Brightspot 2026 Returns Targeting Regional Tourists for Shopping
The Brightspot shopping event will be held again this year for a two-week period. Entering its 17th year of operation, Brightspot 2026 is targeting not only Jakarta residents and those in surrounding areas, but also foreign tourists, particularly from Malaysia and Singapore.
Founder of BrightspotMRKT and Future10, Anton Wirjono, announced that this year’s programme, called brightspotCITY 2026, will be held on 26-31 May 2026 and 4-7 June 2026 at Agora Mall Thamrin Nine Jakarta. Approximately 250 brands will participate, with 70 of them operating in the food and beverage sector.
“When we first started 17 years ago, we had to persuade tenants and opened with just 25 of them. Now we receive nearly 3,000 applications to fill the bazaar and we open with around 250 tenants,” Wirjono said.
Anton expects visitor numbers this year to continue increasing compared to the last Brightspot edition. “We are targeting a 5 percent increase from the last event, which drew 175,000 visitors,” he said.
Previously, Brightspot visitor growth had reached 15 percent. Anton acknowledged, however, that economic conditions have caused visitors to rein in their spending.
“Although targets from three years ago might not be achievable due to economic pressure, we have managed to consistently exceed previous visitor numbers,” he said.
Another area of focus for Anton is the rising number of visitors from neighbouring countries, Singapore and Malaysia. He believes that shopping for creative products in Indonesia makes sense because of the continuously weakening rupiah, making shopping here more affordable for tourists.
“We are indeed conducting extra promotional campaigns to neighbouring countries. Based on feedback from our last two events, we have found an increase in visitor numbers from Malaysia and Singapore. Malay language could be heard at the event,” he added.
The Brightspot team ultimately conducted targeted advertising to Kuala Lumpur, Johor, and Singapore. This year, he said he has already been contacted by journalists from Singapore who will cover the event. Anton has also been contacted by a developer from Singapore interested in opening the market there.
For Anton, this indicates that news about Indonesian creative brands has reached overseas and is appreciated.
BrightspotCITY 2026 will occupy over 10,000 square metres at Agora Thamrin Nine. This year’s creative concept involves forming a temporary metropolis on the 7th and 9th floors of Agora Mall Thamrin Nine.
A consistent thread that has run through Brightspot’s 17 years is the selection of unconventional locations. This began with revitalising an unfinished space at Plaza Indonesia in 2009.
“Sensitivity to the potential of a place does not stop at the ability to read it; it must continue with the courage to build something within it and the effort to continually improve. That is why what we build is not merely an experience, but a system that grows together with its community. For us, retail is not merely a transaction, but a meeting point between ideas, identity, and community trust,” said Co-Founder Brightspot MRKT Leonard Theosabrata.