Nature and Wonder-lust at Wonderfruit Festival 2014: Review
PUBLISHED December 24th, 2014 04:00 pm | UPDATED May 26th, 2020 02:57 pm
When we think about festivals, the words ‘crowded’ inevitably comes to mind. But the truth is, Wonderfruit Festival is the first one we’ve come across that couldn’t be further from it. Set up on the vast open fields of Siam Country Club in Chonburi, the festival is already being dubbed the Burning Man of Thailand by festivalgoers and other netizens.
At First Sight
To set the scene, we need to tell you that the festival grounds were located a good half an hour away from downtown Pattaya, where we were staying at Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa. Colourful tents flanked the way in and people, mostly Caucasians, were sitting around in hippie circles – quite a sight to behold.
What We Loved
Knowing us, a beeline for the food stalls is expected. We’re happy to report that the food – variety and quality-wise – was nothing short of amazing. From sinfully good fried chicken by Fowl & Co to scrumptious artisanal bakes by Maison Jean Philippe, and of course, Burnt Ends’ delicious roast hog sanger, we tried something new every mealtime. The lunch feast by David Thompson was well worth our 1,000 baht (about S$40), the only disappointment was the dessert, fruits in perfumed syrup (which is exactly what it sounds like, canned fruit in syrup).
While music was a big part of festival, the variety of activities at Wonderfruit was worth checking out. We toured their mini vineyard, tasted wine, made our own jewellery, and confessed our failings to secret keepers, among other things.
Frankly, the best part of Wonderfruit was being able to relax completely since you don’t have to squeeze with tons of other people. Less stress, more fun, be a hippie for the weekend.
What Should be Improved
More shade, please! Albeit taking place in Thailand’s winter season, the sun was still blazing hot in the day and everyone was passed out in their tents or cramming at a food stall, balancing coconuts on their knee, for some respite.
Better organization, period. Nobody checked us when we entered so we only found out that we had to exchange our tickets for wristbands much later, so we had to trek out again to get them. Plus, this means that people without tickets could have snuck in for free.
The Verdict
Will we go back? Maybe, if the lineup is really good. The problem for us is the location – as long as you don’t stay onsite (’cause yours truly is claustrophobic and can’t stand stuffy tents), you’d need some mode of transportation, which will cost extra.
All images: Wonderfruit Festival
