Tarko Sudiarno

Mocosik, a portmanteau of reading and music in Javanese that also means “read first”, was the name of a festival where visitors were rewarded with music performances after buying books.

Held for three days in late August in the Jogja Expo Center in Yogyakarta, the music and book festival attracted thousands of millennial visitors.

The Mocosik Festival was organized by Rajawali Indonesia, known for its musical festivities such as the Prambanan Jazz Festival and JogjaRockarta Festival. “It started with our concern about how books have grown farther from our daily lives. People tend to fill their time with social media and gadgets. With the festival, we also try to incorporate music as a universal language to remember,” Rajawali Indonesia CEO Anas Syahrul Alimi told The Jakarta Post.

To participate in the festival, visitors were required to purchase books with a minimum price of Rp 75,000 (US$5.36). They would then receive entrance tickets to music concerts that featured renowned singers such as Tulus, Yura Yunita, Pusakata and local artist Bagus Guyon Waton.

A visitor from Ngawi, East Java, happily reported, “I just bought two books for Rp 280,000 and got three tickets to the concerts!” (wng)