Children's Cultural Creation Festival Celebrates National Children's Day in West Java 2026

The West Java Provincial Department of Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, and Family Planning (DP3AKB) successfully organised the 2026 National Children’s Day (HAN) celebrations at the Dago Tea House Closed Theatre, Bandung. Themed ‘Preserving Sundanese Culture, Building a Golden Generation’, the event served as a platform to reinforce the commitment of all stakeholders to fulfilling children’s rights and fostering a love for local heritage among the youth.

The festivities included Sundanese, Arabic, and English speech competitions involving 1,381 participants, alongside advocacy webinars through the ‘Ngopi Sahabat Goes to School’ programme, which engaged over 1,000 children. Various cultural competitions, including Peacock Dance, Pencak Silat, and traditional singing (Ngawih Pupuh), saw participation from 774 children.

The peak of the celebration was attended by 893 child representatives from 27 regencies and cities across West Java, spanning various educational levels from preschool to senior high school. A significant highlight was the inauguration of the West Java Regional Children’s Forum for the 2026–2028 period and the reading of the ‘Children’s Voice’, which presented aspirations to the government, families, schools, and the business sector to create child-friendly environments free from violence.

Siska Gerfianti, Head of DP3AKB West Java, emphasised that children are strategic national assets who must grow in safe, healthy, and loving environments. She stated that the provincial government is committed to implementing policies that prioritise the best interests of children to produce a smart, characterised, and cultured generation ready for Indonesia Emas 2045.

Indra Gunawan, Expert Staff for Institutional Relations at the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, urged all sectors of society to treat National Children’s Day not merely as an annual ceremony, but as a momentum to strengthen collaboration in protecting children from violence, discrimination, exploitation, and child marriage. Similarly, Siti Muntamah, Vice Chairperson of Commission V of the West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), called for the creation of safe and inspiring spaces for children to express their talents and embrace their cultural identity.