Wonderfruit returns to The Fields in December: What to expect at Thailand's leading festival of music, arts, and nature

No longer just a vivid serotonin-filled memory, Wonderfruit returns to The Fields at Siam Country Club in Pattaya, Thailand, once again between Dec 15 to 18, 2022.

A fitting toast to the return of a post-pandemic world, the idyllic festival invites wonderers from far and near for a roaring gathering that covers all bases, from music, wellness, nature and art & architecture.

Lace up your boots with this year's theme of deepening our relationship with the mind and nature.

The art installations, musical stages, gastronomic areas, and experiences this year offers a thought-provoking time, pondering the intersection of our external and internal worlds through creative exploration of global culture and human rituals.

Exploring, aligning and centring the human body

A day to night festival, you will always find something to do at Wonderfruit anytime.

Activities, workshops and talks cover the spectrums of arts, sustainability, food and wellness; the detailed festival schedule lets you embark on a journey to explore your interests and your communities.

2022's concept for the wellness-curious is Wonderness: The human body as axis mundi.

In astronomical terms, axis mundi represents the rotating axis connecting the centre of the earth with the celestial world.

This links all particles; from trees, land, bodies, and minds.

The Wonderness Axis Mundi Ceremony celebrates the rediscovery of our own axis mundi giving way to a range of wellness and nature activities.

Restore balance to the body and spirit, as well as align the inside and the outside as one, through gong bath performances, drum circles, and sacred dancing.

Worth checking out are guided meditation line-ups such as Walking the Geometric Labyrinth to the Inner Self by Journey of Herenow and u.ME.verse High Pitch Sound and Meditative Journey by F.O.E.T and Maxine, which connects you with the energy of love and the divine within.

Inspiring a new way of listening

As night springs upon, the wholesome festival turns into a multi-stage party. Discovery and experimentation remain at the core of the music programming, with the line-up featuring familiar and new artists.

Expect a live performance by Yumiko Morioka, who will be performing her recently re-released Resonance album (1987) for the first time, alongside a tea ceremony conducted by her daughter.

Thai legend Angkanang Kunchai takes to the iconic Molam Bus, a stage that spotlights the country groove of Isaan.

Exploratory sonic label, Erased Tapes also makes its comeback in a unique cross-genre collaboration along with multiple artists.

Look forward to music compositions that encourage deep reflections with our inner and outer spaces – sometimes, slowing down and being intensely aware is the way forward.

Art & architecture to feed the soul

Always eye-catching with a curated plethora of installations and participatory works by world renowned artists, art and architecture flows through the veins of Wonderfruit.

This year sees Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama presenting her Flower Obsession (Sunflower) series with pops of yellow and green.

Special projects include Sonic Elements with MSCTY Studio, a collaborative project designed to enhance the relationship with the natural world through sound, sense, and space, and Wonder OK by Navin Rawanchaikul's StudiOK.

The latter is a large-scale undertaking that creates community art from Wonderfruit's visual history, based on the perceptions of attendees, through an open call.

They will then be formed into interactive art forms in the next couple of years.

Gastronomic experiences

One thing we love about Wonderfruit is that food in itself has a life of its own there. From locally sourced ingredients and exclusive collaborations to aromatic and colourful creations, there is much to nibble on.

Highlights include Flavors of Isan Rice with Tomogram x SS:AR x Isan collaborators, which sheds a light on the simple grain of rice – featuring its flavours, scents and textures across more than 20 native varieties.

The Patom Organic Terpene bar is just as exciting bearing mood-lifting vibrant cocktails, whilst Auntie Chan serves natural chemical-free food and vegetables to indulge in.

ALSO READ: When in France: Must-try French grub for the Singaporean foodie

Preserving the outside & leaving no trace behind

Wonderfruit takes the notion "socially and environmentally responsible" very seriously too. In fact, sustainability is the basis of the entire event and the reason for its existence in the first place.

Each year, the festival challenges attendees and organisers to make a positive impact by setting sustainability goals.

Rethinking the ways resources are utilised, materials are sourced and waste is handled, its recycling and composing bins throughout the compound prevents more than 95 per cent of all festival waste from ending up in a landfill.

Carbon emissions are offset and single-use plastic is also replaced by other environmentally-friendly alternatives.

In a specially curated design to give back to nature, the festival will be working with SUGi over the next few years to plant an Ancestral Forest.

Using the Miyawaki afforestation method, the re-wilding of the the land will restore it to a wild, uncultivated state, thus encouraging a healthy ecosystem with native plants and animal species.

Whether you choose to never skip a beat by camping under the stars on festival grounds, staying in a luxury RV or offsite, the Wonderfruit will not fail to keep the good vibes going.

With like-minded souls, art, music, food and nature surrounding you, come get a taste of a little wonder this December.

Wonderfruit 2022 runs from Dec 15 to 18, 2022. The last ticket sale will begin on Monday, Sept 12, at 7pm BKK (8pm Singapore time) and run until Thursday, Sept 15, at 7pm BKK.

The ticket sale will only run for 72 hours, with prices increasing by THB1,000 (S$38.48) every 24 hours. Tickets start from THB 8,000.

This article was first published in City Nomads.