​Wonderfruit saves 2020, launches a season-long event series in The Fields

Every Wonderfruit, I miss somewhere around 90% of my to-do list. Every year, I set out with the best intentions: to participate in as many wholesome activities as I can, indulge in all the wellness and eat all the food. But it’s a miracle if I can make it back to the site in time for sunset because I live for those sunrise sessions at the Solar Stage, and thus, after six years I still haven’t made it to a Feast. Or a sound bath. Or anything that doesn’t revolve around a DJ. But Wonderfruit is about so much more than the music. As the organizers eloquently put it, it’s a pop-up city that revolves around food, family, sustainability, art, architecture and ideas. Music is just the soundtrack to this brave new world.

With the postponement of Wonderfruit this year (and we’re happy they did despite the flood of emotions that comes with missing a year in The Fields), the organizers came up with an idea that, at least for those in Thailand, will allow people to finally explore that 90% that they also probably missed during the festival. What initially began as an idea to breathe a little life into The Fields this year has spiralled into two months of events that will see Wonderers in Thailand return to their beloved stomping ground. It’s a full season of Wonderfruit, essentially.

Introducing Moobaan Wonder, by Wonderfruit. The new project comes to life in the same 100 rai of land that we know in our hearts as The Fields at Siam Country Club, Pattaya, as a season-long village festival (Moobaan means village in Thai, by the way) of Thai music, art, workshops, food, drinks, family activities, markets and nature. For five weekends, Moobaan Wonder will shine a bright light on the tastes and talents of Thailand in a super affordable package that anyone in Thailand can enjoy. Day passes, weekend passes and even season passes are available. Yes, Wonderfruit are selling season passes, like it’s hockey or something.

Each weekend at Moobaan Wonder will be different, with new line-ups and experiences from a rotating cast of local talents. Through the extended season, The Fields will host more than 200 DJs, bands, and performers, 40 hands-on workshops, 40 food outlets and 80 Thai design stores from throughout the country. Expect eclectic and locally loved DJs and musicians, sustainability-focused workshops and culinary pop-ups that echo the concept introduced at Fruitfull, Wonderfruit’s city festival that is dedicated to food. Peruse the first offerings below, with more still to come.

As always, the event will be underscored by sustainability. Single-use plastics will be banned from The Fields, all waste will be separated into its respective stream. Biodegradable plates, cups and cutlery will be returned to the onsite farm for use as fertilizer, food waste will be composted to nourish the land, glass and aluminium will be recycled into new products, liquids will be naturally treated and coconut husks will be shredded to fertilize new growth on the same farm in which they’re grown. Stages and art installations will make use of locally-sourced and sustainable materials, and existing products from previous iterations of the festival will be upcycled and repurposed in construction. All of this will be done with the goal of reducing landfill to zero, a bold goal for a pop-up event attracting a vast audience.

Scratch First CEO and Wonderfruit Founder Pranitan “Pete” Phornphrapha sees Moobaan Wonder as a unique opportunity. “This year, more than ever, our eyes have been opened even wider to what’s around us, and how we can all act in service to one another. Moobaan Wonder is an accumulation of our thoughts and feelings: an experience for everyone who came through 2020 with all its disruptions to come together and reconnect.”

Moobaan Wonder takes place from December 4–6, 11–13, and 25–17 2020, and January 8–10 and 15–17 2021. Tickets are available online in limited quantities, starting at just 690 THB for a Friday Pass, 1,290 THB for a Saturday or Sunday Pass, 2,190 THB for a Weekend Pass, or 6,800 THB for a Full Season Pass to all five weekends. Discounts are available for students, institutions, and organizations. Get your tickets here.