PUBLISHED November 27th, 2014 04:00 pm | UPDATED March 26th, 2019 01:13 pm
2014 has been an awesome year for Southeast Asia’s festival circuit, and guess what? This new three-day lifestyle festival in Chonburi (a two-hour drive from Bangkok) happening this December to sweeten the deal before the year ends. Conceptualized by social enterprise Scratch and festival organizer Secret Productions, they have everything you need and want at a festival so here are some of the highlights of Wonderfruit Festival 2014:
Barefoot Luxury
Your ticket comes with access to the general camping site – yep, this folks at Wonderfruit are encouraging us to connect with nature in the most basal manner. Don’t have your own tent? They have pre-erected tents for hire, as well as the more expensive boutique tents that come with air conditioning. If you rather not rough it, staying off the festival grounds is also an option.
For Your Auditory Pleasure
Being one of those festivals that cater to everyone, the confirmed musical acts that’ll be playing across their four themed stages hail from diverse genres of music. Headliners we’re quite excited to see include Swedish electronic quartet Little Dragon, indie-electronica musician Chet Faker, and Fat Freddy’s Drop, a 7-piece live Dub/Reggae bang from New Zealand.
Little Dragon
If you’re one to widen your aural horizon, check out classically trained songbird Francesca Lombardo (who will be accompanied by the Bangkok Philharmonic Orchestra), French experimental soloist Woodkid, and NY nu-disco group Hercules and Love Affair. Local talents like Burin Boonvisut, Apartment Khun Pa, and Yellow Fang will also be playing at the Soi Stage.
Never-Ending Feasting
First things first, our very own Burnt Ends – which did a roaring trade at Whisky Live this year – will be popping up at Wonderfruit. The next best thing: well-known chefs David Thompson (of Nahm fame) and Paulo Vitaletti (from Appia) will be cooking up a storm as they’ll be hosting long-table banquets for festival goers. At 2,000 baht with wine paring for the former’s dinner party on Friday night, it’s quite a steal!
L: David Thompson and R: Paulo Vitaletti
For the rest of the time, our favourite Thai eateries and food trucks like The Never Ending Summer and Full Moon will be serving up crowd pleasing Thai and American grub respectively. Not forgetting one of our newest finds, Fowl & co., which will be serving up Thai fusion comfort food like beef brisket, pork belly, and fried chicken in buns.
Other (equally important) Stuff
There are a whole lot of other things to do on top of food and music, of course. Look out for the various art installations and workshops for photography, printmaking, wood-carving, and jewellery making. Stay grounded with nightly outdoor film screenings that celebrate global communities and learn more about eco-farming. If you’re feeling less than well with all the fatigue you’ve accumulated in the city, check into Wonderfruit’s Lotus Garden for a massage, meditate, or do some yoga!
Wonderfruit is happening 19-21 December 2014 at Siam Country Club, Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand. 3-day passes are priced at 5,000 baht per adult (about S$200), kids 11 and below enter free. For more information and tickets, please see Wonderfruit’s website.