The 17-year-old music festival has returned to relevance with help from some of its veteran staples, as well as fresh new acts.

The organizers of this year's Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival (JJF) had their work cut out for them.

Even though the festival was held over the final weekend in May, which is typically characterized by sunlit skies and summery conditions, all three days of the JJF were overcast with occasional tepid showers. To boot, the first day almost lost its fervor when rain forced festivalgoers to run for cover, as opposed to enjoying the music and food stalls in its outdoor venue at Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

This year’s JJF was supposed to be a triumphant return after nearly two years of absence, a welcome gong signaling that the COVID-19 pandemic would no longer keep music lovers from enjoying the star-studded extravaganza. That said, it seems that another delay was never an option.

With a massive lineup of more than 92 acts spread across 10 different stages that included household names like JoJo, Candra Darusman and Maliq & D'essentials as well as first-timers like Daniel Dyonisius, Kaleb J and Tiara Andini, JJF 2022 seemed to be aiming for more than just a triumphant return.

As the festival enters the final half of its second decade, organizer Java Festival Production appears to have become more ambitious than ever to protect Java Jazz's reputation as not only one of the biggest music festivals in the Southern Hemisphere, but also the most relevant.

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