At Wonderfruit’s 11th press conference, we were greeted by the smiley faces of the Wonderfam and warmly invited to sit down and create mandalas using a rainbow-shaded medley of flowers, fruits and leaves collected from The Fields, with the session led by Chalisa Viravan. It was a zen-inducing and refreshing way to kick off the press conference, which, to us, is exactly what Wonderfruit is: unique, creative, thoughtful and respectful.

We got a chance to hear what the new decade of Wonderfruit is all about and, later on, chatted with Founder Pranitan “Pete” Phornprapha and Co-Founder Montonn Jira to learn more about what to expect from the 2026 edition.

– Featured image courtesy of Wonderfruit –

For those new to Wonderfruit, think of it as much more than a music festival. Held each December at The Fields at Siam Country Club, it brings together music, art, food, ideas, workshops and experiences shaped around its pillars of Mind, Nature and Sound. The joy of it is often in wandering from one thing to another, stumbling upon a performance, sharing a meal, joining a conversation or simply finding a quiet corner of The Fields you did not expect.

This year, Wonderfruit enters a new decade with The Field Village, an idea that looks more closely at its roots and at The Fields as a living place rather than simply the setting for five days in December. Expect more focus on intentional listening, site-specific art, rewilding and the forests, alongside the familiar mix of people, food, music and curious encounters. The thinking now stretches beyond the annual festival too: Chapters Kyoto brings Wonderfruit’s values and creative approach to Japan from 22 to 25 October, while Open Fields will bring more cultural programmes to The Fields outside the December gathering.

Read on for our conversation with the founders to get to know Wonderfruit a little better, from the ideas behind The Fields to where it is heading next.

1.⁠ ⁠Wonderfruit has cultivated a remarkably loyal community that returns to The Fields year after year. From your perspective, what is it about the Wonderfruit experience that resonates so deeply with this audience?

Pete: I think the more we give to something, the more we get from it. So I’m very happy to hear that Wonderfruit has such a loyal community and that people keep coming back every year.

Every year, we take so much care and time to think about things from every possible angle, from the way things are written and created to the way they’re built. We’re very obsessed with every single detail. Nothing goes untouched or overlooked, and I believe people can feel that. That’s what keeps people coming back, especially in a world where everything is becoming a little bit more of the same. You go to hotels and they all look the same; you listen to the same music. Maybe people are getting tired of that.

Wonderfruit offers something fresh, and every year when people come, it’s different again. It’s a lot of very little things that we care about, but ultimately, it’s everything.

Montonn: From the very start, Pete and I weren’t intending to build a typical commercial music festival. We were looking to create something much more inspiring and magical. Our physical environment in The Fields plays a big role in how we can curate this experience for our attendees as well. It all starts within ourselves.

I think the care we put into how we execute, design and collaborate brings about a feeling of trust among our long-time festival attendees, and this is why they continue to return to The Fields year after year. We’re constantly shifting and finding new and interesting concepts to add to our programming, and for some reason, this has really resonated. There is nothing like it anywhere else, and so we’re very lucky to be in the position that we are.

“It’s a lot of very little things that we care about, but ultimately, it’s everything.”

2. For many international guests, Wonderfruit is their first real introduction to Thailand beyond the typical tourist trail. How intentional is that role as a kind of invitation into Thai culture, and how do you make sure it’s an authentic one rather than a curated performance of it?

Pete: First of all, we’re Thai. The team is Thai, and everyone involved in the programming is either Thai or deeply rooted here. So we approach it from that perspective.

In our manifesto, we talk about creating from the ground up, and I think we’re really rooted in that. So, by nature, it’s authentic because it comes from the ground up. It comes from us being Thai and seeing how we can shape and be part of this society. Even for Thai people, I think what we create is interesting. And if it’s interesting for the locals, then I’m sure that, at the very least, it’s a real thing for international visitors to experience rather than a gimmicky, packaged version of Thailand. Because if it wasn’t interesting to us, we wouldn’t do it. It’s really about trying to be ourselves rather than trying to be anyone else.

Montonn: This invitation is highly intentional, but it is rooted in deep respect rather than a superficial showcase. I have lived all over the world and have often felt like an outsider, which has given me an appreciation for the beauty of adapting to different cultures while staying true to one’s roots.

When we built Wonderfruit, we explicitly wanted to steer away from making subpar copies of Western festivals. Instead, we wanted to celebrate traditional Eastern elements and revisit our cultural roots. We ensure this is authentic by physically building with local materials and deeply integrating regional communities.

