All of this is underpinned by an ethos that champions eco-awareness and sustainable living, from the locally sourced or recycled materials used to build the stages to the water used throughout the festival site, which is drawn from the on-site lake and filtered. In 2017, the festival was certified carbon-neutral and this year will see a complete ban on single-use plastics. It’s a philosophy that seems to have struck a chord with festivalgoers as Wonderfruit attracted around 13,000 people last year, a number the organisers are expecting to see rise when the festival returns for its fifth edition from December 13 to 16.

“When we create content, we always think about how we can either create awareness for an issue that we’re passionate about or how we can perhaps even provide some solutions

“When we create content, we always think about how we can either create awareness for an issue that we’re passionate about or how we can perhaps even provide some solutions, or how can we showcase the innovations in that process,” says Pranitan “Pete” Phornprapha. “So the core of what we do is based on environmental protection, awareness and progression.”

One example of this ethos in action is Wonderfruit’s use of Tree Coin, a cryptocurrency created by Swiss fintech company Lykke. With each coin representing the planting of a mangrove tree in Myanmar, the cryptocurrency helps to offset the festival’s carbon footprint while providing attendees with an innovative way to buy drinks and interact with the festival’s content. It is, says Phornprapha, part of Wonderfruit’s drive to create meaningful and immersive experiences that can stretch beyond the duration of the festival.

As a founding member of acclaimed arts collective Robot Heart (best known for its iconic mobile stage at Burning Man) and co-founder of invite-only music, lifestyle and technology festival Further Future in Nevada—dubbed “Burning Man for the one per cent” by some—Jason Swamy is a man who knows a thing or two about progressive festivals. To him, the concept of “mindful entertainment” is central to the Wonderfruit experience.

“There’s what I call mindful entertainment and then there’s mindless entertainment,” says Swamy. “Mindless entertainment, you go out, you have drinks, you party and you come out with less than you came in with. But as you mature, you’re really looking for something more and there’s no reason why there can’t be mindful entertainment, where there’s a reason why you go and you can participate and absorb and interact and come out with more than you came in with.”

Indeed, it is this balance between hedonism and promoting positive change that sets Wonderfruit apart from most other festivals in Asia. But while Wonderfruit’s socially conscious and environmentally aware elements are certainly appreciated by the majority of attendees, it is undoubtedly the festival’s reputation as a rip-roaring party that draws the crowds. 

To this end, one of last year’s highlights was the Altn8 stage, which was hosted by the team behind Hong Kong’s annual Altn8 electronic music festival in partnership with fellow Hong Kong-based music-lover Archie Keswick. Featuring a helter skelter-style DJ booth manned by DJs from Berlin’s famed and now-defunct club Bar 25, and a towering 360-degree sound and lighting rig, it was one of the festival’s most popular stages.

“Wonderfruit is a brilliant blank canvas,” says Charlie Toller, co-founder of Altn8. He adds that the abundance of space available is quite unlike any venue he’s seen in Hong Kong, while the ease of getting and staying there (the festival site is less than two hours’ drive from Bangkok and accommodation options range from air-conditioned bell tents to nearby luxury villas) makes it a convenient long-weekend jaunt.

“It can be whatever you want it to be,” adds Altn8’s other co-founder, Roger De Leon, who also deejayed at last year’s Wonderfruit. “You can do yoga or you can be up till sunrise partying. There were a lot of different options and you can see it in the type of people that are there.”

Ah, yes, the people. As with any event, Wonderfruit’s atmosphere is only as good as the people who attend and this is where the festival truly excels. “We attract a well-behaved crowd that’s intelligent and affluent in the right ways,” says Swamy. “I’m not talking affluent in terms of economics. I’m talking affluent in the way they think, in the way they’re educated and so on.”

Phornprapha agrees. “I think the thing that makes Wonderfruit most unique is 100 per cent the people that come—and not only come but get involved as well,” he says. “We attract a lot of artists and architects and designers, so it’s more people who actually like to think about content rather than just see content. We’re not a festival where people will come for the main headliner. We’re not that type of event. We’re more like the thinking person’s festival.”

Wonderfruit takes place from December 13 to 16 at The Fields at Siam Country Club, Pattaya. For tickets and information, visit wonderfruit.co.