The Betawi cultural neighborhood Setu Babakan was crowded on Wednesday morning, and it was not by visitors but by workers who were busy paving the streets and pruning trees around the lake located at the center of the area.

Despite being the only center for Betawi cultural art in Jakarta, Setu Babakan is not well-maintained. The streets are damaged, resulting in puddles, and the lake is filled with garbage.

Yet the city administration has set its sights on this area in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, for Lebaran Betawi, an annual festival in which residents from all parts of Jakarta meet up after Idul Fitri.

This year, the event will be held from July 28 to 30.

It will be the first time for Setu Babakan to host the event. The festival is usually held at the Lapangan Banteng park or at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta.

Setu Babakan management unit head Rofiqoh Mustafa said her unit was improving the area on a daily basis, but added that, ahead of the Lebaran Betawi event, workers from various agencies had been deployed to expedite the maintenance work.

Agencies involved include the Water Resources Agency, the Environmental Agency and the Jakarta Forestry Agency.

“They are doing various things, like fixing up broken ceilings of our traditional buildings and stone walls and dredging the lake,” Rofiqoh said.

Around 200 workers have been deployed in the area since last Monday, as the unit targets to complete the maintenance tasks by July 25.

Rofiqoh said she was enthusiastic about the plan, as it could present Setu Babakan to the public.

Held since 2008, Lebaran Betawi is organized by the city administration in collaboration with Jakarta’s Betawi Culture Consultative Body (Bamus Betawi).

Bamus Betawi chairman Zainuddin said it would hold several competitions, such as fishing, pantun (quatrain reading) and Betawi gasing (spinning top game) to enliven the event.

There will also be discount markets for Betawi traditional clothes, Batik Betawi and traditional dishes, such as kerak telor (local crusty omelet), dodol (traditional fudge) Betawi and bir pletok (a beverage with herbs and spices).

“We will put up some banners and announce it on the radio to inform the public about the event,” Zainuddin said.

He is hoping that around 10,000 visitors will come to the event.

“We also plan to invite our President, Pak Jokowi, to make this event more festive,” he said.

Even though the event has been held for the past 10 years, it has never been attended by a president. Therefore, Zainuddin hopes President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will be able to come, which would also promote Setu Babakan, not only to the people of Jakarta but throughout the country.

Further, Bamus Betawi expects the event and the president’s visit to drive infrastructure development in Setu Babakan to make it more popular.

Earlier, the city’s secretary, Saefullah, said the idea to hold the Lebaran Betawi festival in Setu Babakan had come from Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat to accentuate the Betawi nuance of the event.

The idea was approved by the relevant parties since the place is relatively accessible. People can go by Transjakarta buses, commuter trains or public minivans.

Saefullah said the amount of money needed for the event was not yet known but added that Rp 5 billion (US$ 374,000) would come from the city budget.

According to Zainuddin, Lebaran Betawi 2016 required around Rp 700 million in funds.

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