City to host revitalized folk fair for 487th anniversary
Daryanto, a civil servant who lives in Pasar Rebo, East Jakarta, was excited to learn that the city administration would hold the Pekan Rakyat Jakarta (Jakarta Folk Fair) for the first time at the National Monument (Monas) from June 10 to 15.
He said he hoped the event would be more affordable than the annual Pekan Raya Jakarta (PRJ), or Jakarta Fair, in Kemayoran, where he and his friend had to buy tickets to enter the venue and could not afford most of the products on offer inside.
“We wanted to watch the live music on the stage. The food, however, was too overpriced for me. We spent Rp 80,000 on just two bowls of soto [soup] and two bottles of iced tea inside the PRJ venue,” he told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.
The Jakarta Folk Fair, popularly known as PRJ Monas, is a revival of the original concept of the Jakarta Fair, which showcased cultural events when it was first held at Monas from June 5 to July 20, 1968, under the administration of popular then-governor Ali Sadikin.
The event was later moved to the former site of Kemayoran airport in Central Jakarta in 1991. Since then, the popular fair has evolved into an industrial event as the organizer, PT Jakarta International Expo (Jl. Expo), focuses on meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) initiatives.
Last year, Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo stated that he wanted to revitalize the event to make a festival for all people in which more small- and medium-sized businesses could get involved.
Jakarta anniversary committee head Bambang Sugiyono, who is also the governor’s assistant for people’s welfare, said last year that the administration used Jakarta’s Pekan Produk Kreatif Daerah (PPKD), a regional creative products exhibition, as a basis for PRJ Monas.
“During PRJ Monas this year, the entire Silang Monas will be full of UMKM [micro, small and medium enterprises]. It will be free to enter,” he said, adding that the exhibition would be held later this year, in October.
According to PRJ Monas 2014’s official Facebook account, the event will boast some 3,600 stands, mainly consisting of small enterprises, small industries and street vendors, 400 state-owned companies, as well as 70 companies that will provide sponsorship.
Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said around 2,600 free stands would be dedicated for selected small-scale vendors. He said he wanted to see a careful selection of vendors, so the event could reach the high quality of the recent Jakarta Food and Fashion Festival in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.
“If the stands are free, the vendors will offer the same prices [as usual]. If kerak telor [egg pancakes] are usually priced at Rp 7,000 (61 US cents), they will be the same price at this event. So, residents with limited funds can buy something,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Jakarta Fair will still be held on JIExpo in Kemayoran from June 1 to 30 this year.
Bambang said aside from the two fairs, some 50 events would be held throughout the capital city to celebrate its anniversary. He said the opening ceremony of the anniversary would be held on a newly built road in Kemayoran on June 1, during which Jokowi is also expected to name the road.
Bambang said the highlight of the anniversary would be the Jakarta Night Festival, which will see the closure of Jl. MH Thamrin, from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to Monas, on June 21. As many as nine stages will offer entertainment along the road, which will be free of vehicles in the evening.
The celebrations will also feature regular events such as the Betawi Culture Festival in Setu Babakan, South Jakarta, on June 7 and 8, Jakarnaval on June 15, the Abang None beauty pageant on June 19 and the Rawa Belong Flower Festival in Rawa Belong, West Jakarta, on June 20 and 21.
Other anticipated events include the Batavia Art Festival in the city’s Old Town on June 1 and the Jakarta Humanoid Festival, which will include an art event on Jl. MH Thamrin on the same day.
Bambang said this year, residents would not see the type of musical drama performance that was featured last year, because it was not budgeted in the event.
The series of anniversary events will be held ahead of the election on July 9, in which Jokowi has been nominated a presidential candidate.
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