Various festivals in Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) 2023 continue to be held in various regions. 2023 KEN is expected to increase the number of tourists and achieve 4.4 million jobs by 2024, as well as being a moment of revival for the tourism and creative economy in Indonesia.

2023 KEN will be enlivened by numerous events and festivals for tourists. It can be festivals of traditions, art and cultural festivals, and unique culinary events from every region in Indonesia. In May, there will be festivals under the 2023 KEN that we can’t miss out on to enjoy the holiday, while getting to know the diversity of Indonesian culture.

These are the following festivals for 2023 KEN which will be held in May:

Cultural Festival of Isen Mulang 

One of the most anticipated festivals in May is the cultural festival of Isen Mulang. It is a festival that will be held on May 27th, 2023 in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. In the Dayak language, Isen Mulang means “pantang mundur” or persistent. This festival aims to reintroduce the diversity of cultures of Central Kalimantan in the form of a cultural carnival. 

The main attraction of this festival is the Jukung Hias or competition for decorating Dayak unique boats. The participants will compete to decorate the boats as attractive as possible. The Kahayan River and the bridge of Kahayan will be a place for the “catwalk” of those decorative boats.

Lom Plai Festival

The next 2023 KEN that will be held in May is the Lom Plai Festival. This festival will be held on May 1-2, 2023 in Kutai Timur Regency, East Kalimantan. It is an annual event that is meant to express gratitude towards the Dayak Wehea community and their cultures in Kutai Timur. 

In the series of events in the Lom Plai Festival, several activities will be carried out by the Dayak Wehea community, starting from cooking pluq (lemang) at dawn, followed by Naq Jengea or a river war game, until Plaq Sai or a boat racing competition.

Bali Rockin Blues

Bali Rockin Blues is a rock and blues concert music that will be held on May 5-6, 2023 in Mertasari, Sanur, Bali. Held since 2015, this festival aims to empower creative people, especially local musicians in Bali.

Bali Rockin Blues usually invites popular bands and musicians from domestic and international backgrounds, such as Power Metal, Gugun & Joling Kribo, Quino Big Mountain, Bali Guitar Mob, Bali Breakers, and also Arya X Project. Besides that, there will also be food trucks and classical motorcycle exhibitions on the Mertasari beach which will tone up the event.

Photo: One of the dance performances at the Serumpun Melayu Festival (Indonesia.travel)

Gelar Melayu Serumpun 

Having a holiday plan to visit Medan? Sobat Parekraf can also enjoy and experience Malay culture during the Gelar Melayu Serumpun festival. This cultural festival has been included in the 2023 Karisma Event Nusantara calendar. The event will be held from May 30 to June 2, 2023.

This festival has been held since 2016 and is usually held in the courtyard of the Maimun Palace in Medan City. The event is usually filled with art and cultural performances of Malay culture, such as Malay songs, berbalas pantun, and the Zapin dance (Tari Zapin) which is performed by hundreds of dancers.

Rujak Uleg Festival

East Java has been known for its delicious culinary foods. We can also see and taste the foods at the Rujak Uleg 2023 festival. This festival which is included in the 2023 Karisma Event Nusantara will be held on May 6, 2023, in Surabaya.

This festival is really unique because local residents and tourists are involved in the making of the typical rujak uleg (salad made from fruit and vegetables) of Surabaya by using petis (shrimp paste) as its main ingredient. This festival is getting livelier as the participants are supposed to wear unique outfits, such as fisherman costumes, cosplaying the figure of Javanese puppetry, and wearing army uniforms.

Solo Karajae Festival

The next cultural festival to be held in May 2023 is the Salo Karajae Festival. The festival, which is included in 2023 KEN, will be held in Parepare City, South Sulawesi from May 31 to June 4, 2023.

The Salo Karajae Festival is called the largest coastal river festival in South Sulawesi, and has been held for the 10th time. This festival is enlivened with a music performance on the top of the river, a culinary food bazaar, a contest for decorating boats in the Karajae River, as well as water projection mapping.

Hari Nelayan Palabuhanratu

Another interesting festival that will be held to celebrate the 63rd Fisherman’s Day is the festival of Palabuhanratu Fishermen. This festival will be held on May 21, 2023, in Sukabumi. This festival has a series of cultural and sports events, such as labuh saji, performances of golek puppetry, volleyball, badminton, fishing, fish carts, and also playing egrang (a traditional Indonesian game that is played by standing on a pair of tall bamboo shoots).

Interestingly, the festival will also invite the Indonesian Chef Association to make the biggest tumpeng (cone-shaped rice dish) in Indonesia. This festival aims to attract tourists from both domestic and international countries through a series of interesting and unique cultural events.

So, are you ready to experience cultural diversity through festivals in May, Sob?

Cover: Parade of Jukung boast at the Isen Mulang Festival (Shutterstock/Farizal Ahmad)