Wonderfully fruity

Wonderfully fruity

Thailand's first eco-festival was a great success, but not without its hitches

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Wonderfully fruity

The first ever Wonderfruit Festival was picture perfect. And perfect pictures continue to flood social media. You can't really blame the "Wonderers" as the first lifestyle festival of its kind in Thailand was just plain pretty. There weren't any spots, even though it could use a bit more greens, that weren't Instagram-worthy.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANUT PRUKSUWAT

Wonderfruit, which took place last weekend at the Fields At Siam Country, Chon Buri, has also brought about a new medical condition which could be diagnosed as Post Wonderfruit Blues, as participants seem to yearn for more free-spirited outings, community spirit and three-day, full-on intoxication which we'll have to sadly wait for one full year to relive.

Despite many systematic and managerial malfunctions, Wonderfruit, after the first day agitation was over, now stands as the best choice for slightly mature, more open-minded, international crowds that seek to find their space on the festival circuit.

Expats and foreigners surprisingly outnumbered Thais, for they're probably more attuned to this kind of gathering, while the fashion section "Taste of Wonder" brought in many exciting brands and collectors to display their goods. But most importantly it brought the fashion crowd from established style authorities to seasoned party animals. The local art, design and music faces also turned out in droves, and that sparked and sustained the creative energy for the entire weekend.

Children's area with an art piece from Rukkit.

Wonderfruit had never billed itself as a "music festival". I, however, still strongly feel that it would benefit greatly from a more solid line-up, tighter schedules, newer bands, diverse yet coherent musical styles as well as more density for local flavours. This year's line up was fine, and it did educate a few people.

Then again, a festival of any kind shouldn't be about highbrow education or musical snobbery but rather sourcing out what's best for the market they're aiming to involve while also gathering potential converts. Leaning a little heavily on an electronic, avant-garde side, I wouldn't mind hearing a few more guitar riffs and live drums.

There's actually no need to harp on about their supposed main attractions, Woodkid, De La Soul, Little Dragon, Hercules and Love Affair and Jose Gonzales, as they all did their magic, especially Woodkid who drew the largest turnout with his visual and sonic bombast. Seth Troxler and Jamie Jones were definitely highlights on the deejay side.

The festival also deserves the biggest round of applause over the light and sound system. Never before have I experienced such a clear, beautiful outdoor sound system in Thailand. It seemed like the organisers painstakingly went over every item required from speakers to soundboards to ensure the perfect delivery. For this effort alone they should be awarded a medal.

As much as I adored the festival, a few practical issues need to be addressed. As a sustainability flag-waver, the well-meaning core concept collapsed when waste, food or compost bins didn't get delivered until the last day, and it was hard to find rubbish bins in general. Then again, the ideas of sustainability, recycling and environmental friendliness are pretty much lost on Thai people, and it has a lot to do with festival-goers' mindsets as much as it does Wonderfruit.

Hopefully, we'll pay more heed to the festival's main philosophy in years to come, adapting it to our everyday lives too. There have been many reports and complaints over entrance hold-ups, the lack of signage, ill-informed staffers who were low on numbers, not-so glamping and loose security among other things. At certain times, there was no electricity, water or ice. I must admit that I was a bit annoyed on the first day, but after deciding to feel the vibe, all the shortcomings could still be written off as first year mishaps, and this is Thailand after all.

Wonderfruit had a few art cars curated by local promoters running around, such as this from Superrzaaap.

But the most irksome aspects were, firstly, a lot of information went missing since it wasn't included in the brochure. Clearly, Wonderfruit had created many elements scattered around the site, but they didn't really get advertised as they should have. Also, I would like to see more local musicians and deejays incorporated. I spotted numbers of funny, lovely art cars from local promoters, but when asked where and when they played — they weren't included in the programme at all — it was disheartening to learn the godforsaken time slots and locations. Maybe a proper stage or arena could be offered to local faces in the future; there were good local bands chosen to play such as Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, Gene Kasidit or My Life As Ali Thomas, but I'm certain we have more to offer.

All in all, Wonderfruit, with a few hiccups, was a true wonder, and I'm positive the crowd will be much larger next year due to the overwhelming response from revellers and opinion formers. It would be a true joy to watch this fruit grow.

De La Soul.

The Secret Keepers.

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