JKF 2026 Expected to Strengthen Creative Economy and Empower MSMEs

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung Wibowo hopes the Jakarta Kreatif Festival (JKF) 2026 will strengthen the creative economy, empower micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and accelerate economic digitalisation. He also expects JKF 2026 to further solidify Jakarta’s position as a creative, modern, inclusive, and competitive global city ahead of its 500th anniversary. “I feel that the creative economy is indeed a new engine of economic growth. In a forum of governors and mayors from around the world that I attended recently, the message conveyed was the same, namely that the creative economy will change the face of the city or province concerned,” Pramono said at the Bank Indonesia (BI) DKI Jakarta Representative Office in Senen, Central Jakarta, on Friday.

Meanwhile, Head of the BI DKI Jakarta Representative Office Iwan Setiawan stated that Jakarta plays a strategic role as the nation’s economic centre, contributing 16.67 percent to the Indonesian economy. In the first quarter of 2026, DKI Jakarta’s economy grew 5.59 percent year-on-year (yoy), an increase from 4.95 percent in the same period the previous year. “This performance was supported by strong household consumption and the services sector, particularly trade, information and communication, as well as accommodation and food and beverage. Amid global economic uncertainty, synergy is needed to maintain the momentum of economic growth, especially through strengthening domestic demand,” Iwan explained.

Carrying the theme “A Creative Movement for a Sustainable Global City” with the tagline “INXPIRE: Innovate, Explore, Empower” and the spirit of #JagaJakarta, JKF 2026 is designed as a pentahelix collaborative platform that brings together government, academia, business actors, communities, and media to drive Jakarta’s economy, particularly the creative economy sector. Iwan said the peak event of JKF 2026 will present a collaborative space through three main lines: sports, music, and film. Various activities to be held include the JKF Padel Competition, sports lifestyle activations, a Band Competition, Swara Bankers, and the Jakarta Youth Film Festival (JYFF). “Through the Jakarta Youth Film Festival, we want to open a space for young Jakarta filmmakers to showcase their best works. The film industry has a significant economic multiplier effect on the services sector, such as tourism, trade, transportation, information and communication, and accommodation and food and beverage,” Iwan explained. JKF 2026 will also feature various supporting activities, including an MSME exhibition, digital payment initiatives, sharia economic literacy, an urban farming festival, and processed food product development.