Residents Flock to Benhil Ramadan Bazaar in Search of Breaking-Fast Treats
Hundreds of people visited the Ramadan takjil bazaar organised by RW 01 Bendungan Hilir (Benhil) in search of dishes to break their fast.
A wide variety of food — including es campur, fruit ice drinks, assorted fried snacks, dim sum, porridge, pecel, Padang cuisine, siomay, batagor, and pempek — was snapped up by eager buyers.
The bazaar opened at 2.00pm Western Indonesian Time. When observed at 3.20pm, the area was already packed with shoppers. Long queues had formed at one side of the bazaar tent, particularly at the Istana Bubur (Porridge Palace) stall.
The streets surrounding the bazaar were also congested, with motorbikes and cars parked along the roadside.
One buyer, Johari (59), said he had been curious about the venue. He was also impressed by the ease of transactions offered by the vendors.
“Just passing the time before breaking fast. And looking around here, it seems really crowded. There’s a huge variety — it’s unlimited. I’m looking for more things. Wow, from Padang. Extraordinary, and Javanese food too,” Johari said.
Freti, head of RW 01 Bendungan Hilir, said buyers come out of curiosity and are drawn by the distinctive foods sold at the various stalls.
“Every year they say they want to find out what it’s like. They’re curious about the Takjil Bazaar in Benhil because they often see it on television or in other news coverage,” Freti said.
“What makes it distinctive is the porridge, really. The food, I mean. The variety of food, because it’s so diverse here. The most iconic items are the porridge and the side dishes like gudeg, Padang food, and so on,” she added.
Gridlock and long queues
Traffic conditions on the roads surrounding the Ramadan Takjil Bazaar in Bendungan Hilir were observed to be heavily congested. At 5.00pm, gridlock was reported on Jalan Bendungan Hilir heading towards Jalan Jenderal Soedirman.
At the bazaar site, long queues from one of the stalls spilled onto the road. The designated parking areas provided by the organisers were already full, with numerous motorbikes and cars also lining both sides of the street.
Police and the transportation agency (Dishub) were deployed to manage the congestion. AKBP Hartono, head of the traffic unit at Tanah Abang Metropolitan Police Sector, said the bazaar area is always a congestion hotspot during Ramadan.
“Yes. Regarding this annual event, the Ramadan Takjil Market in Benhil is indeed always a spot that residents visit to shop,” Hartono said.
Hartono added that his team had prepared contingency measures should the volume of vehicles increase further.