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Ancol Dreamland Park to host Independence Day festival
Ancol Dreamland Park in North Jakarta will hold a series of events to commemorate Indonesia’s Independence Day on Aug. 17 through the Ancol Kemerdekaan Festival, which is to run through Aug. 20
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A landward view of Ancol Dreamland Park (shutterstock.com/Artush/File)
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ncol Dreamland Park in North Jakarta will hold a series of events to commemorate Indonesia’s Independence Day on Aug. 17 through the Ancol Kemerdekaan Festival, which is to run through Aug. 20.
Other attractions in the recreation and resort complex, such as the Dunia Fantasi theme park, the Ocean Dream Samudra theme park, the Atlantis Water Adventure park and the Allianz Ecopark, will each have their own special promotions and competitions to mark Independence Day.
Here are a few of the festival's notable events.
Aug. 17
An underwater flag raising at 10:45 a.m. on Aug. 17 at Seaworld Ancol will inaugurate the Ancol Kemerdekaan Festival. The Merah-Putih (red and white) national flag, which will be hoisted on a 6.5-meter pole among thousands of fishes, will be lowered at 4:15 p.m.
The flag-raising ceremony will be followed by the traditional Independence Day game, panjat pinang, in which contestants race to climb to the top of trimmed palm tree trunks to reach the prizes at the top. All games will be open to the public. The self-styled "king of dangdut" Rhoma Irama and the Soneta Group will accompany the game with their music that draws on Arabic, Indian and Malay influences.
The panjat pinang will be held at 1 p.m., featuring 172 areca palm trees and a prize of Rp 1.5 million (US$112.3) atop each trunk, according to Rika Lestari, corporate communications manager of PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, which manages Ancol Dreamland Park.
Read also: Govt to celebrate Independence Day with fish cooking competition
Aug. 18
The Ancol Art Market is to host a wayang kulit (leather shadow puppet) performance titled “Wayang Kulit Semalam Suntuk oleh Ki Dalang Djoko Suyono” (Overnight Wayang Kulit Show by Ki Dalang Djoko Suyono) on Aug. 18.
Aug. 19
Starting from 10 a.m. on Aug. 10 and running through Aug. 20, Independence Day games for the public will open at Lagoon Beach with prizes and souvenirs. The games will include a tug-of-war, the kerupuk (fried shrimp/fish crackers) eating race, the sack race, the bakiak (wooden sandals) race, the mattress race and the pillow fight contest on pole suspended above water.
Lagoon Beach will also host the kite festival, a cavalry parade and the reog Ponorogo East Javan traditional dance, which features a Singa Barong (lion) mask weighing 30-40 kilograms.
Local band Armada is also scheduled to perform on a floating stage at 7 p.m.
Aug. 20
The highlight of the last day of the festival is the Merah Putih Parade, which will start at 10 a.m. along with the “Jawara Lawak Pasar Seni” (Art Market Comedy Champion) show held by the Indonesian Comedy Artists Union (PaSKI). The comedy show at the Ancol Art Market will feature local comedians such as Doyok, Derry, Tarzan, and Bagito. (dan/kes)