The festival itself is a living testament to regional collaboration. It’s not a staged performance; it’s a co-created space where local wisdom is the foundation, allowing international guests to experience a living, working slice of Thai culture.

“It’s really about trying to be ourselves rather than trying to be anyone else.”

3. This edition’s Field Village puts a renewed focus on roots, community, and the values that bring people together. As Wonderfruit enters its next decade, how do you honour what has shaped The Fields while continuing to push the experience forward?

Pete: The 10 years made me reflect a lot. And when I reflected, it became very clear to me that it’s not really about the things that people see, the creativity, the visual elements, or what’s immediately visible. It made me think more about the process. And for me, what we really want to connect to more is the value system behind that process.

Those values connect back to our roots. The values we came back to are very Thai values. It’s about how you pay respect to and honour your elders. It’s about, in the midst of creating, how you remain polite, respectful and considerate. I think kreng jai is a beautiful Thai quality. People always say kreng jai is not a good thing, but I actually wish people were more kreng jai. I think we could use more of it. It’s a good manner to have.

And even when we work with people, whether it’s a farmer or the most famous artist in the world, we should approach them in the same way. It’s the same process. It’s not about saying, “Oh, this person is famous, so we have to treat them differently.” Those processes are what we mean by roots. They’re the value systems we were brought up with, values that we want to share and that we also want to constantly remind ourselves of. That’s what we mean by roots. It’s nothing fancy. It’s not rocket science. It’s simply about how we operate within a society, with respect, care, thoughtfulness, kreng jai and integrity.

I think Thai society has many of these beautiful qualities, and that’s what we want to celebrate. Even Buddhism teaches many of these principles. That’s what we mean by roots.

“It’s simply about how we operate within a society, with respect, care, thoughtfulness, kreng jai and integrity.”

Montonn: Reaching our second decade is a moment of deep gratitude, and our new concept, “The Field Village,” is the perfect manifestation of our evolution. Pete and I started Scratch First in 2014, taking on a massive project without fully knowing what we were getting into.

Over the years, we have realised that the real magic of The Fields is that it acts as a working settlement for sharing knowledge and testing circular systems. We are honouring our past by stripping away any fleeting trends and returning to our core pillars: Mind, Nature, and Sound. At the same time, we are pushing the experience forward by evolving Wonderfruit from a once-a-year event into a year-round cultural platform.

The Fields are now a living, working space for continuous learning and circularity. We are growing our own food, rewilding the land, and hosting creative residencies that culminate in our December gathering. It’s about returning to the roots of what made us successful, curiosity and resourcefulness, while building permanent, self-sustaining structures that anchor our community year-round.

“We are pushing the experience forward by evolving Wonderfruit from a once-a-year event into a year-round cultural platform.”

4.⁠ ⁠With Chapters Kyoto taking the Wonderfruit philosophy to Japan, what does it mean to translate the spirit of The Fields into a completely different cultural and geographic setting?

Pete: Working with Kyoto, in terms of the process, has been interesting because the Japanese have a very similar value system to Thailand. They’re very respectful and considerate, sometimes probably even more so than we are. They also have a very strong hierarchical element to their society, which I think is actually beautiful. It creates a system and a way of working that keeps their society very intact. So that’s something we can share.

Of course, in Japan, sometimes it takes a little more time because we have to work remotely, and that doesn’t always work in a context that is so human-to-human and face-to-face. So there are challenges, but in terms of the programme and what we’re creating, I think we share a lot with the Japanese, especially that attention to detail and almost obsessive commitment to doing things properly.

That part comes very naturally, and that’s what we’re enjoying. It helps us continue the process in a very respectful way on both sides. In terms of translating the spirit of The Fields, we’re not really trying to take The Fields to Japan. It’s more about taking the process. These values and processes are already shared between us, so there’s a mutual respect there. And when you put those things into a different setting, what people encounter can still feel similar, in the sense that the event or experience has been very thoughtfully considered.

“I’ve always believed that when the medium changes, the process changes, but the finished piece must stand on its own.”

Montonn: This one is quite interesting. Our international debut with Chapters Kyoto is a natural and creative extension of the relationships we’ve built over the years. I’ve always believed that when the medium changes, the process changes, but the finished piece must stand on its own. Kyoto is a city quite foreign to me, possibly making it the perfect setting to explore our core values of Mind, Nature, and Sound in a new setting.

