Jakarta Government forms special committee for 500th anniversary celebrations

Jakarta Deputy Governor Rano Karno has begun preparations for the 500th anniversary celebrations in 2027, including the establishment of a special committee to organisation a comprehensive series of events throughout the year.

Rano stated that the working team for Jakarta’s 500th anniversary celebration will be formed during this year’s 499th anniversary. The team will be responsible for establishing the organisation committee and creating a full calendar of activities for 2027.

‘Perhaps tomorrow, on Jakarta’s 499th anniversary, we will finalise the working team to lead the 2027 committee, with a calendar of activities from January toDecember already prepared,’ Rano said at Pos Bloc in Central Jakarta on Saturday, 30 May 2026.

Rano emphasised that the 500th anniversary celebrations will not be limited to a single-day ceremony. The Jakarta provincial government is preparing a major program of international-scale activities throughout the year.

‘Why are we creating this calendar? Because we’re not just involving local Indonesian participants, but also international guests,’ he said.

He cited the Indonesian World Dance Festival (IWDF) as an example of an event he aims to elevate. Rano expects the dance festival to truly achieve ’ world’ status by featuring participants from multiple continents.

‘Currently, we might have only Korean participants, but in future, we aim for five performances from five continents. Perhaps two from Africa, two from Europe, two from Asia. We can include Thailand, Japan, Korea. I’m confident there will be strong interest,’ he added.

Rano also indicated that Jakarta will host a major international event, the details of which will be announced in Tokyo nextOctober. However, he declined to disclose specifics.

’ Because I’m not allowed to announce it tomorrow, I mentioned that nextOctober, Jakarta will have an extraordinary city event,’ he said.

Rano also urged Jakarta’s youth to participate in the 500th anniversary events and encouraged residents to follow the social media accounts of Jakarta Provincial Secretary Marullah Matali for further updates.

’ Jakarta will turn 500 years old (5 centuries), so children may see the 500th anniversary emblem. We will be a city on the path to its 500th anniversary,’ he added.