Sanur Village Festival goes green

By. Dicky Christanto , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar |

For those who have missed out on the month-long 30th Bali Art Festival, worry not, as a half hour east of Denpasar the people of Sanur are gearing up for another celebration of culture and cuisine.

The third annual Sanur Village Festival on Aug. 6-10 will feature dozens of cultural and recreational activities, from art and cultural exhibitions and performances to an international cartoon exhibition, fashion show, sport events and a culinary festival.

It will take place along the coast that stretches from Sindu to Sanur beaches, as well as along Jl. Segara Ayu, which is lined with art galleries.

Ida Bagus Sidharta Putra, chairman of the Sanur Development Foundation, the festival co-organizer, said this year's festival would carry an environmental theme, "Going Green".

"It is a must that we should campaign for the urgency of preserving the environment such as by protecting our beaches from sea erosion and reef preservation through both the work of art and an actual reef rehabilitation program," he told a press conference Monday.

He said the foundation, in cooperation with several NGOs, would organize daily events where tourism industry officials, NGO employees and journalists would be given a chance to dive to the bottom of the ocean to replant the reefs.

"It is designed to give participants that moving emotional experience so they can give more attention to environmental issues," he said.

He was optimistic the Rp 900 million event would be able to attract more than 20,000 people this year. Last year's festival was attended by more than 15,000 visitors.

"It is a tourism promotional event, after all, so in the end we really hope that all the benefits will go to the local residents," he said.

The festival will offer tourists a unique venue along the coast, he added.

"Around 120 jukung (traditional sailing boats) will function both as the viewers' sitting area and a floating stage, upon which dozens of artists will perform traditional music. It will be one-of-a-kind," he said.

I Wayan Jelantik Yana, coordinator of the Sanur Jukung Boat organization, said the festival had benefited him and his colleagues, as it helped promote their organization.

"Daily competition among Jukung's operators will disappear for a while and be replaced by a sense of togetherness. That is the bonus of this festival," Yana said.

To provide security for the four-day event, he said, the committee planned to cooperate with the police and pecalang (traditional security guards) and would also maximize the use of 18 closed circuit TVs that were installed in the village several years ago.

Sidharta said the festival had increased the number of foreign tourists in the area, a large number of whom were repeat visitors.

"One of the reasons we keep organizing the festival is because there have been so many people asking about it," he said.

The festival is organized by the foundation in cooperation with the Denpasar City administration and private companies that use the event to promote their businesses.

The foundation was among the island's first community-based organizations. It comprises representatives from Sanur village's three banjar (traditional neighborhood organization) and selected members of the community.

The city administration shoulders the bulk of this year's festival funding.

However, Sidharta said the committee had spent more this year due to the soaring fuel prices, and hoped for support from the central government.

"I hope the central government could help us in financing the event, as it also fits with government's campaign of 'Visit Indonesia Year'," he said.

Bali Tourism Board chairman Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, who also attended the press conference, said a team of negotiators had been tasked with convincing the Cultural and Tourism Ministry's officials to provide the festival with additional funding.

The festival is one of 15 well-known cultural festivals in Bali. Among the others are the Bali Art Festival, Bali Fashion Week and the International Kite Festival.