Last update: 22 Sept 2023
Wonderfruit 2023: 14–18 December 2023
Location: The Fields at Siam Country Club. Chonburi, Thailand
Every year, as we reflect upon the land home to Wonderfruit, we are filled with inspiration and a deep desire to elevate the experience for Wonderers. We have listened to your feedback and are committed to providing a journey of exploration that prioritizes the well-being of all attendees, allowing you to focus on fully immersing in the experiences we have spent all year planning.
Embracing the spirit of evolution, we are ready to begin laying out some of our plans for improving the overall experience this year. But we must stress that this is a work in progress and we will continue to share more specific updates by updating this Wonderpost and across our social channels as we approach live dates and more information becomes available.
But first, a disclaimer: Wonderfruit is an experience built in and around nature. We urge you to plan ahead and be ready for anything and everything. While we do our best to prepare under expert guidance, we ask everyone to exercise due diligence and come prepared. Things to consider when getting ready for Wonderfruit:
- Our land is big, and we appreciate the essence of raw nature that it provides us, which means a lot of walking across natural and rugged terrain. Be on the lookout for uneven surfaces on the natural ground and wear comfortable shoes.
- Know that there will be dust and perhaps consider a face cover if you feel affected.
- And while the weather in December is typically pleasant, fluke wind or rain could happen. We all know the climate is in flux globally, and The Fields are no different.
- And—most importantly—stay hydrated. (More on that below.)
Finally, here’s how our in-house team puts it: think of Wonderfruit as a marathon, not a sprint. There are so many ways to slow your tempo: engage in our various programs, meditate in thought through various art concepts and participate in wellness. Have fun, but pace yourselves—it’s five days immersed in the elements of nature, after all.
And with that, here are the beginnings of how we are looking to improve Wonderfruit 2023.
The well-being of Wonderers
First and foremost, Wonderers are our utmost priority. At the heart of every decision we make, we put the well-being of everyone in The Fields first, and this extends far beyond operations. Our exploration of the relationship between mind and nature comes into play here, as well as the journey to Wonderfruit—we’re already working on how we can transcend our typical approach to well-being and manifest it in The Fields. We are committed to creating a space where you can freely express, connect and immerse yourself in the essence of Wonderfruit, knowing that your physical, mental and emotional well-being is deeply valued and safeguarded.
Expanding The Fields
Every year, we look at our land and see how we can evolve it to better the experience for Wonderers. This year, we will be venturing beyond the boundaries of seven vibrant villages and introducing an eighth village, brimming with wonder and enchantment. This also allows us to create another exit, ensuring a smoother traffic flow for Wonderers when leaving The Fields.
Strengthening medical
Quick and easy access to assistance and care for Wonderers is paramount in planning for Wonderfruit 2023. As part of our unwavering commitment to the well-being of attendees, we are significantly strengthening and expanding our on-site medical facilities. To start, there will be at least eight medical stations available across The Fields, which is at least one station per village with a focus on visibility and accessibility. We will also have more doctors available on-site and share more concrete information around this nearer to live dates.
This substantial increase also ensures that there will be an even greater presence of trained medical professionals ready to provide immediate assistance should the need arise. Rest assured, our top priority is the welfare of Wonderers, and we want you to have complete peace of mind knowing that your safety is in capable hands so you can focus on having the most excellent time.
Visible water refill stations
Wonderfruit is an off-the-grid event. Because of our unique location, where running water doesn’t exist, the complexity around the infrastructure of offering free, filtered water is a challenge. But it’s a challenge we are up for, as we believe in access to free water and understand the importance of staying hydrated. This year, we will add more water sources from different areas to promote a steady flow of water to the water refill stations. Those who bring their own bottles or cups, or use a Wonder Cup, will find that we are implementing better signage and making refill stations more visible throughout The Fields. Good practice is downloading the Wonder App before arriving on site or picking up a leaflet on the way into The Fields, where refill stations are marked clearly on the map. We aim to make it easier than ever for Wonderers to always access free and clean water.
