Jakarta's 499th Anniversary Celebration Highlights Diversity and Togetherness
The Hotel Indonesia (HI) roundabout area was lively on Sunday morning (28/6/2026). Following the peak night celebration of Jakarta’s 499th anniversary, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government continued the festivities through the ‘Jakarta Penuh Warna’ (Jakarta Full of Colour) event, combining sports, arts, culture, and a message to jointly care for the city.
Since 6:00 a.m. WIB, residents began filling the area around the main stage. Some came to participate in PoundFit, while others waited for the parade and cultural performances stretching from the Sarinah area to the Bundaran HI.
Ondel-ondel figures, marching bands, and giant balloons resembling the faces of the Governor and Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta were paraded through the crowd. On stage, hundreds of dancers in colourful costumes performed Nusantara dances, ranging from Betawi to Papuan cultures.
The presence of around 500 dancers, a collaboration between gambang kromong and ballet, as well as various urban performances, reinforced the theme of ‘Diversity and Togetherness’. The Bundaran HI that morning was not only a celebration venue but also a meeting space for residents from various backgrounds.
Governor of DKI Jakarta Pramono Anung and Deputy Governor Rano Karno arrived at the location around 7:00 a.m. WIB. Both greeted residents participating in the series of activities.
Rano stated that Jakarta Penuh Warna is part of the city’s journey towards its five-century mark in 2027. The celebration carries the message that diversity must be maintained through togetherness and citizen discipline.
‘This Jakarta Penuh Warna has the theme of diversity and togetherness. This is part of a long series of activities for DKI’s 499th anniversary, which is actually preparation for five centuries,’ Rano said at the Pullman Hotel complex, Central Jakarta.
From Queuing for the MRT to Maintaining Cleanliness
Rano admitted he was impressed with the orderliness of residents during the series of celebrations. On the peak night the day before, tens of thousands of people came to the Bundaran HI using various modes of public transport.
Amidst the crowd density, he saw residents beginning to get used to queuing and following the officers’ directions, including from the MRT station.
‘Alhamdulillah, the people of Jakarta have been able to train themselves. I was honest, I was a little moved to tears. Yesterday, the number of visits might have been more than 30,000. What I saw, from the time they queued at the MRT, their discipline had increased,’ he explained.
Rano said that managing tens of thousands of people in one area is not an easy matter. However, the maintained order shows the growing awareness of residents when using public spaces.
‘It is not easy to manage that many people. But it means that public awareness is emerging. Well, that is happiness,’ he continued.
The next challenge is building the habit of managing waste. Throughout the event, officers were stationed at several points carrying sacks to collect sorted waste.
They also carried posters with light-hearted messages, such as ‘See litter pick it up, see your ex run!’, ‘One small sorted piece of waste from you, one breath of relief for the earth’, and ‘Waste sorted, Jakarta clean, heart rejoices’.
These messages served as a reminder that enjoying public spaces must be accompanied by the responsibility to keep them clean.
‘The most difficult thing is building awareness or socialisation about sorting waste from the source or from home. But this must be done,’ Rano said.
At Jakarta’s 499th year, he summarised his appeal to residents in a short message.
‘The most important thing is, take care of Jakarta,’ he said.
Celebration and Gifts for Residents
In addition to weekend entertainment, the DKI Provincial Government provided several facilities that residents could enjoy during the Jakarta anniversary series. Special fares of IDR 1 were applied for Transjakarta, MRT Jakarta, and LRT Jakarta on certain dates, along with free access to various tourist attractions, museums, and sports facilities.
Pramono said this policy was prepared so that the excitement of the city’s anniversary could be felt more widely by residents.
‘All transport managed by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government costs one rupiah. Even for recreational facilities or tourist attractions, whether it’s Ancol, Ragunan, Monas, the museums, and sports facilities, we are making them free,’ Pramono said at City Hall, Jakarta, Friday (26/6/2026).
Anniversary gifts for Jakarta also came in the form of infrastructure improvements. The DKI Provincial Government has completed the arrangement of Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said along 3.8 kilometres after dismantling 109 points of abandoned monorail pillars that had been idle for around two decades.
The arrangement not only removed the old structures but also repaired the road surface, drainage, pavements, green spaces, lighting, and pedestrian facilities. The area now also serves as a location for Car Free Day every Sunday.
In North Jakarta, the JIS-Ancol Integrated Infrastructure was also inaugurated. This infrastructure package includes the activation of the JIS KRL Station, the BTN Joint Pedestrian Bridge, and the opening of the Ancol-JIS Gate.
These three elements connect the Jakarta International Stadium with the KRL network and the Ancol area, making access to sports, entertainment, and tourism areas easier.
Meanwhile, in Dukuh Atas, the DKI Provincial Government has initiated the construction of a pedestrian deck that will strengthen the transit-oriented area. The infrastructure, known as the Donut Bridge, will connect six modes of transport: MRT Jakarta, LRT Jabodebek, KRL Commuter Line, Soekarno-Hatta Airport Train, Transjakarta, and LRT Jakarta.
The Dukuh Atas pedestrian deck is targeted for completion by the end of 2028. This facility is expected to facilitate intermodal transfers while presenting a city space that is friendlier for pedestrians and persons with disabilities.
Pramono is optimistic that improvements to services and infrastructure can strengthen Jakarta’s readiness to enter its fifth century.
‘Hopefully, Jakarta, which is now 499 years old, will be 500 years old next year. We will continue to build Jakarta to be safer, more comfortable, and more attractive for everyone,’ he said.