Indonesian festival promoter Ismaya Live plans to organise an “offline festival” this year

Indonesian festival promoter Ismaya Live has revealed that it has plans for an “offline festival” this year.

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That comes from a report by The Jakarta Post published today (January 24) on the possibility of music festivals returning to Jakarta.

The city is currently subject to ‘level 2’ public activity restrictions – which are measured by its lockdown policy, PPKM – imposed earlier this month after the emergence of the Omicron variant. According to Tempo, it was announced today that Jakarta will remain under PPKM level 2 until January 31.

Among those quoted from the city’s live music industry was Ismaya Live’s marketing officer Pratista Ayu, who stated that the promoter has “plans for organising an offline music festival this year.”

“There’s a huge demand from the Indonesian audience for the return of offline music festivals,” she explained, with no further details about Ismaya’s plans.

Ismaya Live is behind the music festivals We The Fest and Djakarta Warehouse Festival. In 2020, We The Fest held a virtual edition of the festival in 2020, with DWP following suit in 2020 and in 2021.

According to the Jakarta Post, local artists staged concerts as restrictions eased towards the end of 2021, stoking hope for the return of full-fledged festivals. Rizky Aulia, a festival director who goes by Ucup, told the publication that “people in the industry already have their own plans for 2022.”

He added, “They’re just waiting on the situation around [May national holiday] Idul Fitri. They even have their own plans for ensuring that the health protocols are followed during the festivals.”

Ucup, who has worked on Indonesian music events such as Soundrenaline and Synchronize Festival, also claims that the country remains of interest for “foreign bands and booking agents”.

“Indonesia is like someone who has been fasting for a long time. [The audience] is hungry, and they’ll eat up anything.”

Ucup highlighted the recent Pamungkas tour, which took the singer-songwriter to several Indonesian cities, and Bali’s upcoming Joyland Festival as examples of what can happen in Jakarta with the proper health guidelines and government support.

However, others interviewed by the Jakarta Post expressed caution at the idea of such music events happening soon, citing the current quarantine rules for travellers entering Indonesia.

“Even if the band really wants to come, their booking agent will shoot that idea down,” said Wendi Putranto, program director and co-founder of venue M Bloc Space. “There’s no way they’ll let their band spend seven days in Indonesia just to quarantine.”

Argia Adhidhanendra, co-founder of music promoter collective Noisewhore, also questioned the logistical feasibility of a festival that aims to be safe during a pandemic while targeting a wide demographic of festivalgoers.

“Will there be mandatory testing at these festivals, for example?” he posed. “And if so, how will that affect the costs? How expensive will the tickets be then, and will it make economic sense?”

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