Note: water for purchase is always available at all bars, but we strongly encourage a “bring your own cup” approach to tap into free water in The Fields.
Enhanced security
We have listened to your feedback and diligently reviewed and updated our security measures to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for all attendees. We are taking extensive steps to enhance security for this year’s event and significantly beefing up our security protocols by strategically deploying teams across all access points in The Fields.
This includes an increased presence of well-trained security personnel and dedicated emergency response teams ready to address any situation that may arise, like EOD personnel, K9s units and lifeguards on all four lakes. We want all Wonderers to feel confident that we are taking all precautions to ensure your well-being, allowing you to immerse yourself into the Wonderfruit experience fully.
Parking & transfer solutions
We’re introducing a solution to alleviate traffic congestion and enhance the flow for Wonderers coming to and leaving The Fields. A new, expanded parking lot will streamline traffic flow and optimize parking logistics.
We are committed to improving the experience of getting to and from Wonderfruit, including parking and lessening traffic, allowing our guests to focus on the experiences that await in The Fields.
Note: we do not have explicit contracts with or control of external taxi operators, so we cannot guarantee this as a seamless experience. Please keep this in mind when planning your journey to and from The Fields.
Hotel & public shuttles operations
We have listened to the feedback that came in last year, and we firmly believe that the journey is just as important as the destination. As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the transportation experience for all Wonderers, we are making significant changes and improvements to the Shuttle service. We are working towards implementing a streamlined system that will feature pick-up spots at all partner hotels to ensure convenience and simplicity, with a help desk on both sides of the journey. We will also increase the number of buses available to accommodate a higher demand during peak hours, and ensure there is an English-speaking coordinator on every ride.
To further optimize efficiency, we are exploring the possibility of establishing direct routes, minimizing travel time and maximizing your Wonderfruit experience. Finally, we are actively seeking an external management system to efficiently handle scheduling, logistics and real-time updates.
As we near live dates, we’ll release further updates to an upgraded shuttle system as we work diligently to make the journey to and from Wonderfruit as smooth as possible.
Mitigating dust
Wonderfruit takes place amidst the beauty of nature. This exposes us to the elements, and with that comes dust, which is an inherent element of outdoor environments that weather conditions can exacerbate. We will continue our efforts to mitigate dust to provide a pleasant atmosphere for everyone, and by moving the parking lot further away from the center of the site, this should lessen the dust created by traffic. We also encourage you to embrace the natural surroundings and the unique ambiance that dust brings to our event, and come prepared to immerse into nature’s charm.
Additional toilets
We stood in those lines too and we’re pleased to let you know that we’re doubling toilets in all our villages, doubling them in some places. We believe in creating a pleasant and enjoyable experience for our guests, and that extends to the bathrooms—which is why we invest in making them high-quality, permanent and with plumbing so we don’t need to rely on portable toilets. We understand the importance of clean and well-maintained facilities, and not having to wait in long lines, and are dedicated to exceeding your festival-standard expectations.
A more robust app
We’re working really hard to roll out the latest version of the Wonder App, with many new features that will streamline the on-site experience in The Fields. Attendees can look forward to a direct channel of communication with the Wonderfruit team, an up-to-the-minute weather broadcast and clear maps to help Wonderers easily find facilities like toilets, refill stations and medical tents.
More storage
We heard you. We’re doubling lockers this year so you have somewhere safe to keep anything you brought to the event and don’t want to carry. We’re also adding a check-in counter for valuables or confiscated items like single-use water bottles so you can pick them up on your way out of The Fields.
Cooling general camping
To our beloved campers, who are truly getting the most out of the Wonderfruit experience by staying onsite for the entire five days, we understand the importance of finding respite from the sun’s rays, especially during the daytime—and this year the General Camping grounds will be making more use of the shade. We want you to have more areas to relax, recharge and beat the heat while still being an integral part of the atmosphere at Wonderfruit.
Stay tuned for this Wonderpost to be updated regularly.
Read more about why we’re capping tickets this year here
