Rano: Sarendo-Rendo Celebrates Unity in Diversity

The second day of the 2026 Sarendo-Rendo Carnival took place around Bundaran Hotel Indonesia (HI) in Central Jakarta on Sunday morning (10/18).

Jakarta is not just about Betawi

The event featured a variety of cultural performances from across the Indonesian archipelago, including a carnival costume parade, pencak silat demonstrations, a mass Betawi dance performance, a marching band, and art installations.

Rano Invites Jakartans to Join Sarendo Rendo Carnival at Monas

Kings and sultans from the Forum Silaturahmi Keraton Nusantara, a forum for communication among traditional royal houses across Indonesia, also attended the carnival. The festivities were further enlivened by performances from musicians RAN and Nonaria, who entertained the public.

Jakarta Vice Governor Rano Karno said the Sarendo-Rendo Carnival, held on October 17-18 to mark National Culture Day, also served as a platform to showcase Jakarta's cultural diversity.

"In Betawi, 'sarendo-rendo' means doing things together and having fun together. We organized this event over two days, October 17 and 18. Yesterday, we started in the afternoon and continued into the evening at Lapangan Banteng. Today, we're especially pleased to welcome kings and sultans from across the archipelago who happen to be in Jakarta for a meeting," he explained.

Rano highlighted Jakarta's rich cultural diversity, shaped by traditions from across Indonesia. To celebrate this diversity, the Jakarta Provincial Government is providing opportunities for residents and cultural groups to showcase their arts and traditions.

"This is part of the Jakarta Penuh Warna program, which is held every two months to introduce the city's cultural diversity," Rano said.

Rano hopes the participation of various art groups will give them more opportunities to express their creativity and share their work with a wider audience.

"Jakarta is not just about Betawi. There are Javanese, Bugis, Chinese, Ambonese, Balinese, and many others here. That's why we organize Jakarta Penuh Warna every two months to showcase all the cultures found in Jakarta," he noted.

Rano added that holding cultural events around Bundaran HI could also help stimulate economic activity in the surrounding area.

"Culture is one of the aspects we need to strengthen as Jakarta works toward becoming a global city. The city's cultural diversity is an asset that can continue to be developed through various events and festivals," he said.

Rano also took the opportunity to invite kings and sultans from across the archipelago to return to Jakarta in 2027 for the city's 500th anniversary celebrations.

"We invited them to Bundaran HI today to see how we develop Jakarta's culture. We would also like to invite the kings and sultans from across the archipelago to visit Jakarta next year for the city's 500th anniversary. We will organize a special event for them," he said.