Jakarta holds Batavia Festival
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and his staff pose for a photo after the inauguration of the Batavia Festival in Kota Tua.
Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Jakarta is holding a Batavia Festival to promote the capital city’s old town, or Kota Tua, on August 26-28, 2022.
Officially inaugurated by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan on Friday, the festival is being held at Fatahillah Plaza, the Kota Tua area, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time and is open to the public free of charge.
The festival was an initial activity of the Jakarta old town area that was being revitalized and expected to be completed in late August this year, President Director of the Jakarta Experience Board (JXB) Novita Dewi noted in an official statement here on Saturday.
“During these three days, the Kota Tua Batavia Festival presents MSME bazaars and art performances. We provide space for MSMEs and artists to be able to work and grow according to the function of the Kota Tua area, as an equal third space for all,” she affirmed.
The 2022 Kota Tua Batavia Festival presents more than 80 local brands and more than 10 modern and traditional art performances.
“We hope that in future, the (Kota Tua) area will become a third space, which encourages more interaction between residents, provides space for creators, and becomes an inclusive creative space in the middle of the city,” she remarked.
JXB or Jaktour, which is a company owned by the Jakarta administration, is tasked with managing Kota Tua and is ready to collaborate with various parties, especially the capital city’s Tourism and Economic Creative Office and the Culture Office, to present positive activities in order to revive Kota Tua.
Meanwhile, in his opening remarks, Governor Anies Baswedan expressed hope that the results of revitalization of the Old City designed to be environmentally and pedestrian friendly, oriented towards active and equal mobility, and to demonstrate the vision of Jakarta in the future, would be known to the public.
“In future, we will see a new area that represents the future of Jakarta. Starting in Kota Tua, we want to see an area that prioritizes pedestrians, (citizens) taking public transportation, and without private vehicles, thereby creating a sense of equality,” the governor stated.
