Banyumas Lengger Bicara to Feature 5,000 Dancers, Aims for National Event Status

The Banyumas cultural event Lengger Bicara 2026 will involve around 5,000 dancers in a Lenggeran Bareng activity to be held at Menara Teratai Purwokerto on Friday, 26 June. The activity is one of the efforts to strengthen Banyumas’s position as a cultural tourism destination while ushering Banyumas Lengger Bicara into the 2027 Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) programme. Chairman of the Banyumas Lengger Bicara 2026 Committee, R Satria Setyanugraha, said this year’s event carries the theme ‘Gemah Ripah Loh Jinawi’, representing natural fertility and community prosperity. According to him, the theme was chosen as a reflection that the people of Banyumas still possess optimism and the ability to develop despite facing various challenges. ‘This theme represents the hope and spirit to always move forward amidst the dynamics faced by the community,’ he said. The man familiarly called Bagus explained that Banyumas Lengger Bicara 2026 will present three main agendas: Art Camp, Lenggeran Bareng, and a colossal performance titled ‘Senandung Tanah Makmur’. The Art Camp will take place on 25-26 June 2026, targeting children aged 5 to 10 years. In this activity, participants will be introduced to various traditional Banyumas arts through learning calung music, lengger dance, and making wayang lengger from recycled materials such as plastic bottles. Meanwhile, the peak of the festivities will occur on Friday afternoon, 26 June, through the Lenggeran Bareng activity, which is targeted to be attended by around 5,000 dancers from various regions. ‘Lenggeran Bareng is part of the effort to strengthen Banyumas Lengger Bicara so it can enter the Karisma Event Nusantara in 2027,’ he said. In the evening, the event will continue with the main performance, preceded by the presentation of awards to two Banyumas art and culture maestros, Peang Penjol and Suliyah, for their dedication to preserving and developing regional arts. Director of Banyumas Lengger Bicara 2026, Ridwan Bungsu, said the performance will open with a staging of lengger maestro Rianto’s work titled ‘Sastra Jiwaga’, which has previously been performed in various countries. Subsequently, the audience will be treated to the colossal performance ‘Senandung Tanah Makmur’, which combines various traditional Nusantara dances on one stage. Besides the Banyumas lengger dance, the performance will also feature ngremo dance from East Java, jaipong from West Java, and a number of other regional arts. ‘This collaboration demonstrates the richness of Indonesian culture that can blend into a single performance work,’ said Ridwan. Patron of Banyumas Lengger Bicara 2026, Andy F. Noya, assessed that the event not only serves as a means of cultural preservation but also has a significant economic impact on the region. According to him, the holding of Banyumas Lengger Bicara, which is close to the BRI Jazz Gunung Slamet on 26-27 July 2026, is expected to attract tourists, art communities, and creative economy players to come to Banyumas. ‘We hope this collaboration becomes a unified force and is able to deliver economic benefits for Banyumas through the tourism and culture sectors,’ he said. Meanwhile, Banyumas Regent Sadewo Tri Lastiono affirmed that Banyumas Lengger Bicara will be established as an annual cultural agenda of Banyumas Regency. ‘The event, now entering its third year, is part of the effort to maintain the sustainability of traditional arts, especially the lengger dance, which has been one of Banyumas’s cultural identities,’ he said. In addition to Banyumas Lengger Bicara, the Banyumas Regency Government also plans to make several other cultural activities routine regional agendas, including the Ngibing 24 Jam programme initiated by Banyumas artist Rianto. He assessed that strengthening the cultural agenda is an important strategy in developing a tourism sector based on local wisdom. Furthermore, the regional government is also committed to maintaining jemparingan activities in the Banyumas Old Town area as a tourist attraction as well as a means of preserving traditional culture. ‘I want Banyumas to become a cultural tourism destination, including the Banyumas cultures that we possess,’ said Sadewo.