JAYAPURA, Papua: The Jayapura municipality is hosting the Humblod Bay Cultural Festival from Aug. 6 and 7 to coincide with Indonesia's 65th Independence Day as well as a promotional event on potential tourism spots in Papua's provincial capital.
The festival will exhibit local cultures, including dances, food and music from 10 villages located around Humblod Bay.
"Jayapura is very unique in that it is inhabited by almost all ethnic groups in Indonesia, from Aceh to Maluku, thus Jayapura is also dubbed mini Indonesia," said Jayapura Mayor M.R. Kambu when he inaugurated the festival on Friday.
The festival was also attended by the Culture and Tourism Ministry's promotion and tour destination section head Diah Widiati. Kambu said that the Humblod Bay Festival was scheduled for early August to avoid overlapping with the Baliem Valley Cultural Festival in Wamena, which runs on Aug. 9 and 10 every year.
"We chose to hold the festival early in the month so visitors traveling to Wamena could stop over in Jayapura to attend the Humblod Bay Festival. This way, Jayapura does not only serve as a transit point but also as a tourist destination." - JP