well as meditation, self-defense, breathing exercises and foundational yoga at the Goddess Camp.
Activities and Experiences
Circus skills including hoop and poi were taught by Samui Circus Camp, and guests had the opportunity to be ordained as a Latter-Day Dude Priest by the Church of Dudeism. Champion free runners, Team Farang taught their skills to youngsters, among other child-friendly activities including a kids’ disco, foraging workshop and traditional kite-making, plus storytelling, magic, and a puppet show in Camp Wonder. Natural adventures included swimming in the lake and a boot camp set on an obstacle course.
Offerings included work by Thai architect, Duangrit Bunnag.
Food
Food and beverage providers across the event included Never Ending Summer, Quince, Burnt Ends, Smokey Trails and the Bangkok Farmers' Market. The on-site farm offered tours and foraging workshops and Siam Winery offered wine tasting sessions.
Address and Location
Wonderfruit takes place in The Fields at Siam Country Club, 50 Moo 9, Pong, Bang Lamung, Chonburi 20150, Thailand.
