Dogs, foreigners and devils at the Kemang Festival

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dozens of "devils" walked slowly among the crowd that thronged the Kemang Festival in South Jakarta on Saturday.

However, nobody was scared as they were actually just ordinary human beings with head accessories featuring red devil horns.

The Rp 5,000-a-piece accessories were probably the best selling items in the one-day festival, which was put on by the city administration for the second time.

The festival is part of the month-long celebrations to commemorate the city's 475th anniversary that actually falls on June 22.

Hundreds of stalls were erected on the road, which was blocked from motorists. Most of the sellers are people who run businesses in Kemang.

Kemang, once a place where native Jakartans resided, is currently known as a home to many expatriates here. It also known as a popular entertainment spot with lots of galleries, restaurants, bars, boutiques and antique shops.

The stalls mostly displayed clothes, handicrafts and paintings. Some visitors, particularly expatriates, stopped by stalls offering traditional outfits as there was a woman who demonstrating the traditional batik painting.

Visitors could also enjoy the alternative music played by a band, traditional dances and even a lion dance.

A parade of children wearing traditional costumes was held in the morning. Their parents and relatives, who accompanied them, took pictures.

Those who were hungry could visit several food stalls which offered several kinds of mouthwatering meals at affordable prices.

Here, visitors could enjoy the traditional native Jakartan food such as kerak telor (baked rice with egg and several traditional ingredients), which is rarely found in restaurants.

The visitors mostly came in groups with their families and friends. Dozens of young couples brought their children to enjoy the festivities, and some pushed baby carriages.

Several foreigners even took their dogs to enjoy the festival together.

"It's a nice event for families. This event should not be made only to commemorate the city's anniversary. The administration should make a similar event like this more often as there are not many places for families to hang out together here," said Will Dunn, a Briton.

Another visitor, ibu Teta, who brought her three grandchildren, agreed that the festival was a nice place for family.

"It's safe for my grandchildren to walk and run around here while I could do some window shopping," she said.