Jakarta Fair ( id, Pekan Raya Jakarta or PRJ, ) is a fair held annually in Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran, Jakarta,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, in June and July. It features exhibitions, trade promotions, shopping, music performances, various shows, amusement rides and a food festival. Jakarta Fair is part of a series of events to held to celebrate the capital’s anniversary, which falls on June 22. The Jakarta Fair sees exhibitors from across the country display a whole range of goods and products ranging from specialty food items to traditional handmade arts and crafts. In addition to the many exhibitors, there is also live entertainment including music, dance and cultural performances.

History

Colonial era

The fair incorporates trade exhibitions and entertainment that existed in Batavia (now Jakarta) during Dutch East Indies era. Originally the annual fair took place in ''Koningsplein'' (now Merdeka square) in ''Weltevreden'' Batavia and it was called " Pasar Gambir".

Pekan Raya Indonesia

Pekan Raya Indonesia (old spelling Pekan Raja Indonesia), or Indonesia Fair, was held for three consecutive years between 1953 and 1955. It was held on the site where

Atma Jaya University Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia (also known as "Atma Jaya University" or "Atma Jaya"; id, Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya or abbreviated as ''Unika Atma Jaya'') is an institute of higher learning in Jakarta, Indonesia, whic ...

now stands, on what is then called Kebayoran Road (now

Jalan Jendral Sudirman Jalan Jenderal Sudirman or Jalan Sudirman (Sudirman Road) is a major thoroughfare in Jakarta, Indonesia. Named after Indonesian national hero Sudirman, the road runs from Patung Pemuda Membangun at the south end to the bridge of the West Flood Can ...

). The 1950s version of the Pekan Raya was held to stimulate the economy of Indonesia by boosting national exports and bringing new technology and products to Indonesia, with main focus on restructuring the economy after the end of the colonial period. The first Pekan Raya Indonesia was held between 29 August to 4 October 1953, officially known in English as "The First Indonesian International Trade & Industrial Fair". China was the main international exhibitor. Among the notable features of the first Pekan Raya is the Chinese pavilion, which is the largest international pavilion in the Fair. The second Pekan Raya Indonesia in 1954 has the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

as the main international exhibitor. The last Pekan Raya Indonesia in 1955 has the United States as the main international exhibitor. Leading US companies e.g. Ford, General Motors, Caterpillar, Goodyear, RCA and Pan Am make exhibition in the fair. The

Holiday on Ice Holiday on Ice is an ice show currently owned by Medusa Music Group GmbH, a subsidiary of CTS EVENTIM, Europe's largest ticket distributor, with its headquarters in Bremen, Germany. History Holiday on Ice originated in the United States in Dece ...

was first introduced to Indonesia through the Pekan Raya Indonesia 1955, whose performance in Jakarta was attended by the wife of the late President,

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

. Among other notable features of the last Pekan Raya Indonesia is the ''Stand Televisi'' ("television stand"), among the first introduction of a true color television to Indonesia.

Pekan Raya on Medan Merdeka Selatan (1968-1991)

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Ingang van de jaarbeurs op het Merdeka-plein TMnr 20025821

The modern Jakarta Fair or ''Pekan Raya'' was held again for the first time in 1968 and inaugurated by president

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto le ...

. The fair took place from 5 June to 20 July 1968 on southern part of Merdeka square near

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

. The idea to hold a grand fair in Jakarta was initiated by Jakarta's governor

Ali Sadikin Ali Sadikin (7 July 1926 – 20 May 2008), better known as Bang Ali, was an Indonesian politician who served as the fourth governor of Jakarta from 1966 until 1977. Prior to becoming governor, he served as Minister of Transportation from 1963 un ...

in 1967, inspired by the colonial era Pasar Gambir. He sought a centralized grand fair to combine several night markets ("Pasar Malam") held throughout the city. Since then it has become an annual event as part of the city's anniversary celebrations. The longest Jakarta Fair, of 71 days, was held in 1969. Usually Jakarta Fair is held for 30 to 35 days. United States president

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

is one of the VIP guest that visit Jakarta Fair 1969. Part of the Jakarta Fair was the Taman Ria fun park, which was operated all year on the southwest corner of Medan Merdeka, forming part of the Jakarta fairgrounds. The last Jakarta Fair in southern side of Medan Merdeka was in 1991. In 1992, the fair was relocated to the old Kemayoran Airport site.

Jakarta International Expo at Kemayoran

Because the number of participants grown steadily the fairground in the southern park of Medan Merdeka square was considered not large enough to contain the grand fair. In 1992 the Jakarta fairground was moved to its present location in Jakarta International Expo at Kemayoran. The exhibition complex is located on former

Kemayoran Airport Kemayoran Airport also spelled Kemajoran Airport, was the principal airport for Jakarta, Indonesia, from 8 July 1940 until 31 March 1985, when it was replaced by Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. During World War II it was used by the Ro ...

Present

In 2010 trade worth Rp 3.5 trillion ($410 million) occurred in Jakarta Fair. The 2011 ticket price is Rp 15,000 ($1.8) on weekdays and Rp 20,000 ($2.4) on Saturday, Sunday and holidays. 2,600 companies joined the 2011 Jakarta Fair in more than 1,300 stalls. The event attracted more than 4 million visitors with transaction worth Rp 3.7 trillion ($432.9 million) and surpassed the target.

Legacy

A similar fair called

Pasar Malam Besar The Tong Tong Fair (formerly known as ''Pasar Malam Besar'') is the largest festival in the world for Indo (European-Indonesian) culture, held annually in the Netherlands. In 2009 it was renamed to 'Tong Tong Fair'. Established in 1959 it is on ...

held in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's ad ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, also inspired by the "Pasar Malam" tradition of colonial era Pasar Gambir.

Date Of Jakarta Fair

* 1991 (31 May-20 July) * 1992 (5 June-18 July) * 1993 (11 June-17 July) * 1994 (17 June-16 July) * 1995 (17 June-15 July) * 1996 (7 June-21 July) * 1997 (13 June-13 July) * 1998 (12 June-12 July) * 1999 (11 June-11 July) * 2000 (9 June-9 July) * 2001 (15 June-15 July) * 2002 (14 June-14 July) * 2003 (12 June-13 July) * 2004 (17 June-18 July) * 2005 (16 June-17 July) * 2006 (15 June-16 July) * 2007 (14 June-15 July) * 2008 (12 June-13 July) * 2009 (11 June-12 July) * 2010 (10 June-11 July) * 2011 (9 June-15 July) * 2012 (14 June-15 July) * 2013 (6 June-7 July) * 2014 (6 June-6 July) * 2015 (29 May-5 July) * 2016 (10 June-17 July) * 2017 (8 June-16 July) * 2018 (23 May-1 July) * 2019 (22 Mei-30 June) * 2020-2021 (Due To

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

pandemic, The Jakarta Fair Event Was Postponed) * 2022 (9 June-17 July)

References

Cited works

External links

{{commons category, Jakarta Fair
Jakarta Fair
Fairs in Indonesia Trade fairs in Indonesia Annual events in Indonesia Tourist attractions in Jakarta Events in Jakarta