Events & Festivals

Java Jazz Festival

When: Mar 2010 (annual)
Where: Balai Sidang Jakarta Convention Center
Cost: Daily entrance, multipass and special show tickets available

Opening Hours: Daily 12pm until after midnight

Not just for jazz enthusiasts, the Java Jazz Festival invites lovers of all music to hear various sounds at the Balai Sidang Jakarta Convention Center. Legendary acts and unknown performers take to the stage giving concert-goers a real musical treat.

First held in 2005, the festival has gone from strength to strength. In 2008 the likes of Harvey Mason, Ron King, Dhafer Youssef, Marc Antoine and Marlene Del Rosario performed. Check the festival website for details of 2009's headliners.

Jakarta International Film Festival

Celebrating the opening of Jakarta International Film Festival 2006. Courtesy of Jakarta International Film Festival

When: 4 - 12 Dec 2009 (annual)
Where: Jakarta

Around 300 films from 30 countries are screened both indoors and out at the Jakarta International Film Festival. Screening venues for this year's event are announced on the festival website as soon as the details have been confirmed.

Waisak Festival at Borobudur

When: May 2010 (annual)
Where: Borobudur

Indonesians celebrate the Waisak Festival, remembering the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha, at Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist monument. The festival is celebrated on the full moon in May each year.

The five-mile pilgrimage from Mendut to the serene sitting Buddha on the top of Borobudur is walked by hundreds of monks in saffron robes carrying offerings of flowers and candles. As the moon rises over the horizon, throwing white light onto the smooth stone exterior of the ancient temple, candles are lit and the monks begin praying, meditating and chanting well into the evening, a vision guaranteed to remain with you forever.

Borobudur is a representation of the Buddhist cosmos. Ascend to the top of the temple and you take a symbolic walk through life. On the lowest level, the vast majority of us mortals are depicted in intricate stone carvings. Our bestiality on display, we are shown to be the pawns of suffering and fate, enslaved to carnal desire and imprisoned by our egos.

Winding gently upwards, the path circles round the monument, presenting stone carvings of those who have followed the Buddha's teachings and have been rewarded by reincarnations into higher forms of life. The lives of warriors and kings, priests, dancers, processions of elephants and voyages over the seas in ships are all carved in stone. Finally, the winding path leads you to a bricks-and-mortar version of Nirvana, wherein is found the absence of suffering and the Buddhist idea of heaven.

Borobudur is an amazing place at any time of year, but the holiness of the site is particularly apparent during this important religious festival.

Jakarta Fair

When: Jun - Jul 2010 (annual)
Where: PT Jakarta International Expo

Celebrate the anniversary of Jakarta at the annual Jakarta Fair at the PT Jakarta International Expo. Sample Indonesian delicacies, enjoy the fun and games at the Kemayoran Fairground or wander the bazaars selling local products.

Jakarta Jam!

When: Jul - Aug 2010 (annual)
Where: Tennis Indoor Senayan
Cost: Rp650,000

Opening Hours: Daily 6.30pm-11pm

Jakarta Jam! brings two days of music and fun to the Tennis Indoor Senayan. Two international bands and one local group perform each day with visitors given the opportunity to meet the musicians.

The first day sees the likes of Simple Plan and New Found Glory, while on the second day guests can enjoy the sounds of One Republic, Lost Prophets and Melanie. Please check the Java Musikindo website

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