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Modernized city fair still popular
OPPORTUNIST: A bajaj driver, Ruslan, offers to take people to the Kemayoran Fairground, Central Jakarta, for the Jakarta Fair on Thursday
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OPPORTUNIST: A bajaj driver, Ruslan, offers to take people to the Kemayoran Fairground, Central Jakarta, for the Jakarta Fair on Thursday. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
Despite the lack of cultural exhibitions and shows at the Jakarta Fair this year, thousands of visitors are still flocking to the annual one-month event at Kemayoran Fairground, Central Jakarta, to celebrate the city's June 22 anniversary.
"Every year we look forward to the Jakarta Fair, and this year did not disappoint," said Nikita, who came to the event on Wednesday with her toddler.
Visitors can check out some 2,000 products, but most of them can be found in any of the city's malls.
The fair started out as a outdoor night festival in Gambir, Central Jakarta, but today, more major brands are participating in the event.
Big brands and major companies have taken over traditional vendors and artists, who used to color the event.
In fact, the whole fair could be described as an advertising ground for goods and services; in other words, it is a big outdoor mall, rendering the entire affair pointless.
A rarity at the fair is kerak telor, a traditional Betawi dish made with duck eggs and white cassava sprinkled with coconut floss, as chicken nuggets and french fries take its place.
Very few kerak telor vendors can afford to set up shop in the fairground, so most of them try their luck along the street outside.
Still, people hardly miss the traditional cuisine as food trends have shifted over the years.
"My children enjoy the popcorn and fast food. For them it's a treat," said a mother at the festival with her two children.
The most distinguishable difference from the Jakarta Fair and any other mall in Jakarta is that it is outdoors. It is refreshing to have a breath of fresh air, especially in such a busy city such as Jakarta.
The smell of popcorn in the air, the mellow music faint in the background and the smiles of children as they play games and go on rides create a welcoming atmosphere to the fair, inviting friends and families from all over the city to participate in the festivities.
The younger visitors seem to have adjusted well to the new arrangements. They don't seem to mind that the Betawi traditional music has been replaced with local pop bands, such as the Titans and Nidji, who perform on the fair's main stage every day.
"I love the Titans. The main reason I came here was to see them," said Putri, a junior high school student, eager to see the band.
The event attracted 3 million people last year. This year it will run until July 20. Entrance fees are Rp 15,000 on weekdays and Rp 20,000 on weekends.
The writer is an eleventh grader at the British International School, Bintaro.