Translating the spirit of The Fields to Japan doesn’t mean trying to duplicate a massive 25,000-person festival. Instead, Chapters Kyoto is designed as an intimate, deeply focused gathering of around 100 guests. We are guided by “Myō” (妙), a Zen Buddhist philosophy that reveals the extraordinary within the ordinary. By partnering with Toho Leo and working across historical venues, we are letting Japanese culture, craftsmanship, and regional contemplative practices shape the experience.

It’s about showing that while the physical scenery changes, our commitment to mindful listening, deep connection, and community can remain completely universal.

5.⁠ ⁠More than 100,000 trees have now been planted across The Fields. As rewilding continues this year, how do you see the relationship between caring for the land and caring for the people who gather on it?

Pete: I think it’s exactly that: the more you take care of the land, the more the land gives back to you. At this stage, we’re thinking about our own relationship with the land. Since we’ve planted all these trees, we’ve been able to start cultivating a relationship with the different types of forests that we’re creating.

It’s like this constant dialogue that’s happening. So I think rewilding is like investing in the land. Through that investment, it comes back to us in so many ways. When we work with people, whether they’re artists, traditional Thai doctors or beekeepers, it all becomes part of this dialogue. People really respond to what we’ve invested in. It’s actually a very beautiful thing to see.

“Sowing the seeds of environmental awareness in the land is directly linked to nurturing the minds of the people who gather here.”

Montonn: When we first started Wonderfruit, we discussed how our environmental anxieties are rarely about the planet itself, as the Earth will survive long after us, but rather about our own survival as a species. Sowing the seeds of environmental awareness in the land is directly linked to nurturing the minds of the people who gather here. Over the years, we have grown over 100,000 trees and plants across our various forests.

Our Ancestral Forest, created using the Miyawaki method in partnership with SUGi and Baan Suan Onsorn, and our Yang Na Forest are spaces where nature and local wisdom work in harmony. These forests are not just environmental statistics; they are places that encourage human connection and self-inquiry through art, design, and music.

The land physically nourishes us. We harvest mangoes, bananas, papayas, and wild berries year-round, and we, in turn, protect and expand it. When we step under the natural shade of the Yang Na canopy, we are reminded of our own relationship with one another: connected, yet deeply respectful of space and balance. Caring for the land creates the peace of mind that allows our community to thrive, and we are probably one of very few festivals in the world that have this luxury.

“When we step under the natural shade of the Yang Na canopy, we are reminded of our own relationship with one another: connected, yet deeply respectful of space and balance.”

6. Looking toward Wonderfruit’s next decade, what does “wonder” mean to your team today that it perhaps didn’t when the festival first started in 2014?

Pete: A lot has changed. For me personally, the spirit of creating and exploring wonder hasn’t really changed. I still get excited about almost everything we’re doing, every single thing. But I think the discipline has become much clearer. We’re more disciplined in our approach, and we’ve also learned to say no more often and to focus on the things that really matter. And I think that’s also a wonder. Learning to focus can be a type of wonder too.

So I guess that evolution is about wonder continuing to evolve and take shape in new forms. But it’s still very much there, probably more than ever. It’s stronger than ever.

Montonn: Initially, “wonder” was a beautiful, chaotic spark of curiosity. We threw ourselves into the project, using music and art as magnets to attract trendsetters and expose them to sustainability concepts. At that time, we were just testing the waters.

After more than a decade of learning, “wonder” has evolved from a temporary escape into a long-term discipline. It means resourcefulness, deep structural consistency, and building regenerative systems that last. “Wonder” is no longer just about the magical five days in December. It is the year-round commitment to rewilding the land, developing circular agroforestry like our Suan Som Rom, and establishing a year-round, global cultural platform.

It’s the realisation that while everything is subject to change and we cannot control external outcomes, we can master our own craft, stay true to our values, and continuously offer something that is deeply authentic, inspiring, and sustainable.

“After more than a decade of learning, ‘wonder’ has evolved from a temporary escape into a long-term discipline.”

7.⁠ ⁠Last but not least, why do you think Wonderfruit should be on everyone’s RADARLIST?

Pete: I would maybe just say: give it a chance. Give it a chance to keep the wonder going, to keep the wonder alive and to explore it. I’d love for everyone to come, connect withs it and hopefully find something that they can connect to. Just give it a chance and keep your curiosity alive.

Montonn: Wonderfruit at The Fields is a place that challenges your senses, prompts deep self-discovery, and offers a very different experience from other festivals. Whether you are wandering through our Ancestral Forest or listening to a custom-designed immersive sound system, The Fields offers an unparalleled, life-shifting adventure. It is a destination that will completely redefine your understanding of travel, community, and creativity.

– See you in The Fields –