City plans grand festivity for Independence Day

JAKARTA (JP): The city is gearing up for grand festivities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Indonesia's independence, which falls on Aug. 17.

The revelry, continuing well beyond Aug. 17, will feature cultural performances, a fireworks show at the National Monument on and a parade of floats.

The fireworks show will be on Aug. 19. The French government has promised to provide three tons of fireworks as well as 20 experts to manage the rare 30-minute-long show in the heart of the city, from 8.30 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja and French Ambassador Thierry de Beauce signed a memorandum of agreement in relation to the fireworks on Thursday.

The governor scolded a reporter who asked about the cash value of the fireworks, saying only that they would be "the most technologically sophisticated" ever.

The fireworks show will be only part of a Rp 975 million (US$435,000) grand party centered on National Monument Square, which about 53,000 Jakartans are expected to attend.

The show, which will involve four helicopters, will be followed by a night-long cultural show.

Another major event will take place on Aug. 27, when 15 floats, similar to those showed off in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, parade through the city's thoroughfares.

Designed by the Nusantara Flower Foundation, each float will be decorated with approximately 500,000 flowers and food produce of West Java farmers.

"It will be held in cooperation with farmers and the parade is expected to strengthen Indonesians' love for indigenous flowers," Antara quoted a foundation staff member, Kasimo, as saying.

Float designer Leili said the large floats would be 13 meters long, four meters wide and seven meters tall. Each of the small floats will cost Rp 50 million ($22,300), she said, while the large ones will cost Rp 100 million. (yns/pan)