Central Kalimantan Governor Officially Opens the Isen Mulang Cultural Festival 2026

The Isen Mulang Cultural Festival 2026 is officially opened by the Governor of Central Kalimantan (Kalteng), Agustiar Sabran, at Bundaran Besar in Palangka Raya on Sunday, 17 May. The event sequence, including FBIM, the Kalteng Expo and the Cultural Carnival 2026, is held to celebrate the 69th anniversary of Central Kalimantan Province and to promote its culture, tourism and regional products. In his remarks, Governor Agustiar Sabran stressed that serving the public remains the priority of the regional government amid budgetary efficiency. ‘Even in a period of budgetary efficiency like this, public service is our priority. We will improve the quality of education, health, infrastructure, sporting activities, culture and the arts, and other strategic sectors,’ he said. As the Chairperson of the Dayak Customary Council (DAD) of Central Kalimantan, he noted that FBIM and the Kalteng Expo this year demonstrate that events can be held festively without requiring a large budget. He explained that Central Kalimantan’s Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD) for 2026 has fallen compared with the previous year. The government emphasised its ongoing efforts to maximise budget use so that it is targeted and benefits the public directly. ‘To entertain the public there is no need to spend billions of rupiah; it can be more vibrant than in previous years,’ said Agustiar. Furthermore, Agustiar called on the people of Central Kalimantan to maintain unity and uphold the Huma Betang spirit in daily life. He reminded the younger generation not to forget the region’s culture and history as part of the nation’s identity. ‘Central Kalimantan is the future of Indonesia. Therefore, let us strengthen brotherhood in diversity, the Huma Betang spirit within the NKRI framework,’ he added. The Isen Mulang Cultural Festival 2026 is scheduled to run from 17-23 May at several locations in Palangka Raya, featuring a range of cultural performances, traditional competitions and public entertainment. FBIM 2026 will showcase a variety of arts and cultural performances and traditional games unique to Central Kalimantan. Planned events include a cultural carnival, a parade of creative dance, traditional cuisine, videography, and the selection of Jagau and Nyai Kalteng 2026. In addition, the public can watch various sports and traditional games such as sepak sawut, balogo, besei kambe, mangaruhi and manyipet, as well as off-road. Not only a cultural showcase, FBIM 2026 will also feature performances by the music group Tipe-X and singer Melly Lee, heightening the enthusiasm of locals and visitors to visit Palangka Raya during the festival. The Provincial Government of Central Kalimantan hopes local culture remains widely known and can become a tourist draw that benefits the livelihoods of local people, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the local tourism sector.