More tunes on the farm with Wonderfruit

WONDERFRUIT, the “eco-friendly camping festival”, has indeed born fruit, with a second edition scheduled for December 17 to 20 at the same place, the Fields at Siam Country just outside Pattaya. Again there’ll be music in the air, this time courtesy of the Submotion Orchestra, Howei B, Dapayk Solo, Desktop Error, Mahajamroen, Polycat and others.
Scratch First, a firm that also owns the land, pioneered this concept in outdoor music festivals with the help of visionary designers, forging an artistic landscape from natural and locally sourced materials.
The inaugural festival drew people from all over the world, putting local and foreign musicians on four different stages amid visual arts, great farm food and other ways to improve your health.
The festival’s focal point, the Pavilion – created by globally renowned Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag – will this year be transformed into a botanical oasis.
The festival also promotes personal responsibility and social awareness through its “clean marketing” initiatives, aimed at adding joy to life while at the same time benefiting the environment. This year there’ll be a “guerrilla art” campaign called Reverse Graffiti, in which vandalised walls and other spaces will be cleansed and any nasty messages replaced with positive ones.
Wonderfruit is designed to open people up to magic and wonder with an array of sensorial delights. Folks can get outlandish costumes and makeup at the Wonder Salon and A Taste of Wonder, while the Theatre of Feasts, with great views of the stages, will serve a sumptuous outdoor banquet prepared by a team of award-winning chefs. One of them will be Chef Gaggan, recently named the best in Asia, with a World’s 50 Best Restaurants award to prove it.
Thailand Young Farmers, a collective of ecology-minded growers, will conduct a workshop on self-sufficient living and “creative agriculture”. You can also dive into sessions on meditation, yoga, crafts and creative dance, and get a massage and more at the Healing Village set up by internationally acclaimed designer Ou Baholyodihn.
Other natural adventures include refreshing dips in the lake and guided tours of the area on foot or by bike. Scratch Talk comprises a series of discussions presented in collaboration with the Summit community of entrepreneurs and innovators.
And of course there’s the music, from a vibrant line-up of performers in every genre. Announced so far are the Submotion Orchestra from Leeds, England, blending dub, soul, electronic and jazz; German minimal techno DJ Dapayk Solo; and celebrated British producer and DJ Howie B. The local talent includes synth-pop group Polycat, shoegazer band Desktop Error and electronic orchestra Mahajamroen.
And keep an eye out for the Morlam Bus from the Jim Thompson Art Centre, which will roam around the grounds offering Isaan sounds and the fun of northeastern culture.

Wonderfruit runs from December 17 to 20 at the Fields at Siam Country |near Pattaya.
Admission-only passes cost Bt5,000. Packages for boutique camping and hotel stays are also available at http://WonderfruitFestival.com