Kemang festival promises culture, fun

Paul F. Agusta, Contributor, Jakarta

What's up in Kemang this weekend? What do you fancy? Live music, handicrafts, art, cultural shows, theater, comedy, fashion parades, food or shopping?

You name it, and you can probably find it at this year's Kemang Street Festival happening on Saturday, June 7. Now in its third year, this cultural gathering, started by Indo.com to promote local handicrafts, promises to be more jampacked with fun than in its previous two years.

"The Kemang Street Festival originally started in 2001 in response to Indo.com website users' requests for information on where to get Indonesian arts and crafts. We decided we needed a separate website especially for this. That is how RajaCraft.com came to be. But then, we were faced with the problem of launching and promoting RajaCraft's services," Henry Situmeang, a RajaCraft.com executive, said.

"We wanted something memorable. A launch at a hotel would have been fun but easily forgettable, so we put our heads together with the arts and crafts community, along with JakArt and the Jakarta Metropolitan administration to see what we could come up with together. And that is how the first Kemang Street Festival came to be."

An overwhelming 50,000 people showed up at the launch of it. This enthusiastic response from both Indonesians and members of the expatriate communities encouraged the organizers to host another one the following year in connection with the anniversary of Jakarta, which falls on June 22.

The second year of the festival saw a turnout of 200,000 people, and this year's event coordinators, including D.A.D., Cipta Visual Jakarta, Stage Kemang, Expose Modeling School, and The Kemang Community Forum (Forum Masyarakat Kemang), are planning for an even larger attendance with more and better events.

"The festival site, which in previous years extended one kilometer between the McDonald's and Barbados restaurants, has been extended an extra half-kilometer to the Kemang gas station to accommodate the 250 booths, three stages and numerous food stalls meant to satisfy the various interests and tastes of visitors," Henry Situmeang explained.

The booths, located in the area stretching from McDonald's to Barbados, are provided by RajaCraft.com and will feature crafts and art from all over the archipelago, along with food of all kinds. The booths between the Barbados restaurant and the Kemang gas station will specifically feature Betawi (indigenous Jakarta) crafts, art and other items of cultural interest and are organized by the Kemang Community Forum. There will also be food stalls offering traditional Betawi cakes and other dishes, including the tasty kerak telor (a kind of omelet made with rice and traditional spices).

Traditional Betawi music, dance and theater performances, as well as a parade of traditional costumes specific to various ethnic cultures found throughout Indonesia will be featured live on the main stage, run by Indo.com and located in front of the Adidas store. This stage will also be home to more modern theater, musical and fashion presentations, including a performance by the Teater Terang Bulan and Kotak Pensil troupes, a show by local band Noin and a gala performance by the Semesta Big Band.

"We will open the festival with a speech delivered by the South Jakarta mayor at 8 a.m. on Saturday, and close the days' events with a rousing fireworks display at about 9 p.m.," said Henry Situmeang of Indo.com's plans for the big day.

The stage, located in front of the Stage Kemang building, will offer a more contemporary program involving a hip fashion show featuring the offerings of local Kemang boutiques and a performance by an up-and-coming percussion group.

"We have lined up an energetic show by Duo Percussions, a really hot new band who will be releasing their first album later this year. This is sure to be an exciting performance," said Erick J. Turangan of Platinum Entertainment, one of the organizers behind the events at the Stage Kemang venue.

Among the other happenings taking place on the Kemang Street Festival stages will be shows by various popular comedy troupes, including Lenong Ogah Mundur and Komedi Konteksi.

On the street, visitors will also find a wide variety of entertaining performances, such as the Betawi Ondel Ondel, the Reog Ponorogo dance and a pantomime by Charlie and Charles. There will also be other interesting activities, including ceramics workshops, batik demonstrations and kite painting.

If the 2003 Kemang Street Festival runs true to its form, this event will be a perfect opportunity to just hang out with friends and family in a safe and neighborly environment. Young hip singles are sure to find this the new place to be seen while taking in the latest fashion from local boutiques and enjoying the beats of the best bands in Greater Jakarta. And young couples with children and grandparents in tow will certainly take delight in the many, varied performances and delicious food to be found at this annual gathering.

There truly will be a little bit of everything for everyone who comes down to Kemang this Saturday.