Gypsy in his soul

Gypsy Carnival – the popular music festival that fuses lifestyle and motorcycle culture – is back for its third edition next month, taking place in the lush meadows of Ton Phueng Farm in Suan Phueng, Ratchaburi Province on February 10.
“Gypsy Carnival was born out my love for music, passion for riding my motorcycle and looking for beautiful places to camp around the country. These are the ways I pursue happiness. So it was only natural that it would become a festival,” recalls Kamol Sukosol Clapp aka Suki during the recent press conference in the garden area of The Sukosol Hotel.

From its very beginnings, Gypsy Carnival has been more than a music festival, combining great sounds with bike revs and a love of the outdoors. 
“My wife makes fun of my passion for music and motorbikes and calls me ‘2Ms’. I like camping out too, which is why I set up a camping zone for motorcyclists at the first Gypsy Carnival. It was a great hit so last year we expanded it to two zones. This year, we have three areas and they are already fully booked. So yes, Gypsy Carnival is of course a music festival but one caters to the motorcycle culture. There’ll be plenty to eat too as we have 60 food stalls and trucks already confirmed plus a flea market,” Suki says.

The festival will also feature a new flat track competition, “Hell on Dirt”, which Suki promises will be a whole lot of fun. Older festival goers will be on hand to welcome newcomers coming for the first time with a range of activities including a fashion contest. 
And the gypsy charm will make itself felt through the event’s theme “Weekend of Music  Fashion and Freedom lifestyle”.
“Perhaps surprisingly, this festival is related to fashion. Festival-goers, especially the women, dress up to the nines to match our bohemian theme. One of the most popular gimmicks is painting the faces of festival-goers – one line for the first time, two lines for the second and three lines for the third. At the Burning Man festival in Nevada, people who participate in this event for the first time must be wet and smeared with mud. We can’t do that with Thai people though,” Suki says withg a grin.

Among the artists taking part in this third festival are Singto Numchok, T-Bone, Greasy Cafe, The Toys, Yokee Playboy, Flure, Alyn, and songs-for-lifer Pongsit “Pu” Kamphee. 
“I always select a newcomer from YouTube on his ability to be able to perform on a big stage in front of a large audience and this year I’ve picked Alyn. James Alyn Wee, to give him his full name, is a Thai-Singaporean artist and should do well as, I’m sure, will up-and-coming band, The Toys. Other artists are Greasy Cafe and T-Bone are veterans of Gypsy Carnival, while Singto Numchok, Flure, Po Yokee Playboy and Pongsit are the headliners,” says Suki.

A day in the country

- Tickets for the festival cost Bt1,400 and are available at www.GypsyCarnivalThailand.com and www.AllTicket.com as well as at All Ticket counter service at 7Eleven. 
- Keep updated at Facebook.com/gypsycarnivalthailand and www.GypsyCarnivalThailand.com.