The 2014 Jakarnaval, which held to commemorate Jakarta’s 487th anniversary and officially opened by Acting Jakarta Governor Basuki T Purnama, Sunday (6/22), was themed ‘The Miracle of Nusantara Masks’.

Last year there were only 1,000 participants with 24 ornament vehicles. While this year, there are 1,300 participants and 30 ornament vehicles

According to Head of Jakarta Tourism and Culture Department, Arie Budhiman, the masks represented each region, while the event itself was held to introduce Indonesian culture to the public.

“Masks are part of the creations and characters of each region,” he said.

Budhiman assessed that Jakarnaval is still enthused by Jakartans. It can be seen from the amount of participants took part in the event that increased from last year.

“ Last year there were only 1,000 participants with 24 ornament vehicles. While this year, there are 1,300 participants and 30 ornament vehicles ,” he told.

In addition, Jakarnaval this year is also enlivened by five groups from Bali, Ponorogo, Surakarta, Indramayu, and East Kalimantan.

“They took the initiative to participate because they considered the event as part of their promotions,” explained Budhiman.