Night Culinary Festival at Glodok Chinatown Draws Crowds, Boosts Local MSMEs

A night culinary festival organised by the West Jakarta City Government (Pemkot Jakbar) in the Pecinan Glodok area, Tamansari, drew large crowds on Saturday night. The event saw numerous MSME stalls selling a variety of foods, creating a vibrant atmosphere in one of the capital’s key tourism hubs. “We want to activate how these MSMEs are the pillars of the economy. We elevate and improve them so they can move up a class, with further guidance to follow,” said West Jakarta Mayor Uus Kuswanto, who attended the event. According to Uus, the MSME bazaar in the Pecinan Glodok area will continue, given the high level of public enthusiasm. “This activity will not stop tonight. Our sustainable goal is to promote local wisdom, both from the cultural side, the MSME side, and other aspects,” Uus stated. He added that the administration plans to enliven the Pecinan Glodok area with other activities beyond the MSME bazaar to increase its profile. “Our talented children, our children with the competence to perform, can appear here. This place is for attractions, for citizen activation. Whether children, teenagers, or arts and culture groups, they can perform here,” Uus concluded. The enthusiasm for the event was echoed by attendees, including Yuyun, a resident of Keagungan Tamansari. She noted the direct impact on the participating MSMEs, saying, “The traders here can sell, their goods are selling well.” Yuyun mentioned she visits Pecinan Glodok almost every week with her family for culinary tourism, with Soto Bang Kumis being one of her favourites. “There are also many other foods here, so the children are happy. We tried gudeg earlier, and the kids have been snacking,” she said. Febi, an MSME vendor selling dimsum, welcomed the night festival. She stated that the event serves as a promotional platform for her mentai dimsum business, which she has been running for about a year. “I think it benefits MSMEs to explore their brand externally. So, the public also knows this brand exists and that we sell here. It’s like the public gets to taste our flavours,” she added.