Solo Events, Things to Do and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Solo, Central Java, Indonesia)

The historical centre of Solo is where many of the biggest and best annual festivals are staged, attracting crowds of visitors to the city each year. These events include everything from religious Islamic and Hindu events, to music festivals and national Indonesian holidays, such as Independence Day on 17th August.

One of the biggest annual festivals in Solo is the Garebeg Ceremony (Sekaten). Lasting for an entire week, the celebrations involved with the Garebeg Ceremony commence at midnight, with a colourful parade departing from the Kraton Ponconiti Hall, with gamelans (traditional Indonesian percussion instruments) being carried along the Jalan Malioboro, to the Grand Mosque.

Solo Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

The Kirab Pusaka is another major event is Solo and is staged each year at the beginning of the Javanese month of Suro, which can fall in either March, April or May. Better known to tourists as the Solo Heirloom Procession, the Kirab Pusaka, which dates as far back as 1633, features colourful processions and starts at the Puri Mangkunegaran in the early evening, lasting well into the night.

The Islamic month of Maurud (between May and July) is where the popular Sekaten Festival is held in Solo. The Sekaten celebrates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad and has even older origins that the Kirab Pusaka, since it first took place in 1478. Comprising two individual ceremonies, the Sekaten Festival also has a fair within the Alun Alun area, where an enormous mountain of rice is shared out.