Revolutionising the festival landscape with a celebration of art, music, food and ideas, Thailand’s utopia Wonderfruit returns for its sixth edition on 12 -16 December 2019 at The Fields At Siam Country Club, Pattaya.
With experiences as wide-ranging as the world’s first 360-degree sound structure within the Polygon or Solar Stage’s shaded cover to witness sunrise and sunset, Wonderfruit is a hedonistic playground for all its global citizens, with hidden thrills, visual delights and a challenging, 24-hour musical programme on offer throughout.
Further deconstructing the Wonderfruit experience into a cluster of villages connected by social spaces, a main stage is replaced in favour of the bustling Living Village that boasts music, dining options and workshops in a new interactive area assembled from recycled plastic materials and designed to offer new ways to touch, taste, hear, see and feel the world around us.
Cited as the location for “bold statements and unashamed self-expression”, the all-bamboo structure of Forbidden Fruit welcomes all, while The Quarry plunges dancers into a jungle where beats meet nature. Explore The Fields to find the Molam Bus, a party of authentic Molam performances to celebrate the Isaan way that influences so much of Thai culture, or head to 24-hour hub Neramit for cocktails, brunch or dinner.
Scratch Talks takeover of the Eco Pavilion will challenge and change how we view the world by assembling some of our greatest speakers and Wonderness offers city dwellers the opportunity to take part in wellness and workshops, with world-class cuisine served up along communal dining tables in the Theatre of Feasts.
Providing the soundtrack across Wonderfruit’s multitude of experiences are a clutch of artists from near and far that explore the broadest corners of the genre. Four Tet reigns as one of modern dance music’s most influential figures and he’ll be demonstrating why with an eagerly-anticipated set on the Solar Stage, built by Burning Man artist Gregg Fleishman, while Rush Hour boss Antal promises house, disco and undiscovered gems for dancers everywhere.
Beatboxing artist Beardyman unleashes his trademark blistering style and flow, Raphäel Top-Secret and John Gómez push the boundaries of club music and Sarathy Korwar showcases the frantic sounds of his unique spiritual jazz, with Tiny Giant, KMLN, Alfa Mist, The Sorry Entertainer and more also added to the bill. They join the previously announced Craig Richards, Willow, Powder, Floating Points (DJ Set), Daddy G (Massive Attack), Sonja Moonear, Nick The Record, Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy, takeovers by Ed Banger and Erased Tapes and more.
An essential component of Wonderfruit life, an array of installations, performances, talks and wellbeing are on offer across the duration of the festival. ALT alternate by ZIEGHT explores the consumerist’s obsession with single-use products, inviting participants to take away or add to the installation to reveal fresh elements, whereas Bangkok-based conceptual artist Ruangsak Anuwatwimon examines our relationship with water through natural sciences, resulting in the powerful island.
There’s a very special performance of impressive puppets Pearl & Celeste by Nice Monster, while thought-provoking talks range from weed legalisation by Rattapon Sanrak, the circular fashion revolution with Lauren Boucher and the blind adventurer, Divyanshu Ganatra. A broad selection of wellbeing activities, including yoga, gong baths and transcendental dance, gives festival-goers the opportunity to soothe the mind and slow down the pace if the city becomes a little too hectic.
