T

he city administration is set to add a Fashion Festival Run to the line-up for its annual series of events to celebrate Jakarta'€™s anniversary.

Much like its name, the 5-kilometer Fashion Festival Run, the first of its kind in Asia, will be a fun run where residents can wear whatever clothing they please, not limited to sports outfits. In fact, residents are encouraged to dress up in fashionable attire, as prizes will be awarded not only to the fastest runners but also to the best dressed.

Project director Martha D. Silalahi said that the Fashion Festival Run, which will take place on June 7, aimed to combine fashion and sports. The run, held in cooperation with promoter Avemedia Gemilang, will be part of the annual Jakarta Great Sale.

'€œRunning and fashion are lifestyles among many people in Jakarta. We want to combine the two lifestyles with the Fashion Festival Run; participants will not only be healthier but they will also be able to express themselves with the outfits they wear,'€ Martha told a press conference in South Jakarta on Thursday.

She added that there would be a total of 10 categories for competitors, four of which would be for runners and six focused on fashion.

'€œThere will be prizes for the best running time for males and females in four different age groups; pre-teen, teen, 18 to 40, and over 40. Further, this is a fashion run, so we will also give prizes to those who come with the best makeup, best costume and best hairdo,'€ Martha said, adding that prizes would not only be given to individuals but also to those who attended as a group.

She said that registration was open at a cost of Rp 225,000 (US$17.35) per participant through the event'€™s website, fashionfestrun.com. The registration fee, Martha said, included a Rp 5,000 donation to charitable foundations working in the education and disability sectors. She targeted 3,000 to 5,000 participants this year.

'€œThe route would start and end in Senayan City, then onto Jl. Asia Afrika, a U-turn to Jl. Sudirman, to Jl. Pintu Gelora I, then back to Jl. Asia Afrika and Senayan City,'€ Martha said.

The head of the Jakarta Tourism and Culture Agency'€™s travel destination management unit, Cucu Ahmad Kurnia, said during the same occasion that the city administration supported the event, and encouraged it to become an annual event.

'€œWe fully support this event because it will be a unique addition to tourism in Jakarta,'€ he said.

This year, Jakarta will celebrate its 488th anniversary on June 22. Celebrations will start on May 13 with the Jakarta Fashion and Food Festival (JF3) at Summarecon Kelapa Gading shopping center in North Jakarta, followed by various events such as the Jakarta Fair in Kemayoran (PRJ) and the Jakarta Great Sale.