Wonderfruit 2024: who & what you don’t want to miss

With Wonderfruit right around the corner, Mixmag Asia has put together a couple of our standout acts, experiences and installations we’re excited for across the weekend.

Whilst other festivals are one hundred per cent about the music, Wonderfruit (more and more recently) celebrates its extra-curricular and off-the-beaten-path experiences they have on offer, blending the sounds and music with the overall atmosphere and tone they seamlessly pull off each and every year.

So much of the charm of the festival is the intangibles, and we’re certain whatever route you take across the weekend will be one to remember.

Here’s a couple of things that caught our attention and we suggest you experience for yourselves, too.

This is by no means a definitive list—every corner of the festival brings something exciting and new. Think of this as a starting point, a glimpse into the magic, before you venture off and create your own Wonderfruit adventure.

We encourage getting lost and finding new activities and favourite artists yourself!

Dualist Inquiry coming with a live set is the injection we’re eager to see at the impressive Polygon Stage, complete with its immersive tech to heighten the senses.

The recent topic of one of our interview features, Atsuo The Pineapple Donkey is as eccentric as his name suggests. Fusing synth rock, electro, and experimental sounds, his genre-blurring performances are a spectacle to behold—especially when paired with his signature prop, a can of Heinz Baked Beans. What’s not to love?

SOT has some stellar names, including all the always-exciting Yeti Out crew, and SaturdaySelects founder Roshan, but Yung Singh has been going from strength to strength in 2024, and we’re eager to see what he brings along in his Asia tour. All of his other stops so far have been killer, and we’re sure Wonderfruit will be no different.

A proper journey of a set, combining storytelling with jazz, classical and experimental sound. Tara Lily's performance will definitely be one for the books.

The Quarry’s enchanting atmosphere is a magnet for festival-goers and Elaheh’s mind-bending blend of genres is perfect for this transcendental setting. Her set was a highlight of last year’s edition, and we’re expecting no less this year. What’s more, Kohra’s on right after her—another set not to miss.

We’ve found in previous years, that once you get into The Quarry, it’s a hard one to leave as it envelops you (also, those stairs are like Everest when you’re in the zone), but with a lineup this killer it's not necessarily a bad place to get stuck….. Regional heroes are in the spotlight here, including Di Linh, Chalo, and DOTT, just to name a few that we think will be unmissable.

We caught this group at a Wonderfruit pre-party a couple of weeks ago, and it only made us much more excited for both their festival set, and the stage on the whole. Genre-bending traditional instrumentation madness that we can’t get enough of. This stage is sure to be a goldmine throughout the entire weekend.

Whilst you’re at Molam World, be sure to check out the Theatre of Eats, a space combining the ‘lively spirit of a night market’ with the ‘timeless charm of a floating market’, all centered around Thai food and ingredients.

In this meditative performance, you’ll find Bottlesmoker playing music derived from plants, and Modern Biology with music derived from mushrooms. A bit out there, but we’re eager to take a unique listen to this abstract, engaging concept.

Perhaps one of the lesser-known acts on the list, Hocking’s waves in Vietnam have been undeniable, and if his set is anything like his recent Equation performance, we’re in for a treat.

This is just one highlight from Ziggurat, who have outdone themselves on their lineup this year. Local heroes Rui Tang (Monday 01:30-03:00) and Meltmode (Sunday 01:00-03:00) are not sets to miss either.

Saturday night 2am until 5am is the perfect time for a bit of a groove and some psychedelia, and veterans Waxo Paradiso will have you covered at Forbidden Fruit.

((( O ))) last year was one of our standouts, and her downtempo, introspective sound is the perfect calm in the chaos that is Wonderfruit

Wildealer has been one of Bangkok's brightest talents over 2024, and his Thai-house sound blends perfectly with Solar Village’s sun-soaked energy. With a year of touring across Europe and sharing stages with Seth Troxler and Dennis Cruz, Wildealer’s fun-loving and dynamic sets should be a standout for the fun-lovers in Pattaya.

We saw Emel Rowe go b2b with Saint Guel to close the weekend out at the Savage 8 anniversary, and if that magic is anything to base this on, the final set of the weekend will, once again, be one that shouldn't be missed.

To be honest, Solar Village seems to be one of the strongest in terms of overall line-up and we’ll most likely be posted up there for some time.

Although the festival's mainstays often catch people’s eyes—The Quarry, Polygon, Forbidden Fruit, etc.—a Mixmag Asia highlight would easily be the 428 stage. They debuted in 2023, and this second year promises to be even better than last. It focuses on sound design and attention to detail, rather than flashy lights, and is one not to be missed for proper audiophiles.

We couldn’t just spotlight one act, as they’re all perfect for a stage of this calibre, but a couple of the standouts should be Diskonnected, Jennifer Loveless, Soichi Terada, Wata Igarashi (Live), Sunju Hargun (Live), Gonno, and Temple Rat just to name a few from this stacked line-up.

As a sonic contrast to 428, Enfold is back for its second year, offering a more chillout, sometimes ambient spot for those needing a moment to recover. Names like Xiaolin, Tara Lily, CCL, Telephones and more are taking the reigns over the weekend.

A big part of Wonderfruit's allure is its collaborations, and Forbidden Fruit this year features three unreal takeovers courtesy of Bangkok Community Radio, Hong Kong’s FuFu and the infamous Rainbow Disco Club, celebrating 15 years. In a blend of regional and international heavy-hitters, expect Danilo Plesso (MCDE), Pam Anatntr, Known Artist, Mengzy, Ouissam, Kimoji, Peach and many more.

Moonlight Lounge, constructed from repurposed whisky bottles, offers an intimate and carefree atmosphere perfect for impromptu dance sessions or casual hangs. Other stages we find are wildly impressive for all the senses, whereas Moonlight feels less serious, more casual and more fun-loving.

Last year, it became a hidden gem of the festival, always bringing a smile to our faces when we swang by, and the 2024 line-up promises the same carefree magic. Expect soulful and eclectic sets from Bangkok staples like RomRom, Gaius, Gifted Fire, Vell, and Brent Burns.

It’s not just about the music, with the festival shifting focus ever-so-slightly to the experiential side of the festival, and they’re not playing around with the variety. Just scratching the surface, there’s mud sculpting, silk screen printing, mask making, incense workshops, breathwork and much more to balance out the chaos of the late night.

Italo Disco is joining Wonderfruit to celebrate Italy’s way of life, inspired by the Chef’s ‘disco personality’ this pre-dinner small-bite selection comes with free flow Aperol Spritz coupled with an impressive selection of small bites feels the fitting way to kick off any night of debauchery.

The Cloud Lounge is Wonderfruit’s way to recovery, inviting goers to a selection of Dermaster’s IV drips, designs to nourish and reinvigorate, as you come back to life sipping on herbal infusions and cold-pressed juices.

Floating on top of the natural lake, the Bath House offers a serene space to slow down and reflect on the chaos of the outside world, complete with onsen-style baths and wellness rituals across the weekend.

This installation in The Ancestral Forest was composed to represent the ‘voice of the forest’, bringing goers closer to nature. The sounds come from a mix of recordings from various forests and experiences around the world, and is transmitted from the trees themselves, alongside Jiro Endo’s mystical lighting through the night

This traditional Japanese herbal medicine workshop uses the herbal remedy ‘Yakushu’, and after answering questions, allows you to create personalised remedies and treatments (before sampling Yakushu-based cocktails and herbal infusions).

Several members of the Mixmag Asia crew will be out and about in The Fields this year, soaking in all the sonic goodness Wonderfruit has to offer. If you see us wandering around, do come say hello!

Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.

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