Family-oriented festival offers fun
Family-oriented festival offers fun
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Hundreds of people have flocked to Jl. Kemang Raya in South
Jakarta for a cross-cultural street party encompassing a mix of
food, live music and merchandise.
It was a good day to be hawking food, with visitors relishing
everything from Betawi kerak telor (a crunchy snack made of
glutinous rice with egg) to pizzas laden with toppings.
The one-and-a-half kilometer street, which was decorated with
red, blue and yellow flags, was closed for the weekend's Kemang
Festival, from Friday night through to Sunday, an annual event
since 2001.
Among the merchandise for sale was jewelry and a huge range
of clothes.
"I have been here (in the country) since 2000 and I never miss
the Kemang Festival. I always taste the kerak telor. This event
is good because it provides us with a place for relaxation while
buying souvenirs," said a 35-year-old British national, who gave
his name as James.
James, who lives in a rented house in Kemang, was pushing a
stroller through the family-oriented festival on Saturday with
his wife.
He said his family usually headed to resort areas close to the
capital like Puncak in Bogor or Carita beach in Banten if
they had no other engagements for the weekend.
"Such an event can also become an alternative recreation place
for Jakartans," said James, while munching on kerak telor.
Kemang is known as a predominantly expatriate residential
area.
Parents who had the weekend free to spend with their children
were seen enjoying the live music and traditional Betawi shows.
"We are here to look around. My children usually ask me to
bring them to shopping malls," said smiling Idrus, a resident of
Pondok Labu subdistrict in South Jakarta, who was in the company
of his three children.
The festival, which was officially opened by South Jakarta
Mayor Dadang Kafrawi on Saturday evening, offered Betawi cultural
shows like palang pintu (welcoming ceremony), lenong (play) ,
gambang kromong (traditional orchestra) and marawis (a singer
accompanied by percussion instruments).
Hendro Buwono, one of the event organizers, said there were
some 350 booths at the festival.
Apart from supplying the booths, the organizers invited
street hawkers to do business along the sidewalk.
He said a fee of Rp 600,000 was charged for a booth but the
street hawkers, most of whom have their own carts, paid nothing.
Hendro said the festival had been extended from one day last
year to two this year due to its increasing popularity.
"We expect some 200,000 visitors," he said, adding that was
double the number of last year's visitors .
Dadang said Kemang had grown to become a modern village, where
expatriates lived side-by-side with Betawi people.
"I hope Betawi culture will survive within this multicultural
society," said Dadang.
The Kemang Festival was organized by the South Jakarta
municipal administration together with private companies and non-
governmental organizations.
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Hundreds of people have flocked to Jl. Kemang Raya in South
Jakarta for a cross-cultural street party encompassing a mix of
food, live music and merchandise.
It was a good day to be hawking food, with visitors relishing
everything from Betawi kerak telor (a crunchy snack made of
glutinous rice with egg) to pizzas laden with toppings.
The one-and-a-half kilometer street, which was decorated with
red, blue and yellow flags, was closed for the weekend's Kemang
Festival, from Friday night through to Sunday, an annual event
since 2001.
Among the merchandise for sale was jewelry and a huge range
of clothes.
"I have been here (in the country) since 2000 and I never miss
the Kemang Festival. I always taste the kerak telor. This event
is good because it provides us with a place for relaxation while
buying souvenirs," said a 35-year-old British national, who gave
his name as James.
James, who lives in a rented house in Kemang, was pushing a
stroller through the family-oriented festival on Saturday with
his wife.
He said his family usually headed to resort areas close to the
capital like Puncak in Bogor or Carita beach in Banten if
they had no other engagements for the weekend.
"Such an event can also become an alternative recreation place
for Jakartans," said James, while munching on kerak telor.
Kemang is known as a predominantly expatriate residential
area.
Parents who had the weekend free to spend with their children
were seen enjoying the live music and traditional Betawi shows.
"We are here to look around. My children usually ask me to
bring them to shopping malls," said smiling Idrus, a resident of
Pondok Labu subdistrict in South Jakarta, who was in the company
of his three children.
The festival, which was officially opened by South Jakarta
Mayor Dadang Kafrawi on Saturday evening, offered Betawi cultural
shows like palang pintu (welcoming ceremony), lenong (play) ,
gambang kromong (traditional orchestra) and marawis (a singer
accompanied by percussion instruments).
Hendro Buwono, one of the event organizers, said there were
some 350 booths at the festival.
Apart from supplying the booths, the organizers invited
street hawkers to do business along the sidewalk.
He said a fee of Rp 600,000 was charged for a booth but the
street hawkers, most of whom have their own carts, paid nothing.
Hendro said the festival had been extended from one day last
year to two this year due to its increasing popularity.
"We expect some 200,000 visitors," he said, adding that was
double the number of last year's visitors .
Dadang said Kemang had grown to become a modern village, where
expatriates lived side-by-side with Betawi people.
"I hope Betawi culture will survive within this multicultural
society," said Dadang.
The Kemang Festival was organized by the South Jakarta
municipal administration together with private companies and non-
governmental organizations.