Bringing Home 6 National Awards, Semarang Affirms Itself as the Archipelagic Cultural Heritage City
The city of Semarang has once again achieved a proud milestone by securing six national-level awards in the category of Intangible Cultural Heritage (WBTB). The awards were presented during the Central Java Regency/City Cultural Ecosystem Revitalisation event held at The Wujil Resort on Tuesday, 21 April 2026.
Semarang Mayor Agustina Wilujeng stated that this accomplishment represents the nation’s recognition of the identity and cultural richness of Semarang’s community. “This also serves as a gift for us ahead of the commemoration of Semarang’s 479th anniversary on 2 May,” said Mayor Agustina Wilujeng.
The six cultural works awarded WBTB status encompass a variety of legendary culinary items and cultural art expressions that characterise Semarang’s multiculturalism, namely Wingko Babat, Ganjel Rel, Bubur Khoja, Lam Kowan, Barongsai arts, and Chinese Calligraphy. The diversity of this list reflects the strong cultural acculturation that has taken root in Semarang for centuries.
“We feel very proud because this year Semarang dominated with six recognised works at once,” said Agustina. “This award serves as motivation for us to continue exploring other hidden cultural potentials.”
It is known that the curation and submission process for these works underwent lengthy stages of research and verification to ensure they were worthy of national recognition. She emphasised that this achievement is the result of the consistency of all community elements in nurturing cultural roots amid modernity.
Agustina hopes that this WBTB designation will have a direct impact on the tourism and creative economy sectors, where cultural heritage is not merely viewed as a relic of the past but as a driving force for community welfare.
“With this WBTB status, culinary items like Bubur Khoja and Lam Kowan now have a stronger bargaining position as culinary tourism attractions. We want the world to see Semarang as a city that is not only advanced in infrastructure but also extremely rich in ethnic diversity and well-preserved traditions,” said Agustina.