A Night on the Grass

A Review of Keep on the Grass Folk Music Festival

On January 14^th of this year (2017), The World May Never Know, an organization that coordinates local Thai music conferences and festivals, hosted their fourth annual Keep on the Grass Folk Music Festival at the Phu Uthai Resort in Muak Lek, Thailand.

The festival is nestled in the rolling hills of the mountains near Khao Yai national park, in the province of Saraburi. The scenic drive, which can be challenging to navigate even for the locals, leads to a parking area at the Phu Uthai Resort in Muak Lek. At the top of the hill is a restaurant, restrooms and a few small huts that can be rented for the night through the resort. After checking in, or buying a ticket, if not bought online, the staff ask that the attendees not bring their own food or beverage into the festival location.

There is food and drink to buy about half way down a hill leading to the stage and camping area. A variety of options are provided including Thai food, noodles, kebabs, beer, alcohol buckets, and the choice of beef or pork burgers from local restaurant owners out of Bangkok, as seen in the picture below.

The sole festival stage is located at the base of the hill, with the backdrop of the surrounding mountains. The stage is made out of a pick-up truck with its rear half opened and a constructed wooden platform as the performing area. Speakers are hung from metal poles on either sides of the platform and lights strung outlining the scaffold and the observing areas. Tents are pitched behind the stage, on the hills surrounding the stage and further up the hill in front of the viewing section. There is a space left in the center for the crowd to lay blankets out and watch the performances.

Music begins around two o’clock in the afternoon and is scheduled to run until two a.m. The bands start off slow and melodic, gently picking up speed and tempo as the night goes on and the moon comes out. Band members can be seen coming to play on the stage from the audience, enjoying the festival as a viewer and player. The performers play an array of instruments, ranging from violins, guitars, and Thai wind apparatus. Although given the name of folk festival, the event celebrated music of many genres including folk, indie, soft rock, instrumental and some pop. Around 10 p.m. many people are seen lying on their mats and blankets, bundled up, eyes closed, enjoying the sense of sound.

During this fourth annual festival, music was played until about five o’clock in the morning. The crowd was a mix of many young local Thai people, as well as some foreigners who heard about the festival via social media and friends. The festival staff has a very active Facebook page, with a high responsive rating. The discussion listed special ticket deals, directions to the location, the restaurants that would be serving food, the band line up and pictures during and after the festival.

https://web.facebook.com/KeepOnTheGrassMusicFestival/

As posted on the Keep on the Grass Music Festival page, the event is “a laid back afternoon under the cloud, a night on the grass.”

Around seven a.m. the attendees began slowly wrapping up their tents and making their way towards their cars. Those who came by public transportation proceed to find a songthaew back to the Muak Lek Talad (market) where they can then catch either songthaew, van or bus back to their destination of Bangkok or Saraburi center.