Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Cap Go Meh marks the grand finale of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Held on the 15th day after Lunar New Year, the festival coincides with the first full moon of the new year. In 2025, Cap Go Meh falls on Wednesday, February 12.
In Indonesia, Cap Go Meh is not only a significant occasion for the Chinese community to gather with family and offer prayers, but it has also evolved into a vibrant cultural tradition. Across the country, cities host lively celebrations featuring festivals, culinary fairs, lion and dragon dance performances, and lantern displays.
The festivities attract both domestic and international tourists eager to experience the unique charm of Chinese traditions in Indonesia. Here are five Indonesian cities known for hosting the most spectacular Cap Go Meh celebrations, as reported by Beautynesia.
Singkawang
Singkawang, home to a predominantly Chinese-Indonesian population, is often referred to as the ‘City of a Thousand Temples’ due to its numerous temples and shrines. The city’s Cap Go Meh festival is a highly anticipated event each year and is part of Indonesia’s Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) calendar.
In 2025, Singkawang’s Cap Go Meh festivities will run from January 27 to February 13, featuring a variety of events, including cultural performances, a culinary festival, a lantern parade, a street cleansing ritual, an exhibition and auction of Singkawang’s signature ceramic jewelry and wall decorations, as well as the famed Tatung parade, where spirit mediums perform astonishing feats in a trance-like state.
Bogor
Bogor’s Cap Go Meh celebrations take center stage with the annual Bogor Street Fest, a cultural festival that has been a staple event for over 20 years. The festival includes a grand street parade and a public cultural celebration that is free for all to enjoy.
The Cap Go Meh parade will take place on February 12, 2025, showcasing not only Chinese traditions but also Indonesia’s diverse cultural heritage. The event, held along Suryakencana and Siliwangi streets from 3:00 PM to midnight, will feature Nusantara cultural performances, dragon and lion dances, marching bands, Ba Jia-Jiang performances, ogoh-ogoh processions, marawis drumming, and a variety of traditional culinary delights. Multiple cultural and medical service stations will also be set up along the parade route.
Pontianak
Pontianak is another city known for its vibrant Cap Go Meh festivities, which have been officially recognized in the KEN 2025 calendar. This year, the Pontianak Cap Go Meh Festival will take place from February 6 to 12 along Diponegoro and Gajah Mada streets.
Highlights of the event include live entertainment performances, a signature culinary festival, the Dragon Awakening Ritual, the selection of Gege Meimei (a beauty and talent pageant), and a grand illuminated dragon parade to close the festival in spectacular fashion.
Yogyakarta
In Yogyakarta, the Cap Go Meh celebrations are known as the Yogyakarta Chinese Cultural Week (Pekan Budaya Tionghoa Yogyakarta – PBTY), an annual event that draws thousands of visitors. The 20th edition of PBTY will take place in Ketandan Chinatown from February 6 to 12, 2025.
The festival will feature a grand carnival along Malioboro Street, cultural performances, a main stage for live shows, bazaars, a cultural museum house, puppet theater (wayang potehi), a children’s dance competition, a Chinese costume show, a Mandarin singing contest for kids, and an array of mouth-watering traditional Chinese-Indonesian cuisine.
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Palembang
Palembang’s Cap Go Meh celebrations take place on Kemaro Island, an important cultural and spiritual site for the local Chinese-Indonesian community. The 2025 festival will be held on February 10-11, featuring the unique tradition of black goat sacrifice, a practice that has been carried out for centuries.
The event will also include lion dance performances and a culinary fair, adding to the festive atmosphere. To make the celebration more accessible, the local government will provide free boat transportation for visitors traveling to Kemaro Island to witness the Cap Go Meh festivities firsthand.
A Festival of Unity and Cultural Heritage
Indonesia’s Cap Go Meh celebrations highlight the country’s rich multicultural identity, blending Chinese traditions with local customs. As cities across the archipelago gear up for the 2025 festival, visitors can expect a dynamic mix of religious rituals, cultural performances, and culinary delights, making it an unmissable event for both locals and tourists alike.
(Raidi/Agung)
