So there I was stuck in traffic, already late for the most anticipated music festival of the year. It had started at 3 pm and it was hitting close to 8 pm now. I had to get to Chang Chui soon so I wouldn’t feel like I had missed out the entire event. Having been to the press conference a few weeks earlier, I knew Dontri Festival was going to be incredible.

Dontri Festival is Thailand’s first locally inspired electronic music lifestyle that merges art, music, and food. Unlike other festivals, this one is truly different as it not only highlights 8 music genres and 80 local DJs but also because of the venue (Chang Chui), it is an inclusive event. This means that anybody can come to Chang Chui but to enjoy the music, you had to buy the wristband, which was worth just 600 Baht (700 at the door).

Related article: all you need to know about Dontri Festival

Luckily the taxi driver knew a different way and we managed to reach shortly after. As soon as we got there, I went to get the wristband that would give me access to all the music stages. Even though I had been to this space before, I had never seen it transformed for this event. Lights, music, banners, more food stalls, and an exciting vibe. I couldn’t wait to check it all out.

My night in a nutshell

Before going to Dontri Festival, I checked out the DJ set times and decided on who wanted to see. I knew it would change and I would have to go with the flow but it was a good idea to have a game plan. I’d see my friend DJing at Bass then I would move on to check out house, trance, and psytrance. I would then bounce around between the main stage, hip hop, and trap/hardstyle.

I would say I stuck to that plan 70% as I ended up trance stage a few times. It was surprisingly pretty good! Hip hop was good too but when I got there, it had died down. Rest of the time I spent with my friends chatting, drinking and just having a good time.

What I liked

Music…duh

Obviously, I loved the music. Since there are 8 different stages focusing on a genre, everyone was happy. I know many friends who go to music festivals and not enjoy because it is not their type of music. That wasn’t the problem here. No one could complain because if they didn’t like a DJ or type of music, they could go to another stage.

As I said, I mostly liked trap, hip hop, and the main stage. My favorite DJs for the night was Make you Freak! They had a crazy and interactive set that got us hyped and dancing.

Affordable stuff

Festivals can be expensive when it comes to food, drinks, and merchandise. It was pretty affordable at Dontri with Leo beers at 100 baht and cocktail buckets at 400 baht. Since 3 of us shared the buckets, it was really good value. The only thing is that you could only take or buy beer inside the music halls. Anything else had to be consumed around the venue space. Fair enough!

Food also wasn’t expensive except for stalls that were selling seafood. There was also plenty of variety – burgers, seafood, meat on sticks, rice dishes and much more. To be honest, I was running around so much between the stages, I didn’t get to focus on the food or even eat much.

Great crowd

One thing I always complain about commercial music festivals is the crowd. Pretentious “fans” that come just to be seen or take photos. At Dontri, it felt like people who actually enjoy music were there. Everyone was also friendly (well, mostly). I met a lot of people and danced with plenty too. It was an awesome scene.

The ambiance was chilled but at the same time quite energetic. It’s exactly how you should feel at any kind of festival. Everyone was doing their own thing, chilling, having food or drinks, and walking around but then would come together for the love of their favorite music.

The word out there

I reached out to some of my friends and people I met there and asked what they thought of Dontri Festival. Here’s what they had to say.

คุ้มเกินคุ้ม มันส์มาก! (Worth the money, awesome!)

– Pat Promtu

The event was a perfect combination of art and music. Having so many different types of music to choose from made it so I was never bored.

– Doug Yates

Great venue choice! The venue was big yet somehow intimate. Loved that there was a stage for different genres of music! Jumped from different stages! Looking forward to the next Dontri festival!

– Nicky S.

Dontri festival was one of the greatest festivals I have done so far. The venue and the setting were amazing with a diverse atmosphere, music, art, and food stalls, all for an incredibly cheap price! Wish there was a Dontri festival every month.

– Ronan Greff

So much fun. I like the place; it has the potential to build a cool festival. My favorite was the techno and trance stages.

– runrunworawaran

I think Dontri Festival was a great success. Not much I can say bad or wrong about it, just that I felt FOMO when I was at one stage. Always thinking what is happening at the other and if the music was better. But that’s the fun of it I think. Maybe have 4 stages next time?

Still, I can’t wait for the next one!

For more (professionally awesome) photos and updates from the event, check out their Facebook page.