While Indonesians are bracing for the prospect of major concert and festival cancellations for the rest of this year, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has stepped in to quash any concerns for our right to party.
“Rumors that [concerts and festivals] are prohibited until the end of December are entirely not true. This rumor is very counterproductive to the business of concerts in the nation,” Sandiaga said at a press briefing in Jakarta yesterday.
The minister noted that President Joko Widodo supports the resumption of concerts and cultural events on the condition that they comply with health and safety protocols.
“We have drafted a CHSE (Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability) guide, so events can go ahead with strict adherence to protocols,” he said.
Separately, interim Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono said yesterday that the provincial government is looking to tighten event permit regulations in light of recent crowd trouble and a rise in COVID-19 cases. Capacity reduction is one solution that was proposed, meaning that should concerts and festivals go ahead in 2022, limit on crowd numbers may be stringently enforced.
Last week, the Association of Indonesian Music Promoters (APMI) said major festivals such as Head in the Clouds, Djakarta Warehouse Project, and Soundrenaline — all of which are scheduled for the final months of 2022 — were at risk of cancellation amid concerns that obtaining crowd permits may be getting more difficult.
Police, who have permit issuance jurisdiction, have not publicly addressed the issue. It must be noted, however, that after the Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster that killed 135 people in October, police have been more proactive in preventing similar crowd disasters.
Recently, police ended the three-day Berdendang Bergoyang music festival on its second day, after promoters allegedly sold more tickets than the venue could hold.
