Into the night: Crowds begin to gather at Mertasari Beach for an evening of live music.

Thousands of people flocked to Sanur to celebrate community during the 2016 Mertasari Beach Festival.

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The free-to-the-public Mertasari Beach Festival was an opportunity for people from all walks of life to come together and share music, beach yoga and student performances, as well as a place for stall holders to show off their innovative products.

On show among the stalls was sublime chemical-free ice cream, a Volkswagon (VW) combi converted into a burrito stand, organic health foods, bamboo-framed sunglasses and young jewelry designers keen to show off their art.

Kid business: At just 15 years of age, Chandra Vangsgaard (left) has turned her hand to business with her Mexicombi food truck.

Events like the Mertasari Beach Festival held last weekend are a boon for these new-to-the-market products, offering the ideal opportunity to showcase ideas to the public.

At her 1981 VW Combi, 15-year-old Chandra Vangsgaard was busy taking burrito orders. She and her mother, Minni, set up the food truck a year ago as a work experience project for the high school student.

'€œI love people, so it'€™s fantastic I can talk to new people. The selling part of the business is amazing,'€ says Chandra, adding the festival opens the door to new customers and more importantly brings together people of all ages.

'€œThe festival is a great benefit to us. People can discover our business and they can get to know us. Here we see people new to Bali mixing with locals. It'€™s great to see such a high level of local involvement. Even the kids come up to see if I have trash that needs to be taken away,'€ says Chandra of the festival that she believes will accrue new word-of-mouth customers for her Mexicombi food truck.

Nearby, Javier Velazquez is doing a roaring trade in natural ice creams, another new product for Bali. Javier explains the Mexican-style ice cream known as Pelatas is 100 percent chemical-free and extremely low in sugar, the natural fruits offering ample sweetness to the delicious treats.

Check this out: Mertasari Beach Festival serves as an opportunity for local traders to introduce new products to potential customers.

'€œWe are at the festival because our ice cream fits with the health and wellbeing theme of the festival. There is free yoga being held and lots of healthy products and well-being information available here and our ice cream fits that lifestyle,'€ says Javier during a break between customers.

Pelatas Wey ice cream has between 6 and 10 percent sugar compared to more than 30 percent in most ice creams and is manufactured in Bali from local fruits without chemicals and flavorings.

'€œHaving our stall here for the festival is an opportunity for us to share what we have to offer to people who are interested in healthy food options,'€ says Javier, adding that Pelatas Wey ice cream will soon open a store in Jakarta.

As well as foods from around the world available at the festival stalls, young fashion designers and jewelry makers also showed off their wares.

The simple and elegant designs from new jewelry craftswomen, Dian Ariantika, attracted a strong following, says the 28-year-old who heads up Ariant Jewellery.

'€œHaving my stall here at the festival is a great way to introduce my designs to the public. I don'€™t have a shop front and I just began the jewelry line a year ago, so I felt the festival was a great way to promote my products,'€ says Dian.

Her silver jewelry, with a strong use of natural stones such as turquoise, was a hit with the young crowd at the festival.

'€œBusiness has been very good. The market seems to be for the young women who really like my simple designs,'€ says Dian, who hopes her presence at the festival will improve brand recognition in the future.

'€œMy main hope from my stall here is to get people to better know my brand and it would also be fantastic if I was to meet people seeking wholesale jewellery. That would really launch my brand,'€ says Dian.

Promoting new products was key for many stall holders during the festival, including painter and jeweler Made Mulyani whose miniatures of Bali life proved a drawcard.

'€œThe benefit has been the opportunity to introduce our new stock to the public. I do have a shop in Sanur, but it has been very quiet. Here business has been much better and it is a great way to advertise what we offer,'€ says Made, adding he hopes future festivals will offer stalls electricity to allow trading to continue into the evenings.

Dozens of other stalls trading fashion, foods, art and crafts also joined the festival.

'€” Photos by J.B.Djwan

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