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For more years that he cares to remember, Yuthana "Ted" Boon-orm has dreamt of producing a music event along the lines of England's famous Glastonbury festival here in Thailand. His friends have smiled indulgently, believing that such an idea could never be more than a dream. Now the last laugh is on them, as the Kingdom's answer to Glastonbury is about to take place.

It is called Big Mountain and the grand-scale will be held at Bonanza Khao Yai the weekend after next.

"I've been fascinated at the concept of a large audience spending their lives together, listening to music and playing in the mud since watching a documentary about Woodstock and then being part of Glastonbury myself. It was an amazing experience," says Ted, who's managing director of Gay Ray under the GMM Grammy umbrella. "Obviously, I can't reproduce the same sensations here though I can try and make it fun."

Big Mountain takes it name from the forest and mountains of Khao Yai, which Ted selected as the optimum venue after checking out several destinations, among them Pattaya, Hua Hin and Kanchanaburi.

"I think Khao Yai is entirely appropriate with its cooler climate. Bonanza is an interesting place full of bumps and hollows, slopes that give the place a amphitheatre feel and curves that make it possible to create different atmospheres," he says. "I also needed an easily recognisable name and the bull logo is ideal because Pak Chong is a town known for its bulls and steaks."

Ted is transforming a swath of Bonanza's land into an amazing town, working in collaboration with production designers Jack and Jiro from Japan.

"The festival is about more than just music," he says. "I believe that the music festival lets participants experience living as a community. It isn't like going to a concert but to a new world.

"The production team is full of creative ideas. We have a 16-metre-high giant dancing tree made of bamboo where festival goers can take photos during the day but which will serve as a discotheque at night."

Big Mountain is different from other festivals in that it has two show periods rather than a continuous performances. The first segment runs from 4pm to 2am, with some 50 bands performing on two main stages, the "Forest" and "Mountain" stages. The Mountain stage features a robot bull by the name of Mr Steak, which stands as tall as an eight-storey building. Each of the stages has a capacity for 20,000 people.

Acts include Moderndog, Big Ass, Potato, Bodyslam, ETC, Lula, T-Bone, Kai-Jo Brother, Scrubb, Slot Machine, Lipta, Yokee Playboy, Paradox, Crescendo, Friday, Flure, Tattoo Colour, Apartment Khunpa, Prao, Groove Riders, Playground, Sqweez Animal, Slur, The Richman Toy, Joey Boy and Sing Nuea Suea Tai, Buddha Bless, Teddy Ska Band, Jui Juis, Calories Blah Blah Siam Secret Service and 2 Days Ago Kid.

The second period runs from 2am to 6am and is designed to resemble Bangkok nightlife. Three pubs are being set up for the festival and will be home to performances by artists from Genie Records and Smallroom as well as Werkgang, Mind the Gap, Stupe Monotone and Gene Mahasamut. The Dancing Tree dance arena will also be open, with parties hosted by Dude Sweet on the first night and Mashroom on the second. Mashroom, a GMM Grammy subsidiary, is bringing in Egyptian DJs Aly & Fila and Japan's Usui as well as Thai DJs Dome Pakornlam and Pxycho Unkle featuring Nara.

Festival-goers with energy to spare can walk over to the fun fair complete with Ferris wheel while those needing to crash can head to the Thonglor, Ekamai or Silom zones, where they'll find a total of 5,000 tents.

This "town" area is also home to a 200-metre-long market with 300 booths also separated into three zones. Yaowaraj is where you'll find plenty of great food from local shops and cafes, Siam Square has stacks of handmade products, while Paragon has goodies from celebrities as well as items from music and movie companies.

"You can have khao tom in the morning, noodles in the afternoon and steak in the evening," says Ted. "For alcoholic drinks, our target groups are both working people and younger. So, we have cloth wristbands with different colours like at Glastonbury."

An additional 300 restrooms are being set up and there's parking for 7,000 vehicles. Washbasins will resemble milking cows, there'll be tube-shaped cars selling toothpaste, sushi-bar carts offering instant noodles and plenty of cow-shaped cut-outs around the venue for the artistically inclined to paint.

"Foreign audiences at overseas festivals don't seem bothered about personal hygiene. When they wake up, they just splash some water on their faces. For Thais, being able to wash is vital. That's why we've paid attention to the facilities."

Sponsors are also providing services. Nokia Spa, for example, will be offering massages along with mobile chargers, Yamaha will have relaxing seat areas and Pepsi is setting up vending machines.

"I want Big Mountain to become Thailand's annual music festival like Glastonbury or Fuji Rock in Japan. I also want the audience to be inspired by the experience and enjoy the concept of community. It's a whole new culture," says Ted.

  MAKING A PITCH

- The Big Mountain Music Festival will be held at Bonanza Khao Yai on February 5 and 6 from dusk to dawn.

- Tickets are Bt1,400 at www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

- You can take your own tent too for an extra cost of Bt300.

- Visit www.BigMountainMusic|Festival.com or become a fan of the Big Mountain Music Festival on Facebook.