This week, we went to Jakarta for Eid al-Adha and Java Jazz 2026. Java Jazz is one of Indonesia’s prominent music festivals since 2005, also one of the largest jazz festivals in Asia, even though I would say it has been… debatable, considering there have been non-jazz performers taking center stage. It used to be all-jazz festival, but due to market demand and catering to a wider audience, more variations are understandably needed.
This was my third time attending the Java Jazz festival. The first one was back in 2009 in Jakarta Convention Center. I got the ticket by invitation as a blogger! Blogging was a really serious industry back then as it was all the rage and the circle was still small at that time. I got the tickets in exchange for writing about the event in my blog. Unfortunately, the blog has already long deleted, hahah.
The second time was back in 2010, this time, as a part of PR group for the main sponsor at that time: Axis. I used to work in a PR agency in Jakarta, and I had the privileges to visit and take part in many exciting events and brand activations. Unfortunately, I lost all of the pictures from the said Java Jazz Festival including the one where I took a pic with John Legend.
This year, the festival is being held at Nusantara International Convention Exhibition at PIK 2, Jakarta. Personally, I love this place. The venue is huuuugeeeee, so it didn’t feel super packed despite the number of attendees tripled on Saturday, compared to the festival’s first day on Friday and we still had a bit of room to move and visit each stages. I also love the ample availability of F&B counters and kiosks for the festival attendees to dine in or grab some quick snacks. The only downside was unclear signages and stage signs. Someone on Threads commented on how “the (halls’) signage is competing with the sponsors and brands’ signage” and I can’t agree more. That said, I feel it’s still forgivable since it’s a new space for the festival. Hopefully, next year will have more improvements!
I got my FujiFilm X-A3 with the Fujinon 35mm lens, which, uhhhh, I kiiinda berate myself for not bringing the other one (16-50mm). The 35mm has a fixed zoom, so it can be tricky to take pictures of the musicians on the stage. Killer bokeh, though 👍
We also spent a day at a go-kart arena.
That said, my favorites! I’m hoping I can see more of them:
Kevin Yosua Big 6
They are so so so good! I love how intimate the show was, and it was evident that all of the musicians had fun in playing music. Most, if not all, of their songs are Indonesia’s classics by the late Ismail Marzuki.
Camerata Florianopolis
They brought the spirit of Brazil and damn they ate and left no crumbs. I love how they played many hits of Brazilian samba and bossanova with such pride, and rightfully so!
You can check for more pictures on my Flickr here.