Good Intentions

We speak to Wonderfruit founder Pranitan “Pete” Phornprapha about the way the progressive festival celebrates people and the planet, and demonstrates how the two can co-exist

- Coco Marett

Exhausted yet elated and covered in dust, I sat in the back of a jeep en route back to my hotel as the rising sun began peeking through endless rows of palm trees. It was my first Wonderfruit experience, back in 2017, and I knew it wasn’t going to be my last.

The four-day festival situated in the lush Thai jungle is conscious hedonism. Through art, music and food, it has managed to find that sweet spot of being serious about sustainability, while creating an environment where people don’t have to take themselves (or anything, really) too seriously.

“My vision for Wonderfruit’s evolution is thinking about how we can create a sense of awe and wonder. How we can ignite that childlike curiosity,” says Wonderfruit founder Pranitan Phornprapha, better known as Pete, who opines that people don’t really notice until they arrive that music isn’t the festival’s main attraction.

Sure, music line-ups that include the likes of Nicola Cruz, Roots Manuva and Richie Hawtin draw the crowds, but it’s a kind of “come for the music, stay for the lessons on life and sustainability” situation. There’s a strict ban on single-use plastic, and the days are packed with wellness- and sustainability-focused activities. Think yoga, meditation and gong baths, expert-led talks and workshops on topics including fermentation, plant-based cooking and even the sensual Japanese art of shibari bondage.

When the sun sets, the field lights up in a spectrum of colours, the stages scattered across the 48-hectare grounds come to life and elaborately dressed party animals roam—the festival prides itself on being a safe place for self-expression and inclusivity.