Ahead of Jakarta's 500th Anniversary, Festivals and Creative Events Prepared as New Tourism Magnets

Ahead of the 500th anniversary of the city of Jakarta on 22 June 2027, various new initiatives continue to emerge to strengthen the capital’s appeal as a tourism and creative economy destination. Not solely relying on historical, cultural, and culinary tourism, Jakarta is now more actively presenting a range of entertainment-based attractions capable of drawing both domestic and international tourists. The development of event-based artificial tourism destinations is considered an effective strategy to increase tourist visits and stimulate the creative economy sector. The presence of large-scale festivals, exhibitions, and music performances is believed to enrich the tourism experience while reinforcing Jakarta’s image as a dynamic and creative metropolitan city. One such effort was marked by the launch of the official logo for Remember Fest in Jakarta on Wednesday. The music festival, held in the Open Space and Gambir Expo Kemayoran area, is expected to become a new entertainment tourism magnet for Jakarta. Promoter Clement Winarko stated that the festival’s advantage lies in its collaboration with Visiting Jakarta, a digital platform that promotes various tourism and creative economy activities in the DKI Jakarta region. Through this partnership, Remember Fest will not only present music performances but also involve other creative sectors such as culinary, fashion, and handicrafts, engaging local micro, small, and medium enterprises. Winarko expressed hope that Remember Fest would become the most comprehensive new artificial tourism destination in DKI Jakarta, targeting a larger number of visitors than previous events. He noted that music festivals have proven to be a major attraction capable of drawing tens of thousands of visitors to Jakarta, and with a larger venue capacity, the target is set at up to 50,000 attendees. Ari Wibisono, a strategic creative partner of the DKI Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Agency, conveyed that the collaboration between music festivals and tourism promotion programmes is a strategic step in strengthening Jakarta’s position as an event-based urban tourism destination. He added that such activities not only attract tourists but also have the potential to generate economic impact for local MSMEs. The synergy is seen as an example of creative tourism development that can provide broad benefits for the region, especially as Visiting Jakarta serves as the official digital platform and tourism branding programme under the agency.