Life in Jakarta #1 : Happy New Year from Jakarta Night Festival

[caption id="attachment_217606" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Carnival, Jakarta Night Festival"][/caption]

Solo Car Free Night 2012 Memory Last year, I celebrated new year 2012 with my family in Slamet Riyadi Street in Solo City (Surakarta). It was interesting night because the mayor of Solo at that time, Joko Widodo, had the idea to create Solo Car Free Night, the celebration of new year in the main street without any motor bikes and cars. People were also entertained by carnival from various group of performers. Car Free Night for new year in Indonesia was firstly done on Solo City. Now it is followed by several cities, including Jakarta. Jakarta Car Free Night and Jakarta Night Festival 2013 Enjoy these photo stories :) [caption id="attachment_781" align="aligncenter" width="246" caption="The route (blue line)of carnival of Jakarta Night Festival; from Balaikota (Merdeka Selatan Street) to Bundaran Hotel Indonesia (Thamrin Street)"]

The route of carnival of Jakarta Night Festival; from Balaikota (Merdeka Selatan Street) to Bundaran Hotel Indonesia (Thamrin Street)

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_821" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Balaikota, the red shirt group represented Chinese-Jakarta people"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_820" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Preparation before Jakarta Night Festival at Balaikota (1)"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_736" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Preparation before Jakarta Night Festival at Balaikota (2)"]

Preparation before Jakarta Night Festival at Balaikota (1)

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_738" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Preparation before Jakarta Night Festival at Balaikota (3)"]

Preparation before Jakarta Night Festival at Balaikota (2)

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_739" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Preparation before Jakarta Night Festival at Balaikota (4)"]

Preparation before Jakarta Night Festival at Balaikota (3)

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_740" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Preparation before Jakarta Night Festival at Balaikota (5)"]

Preparation before Jakarta Night Festival at Balaikota (4)

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_741" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Preparation before Jakarta Night Festival at Balaikota (6)"]

Preparation before Jakarta Night Festival at Balaikota (5)

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_743" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="With Tanjidor group (traditional music instrument of Betawi/Jakarta)"]

With Tanjidor group (traditional music instrument of Betawi?Jakarta)

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_744" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="With ondel-ondel"]

With ondel-ondel

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_745" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Civil Service Unit took a break in mosque of Balaikota before they would be on duty"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_746" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Praying before the festival"]

Praying before the festival

[/caption] Joko Widodo has just been chosen as the new governor of  Jakarta. He brought the same idea of successful Solo Car Free Night 2012 to Jakarta.  Jakarta Car Free Night was executed from Sudirman street to Thamrin Street, Central Jakarta. Meanwhile, the route of carnival of Jakarta Night Carnival was from Balaikota/the governor office in Merdeka Selatan Street to Bundaran Hotel Indonesia in Thamrin Street. To gain more festive atmosphere, the government of Jakarta also provided 16 stages along Sudirman - Thamrin with musics from various Indonesian tradition (gambang kromomg, keroncong, dangdut, campur sari, and Islamic music) to modern musics (pop and rock). [caption id="attachment_767" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Monas Tower as the background of the crowd of the people"]

Monas Tower as the background of the crowd of the people

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_766" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="People started to park their motor bikes in Gambir train station before Car Free Night"]

People started to park their motor bikes in Gambir train station before Car Free Night

[/caption] Since 6 pm, the performers were already busy to prepare the costumes, make-up, and equipment to perform in Balaikota. Uniquely, the performers came from various regions and cultures. Betawi, the native Jakarta culture, groups performed tanjidor (Betawi orchestra), ondel-ondel (big and tall doll; height 2,5 m; diameter 80 cm) dance, and pencak silat (traditional martial art). The others are the dance and costume performances from Solo Batik Carnival, Solo Red Batik, Melayu, Dayak Borneo, Bali, Magelang, Ketoprak Wayang Barata Jakarta, Reog Ponorogo, Aceh, and various performances from many Jakarta vocational schools students. [caption id="attachment_808" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="With Ketoprak Wayang Barata Jakarta (1)"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_807" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Ketoprak Wayang Barata in action"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_806" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="With Bogor, West Java performers"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_805" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="With Ketoprak Wayang Barata (2)"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_804" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Fight Fight Fight"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_803" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="With Magelang, Central Java Performers"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_802" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="With a performer from Solo Red Batik"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_799" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="With Solo Batik Carnival, Central Java performers"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_797" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="With Solo Batik Carnival performer"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_798" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Solo Batik Carnival, preparation"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_756" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Bogor and Ketoprak Barata performer"]

Bogor and Ketoprak Barata performer

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_819" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="With Miss Jakarta (None Betawi)"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_818" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Holding Jakarta typical festival accessories"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_817" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Make a line before the carnival started"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_816" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Jakarta/Betawi dancers"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_814" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="With Papua performers"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_815" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Backstage"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_813" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="With Dayak Borneo performer"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_812" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="With Jakarta/Betawi performers"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_811" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="With Melayu performers"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_810" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="With Bali performers"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_809" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="With Dayak Borneo performers"]

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[/caption] The Leaders [caption id="attachment_830" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Joko Widodo, Governor of Jakarta"]

Joko Widodo, Governor of Jakarta

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_835" align="aligncenter" width="456" caption="With Jakarta Vice Governor and wife"]

With Jakarta Vice Governor and wife

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_828" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Quick dinner before festival"]

Quick dinner before festival

[/caption] The Action on the Street That was the real people party. Crowd and entertainment were the colors of that night. Many street sellers got the bless of more profits from that crowd. The rain did not stop the enthusiasm of the people in having new way of new year celebration in Jakarta. [caption id="attachment_842" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Gothic group"]

Gothic group

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_843" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Aceh performers"]

Aceh performers

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_841" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Solo Batik Carnival"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_840" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Solo Batik Carnival"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_839" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Betawi performers"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_838" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Ondel-ondel rocked rhe night"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_837" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Solo Red Batik"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_836" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="1 of 16 stages"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_844" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Crowd of audiences"]

Crowd of audiences

[/caption] [caption id="attachment_776" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Bikers participated"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_826" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Solo Red Batik"]

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[/caption] [caption id="attachment_824" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="Bikers"]

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[/caption] Happy New Year 2013 [caption id="attachment_845" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="New Year at Bundaran Hotel Indonesia"]

New Year at Bundaran Hotel Indonesia

[/caption] Happy new year 2013 all the people in the world...May we have great new year with better spiritual sensitivity, more happiness, more health, and more prosperity, Amen.