Visitors pack the Bogor Festival

Visitors pack the Bogor Festival

BOGOR: The 2002 Bogor Festival has had a high turnout of
visitors, with this year's total expected to surpass those in
previous years, the festival's organizing committee said on
Wednesday.

Organizing committee chairman Gatut Susanta said that to date
the number of visitors to the event since it opened on May 20 had
reached 22,000. Last year, the festival attracted 22,000 people
by its close. This year that number is expected to top 28,000.

This year's festival, which was organized to coincide with the
city's 520th anniversary, features several programs for the
public, including the Istana (palace) Open, sporting events and
cultural events, including the Chinese Barongsai dance .

Gatut said that by far the favorite program among visitors was
the Istana Open, in which they could enter the state palace in
Bogor and the Bogor Botanical Gardens free of charge.

Ten city administrations as well as the embassies of Japan and
Italy are participating in the festival, which is slated to close
on Saturday.--JP