As the archipelago nation’s capital, Jakarta plays host to many national and international festivals. In early March, the city holds the International Java Jazz Festival, which draws about 50,000 visitors annually. Many Indonesian and international artists attend and give performances; at least a dozen venues are booked solid from early afternoon to late into the night for the three days of the festival. Most of the hundreds of events that take place during the weekend can be accessed by a day ticket or a festival-long pass, though there are a few shows that require extra admission.

Along the same line of promoting the city of Jakarta, Indonesian culture and international music, the organizers of the Java Jazz Festival hold a SOULNATION festival in September that features R&B, hip-hop and rap music along with extreme sports. There are local artists as well as internationally-recognized ones (previous guests include Ashanti, Ludacris, and Busta Rhymes).

The Jakarta International Film Festival, affectionately known as JiFFest, takes place over a little more than a week in December. There are a number of workshops for writing film scripts (documentary, fiction, feature, etc), though these are targeted toward native Indonesians. There are also a number of film screenings by local and international directors.

 To find the current list of events for free, which is daily updated please go to the source of Jakarta Events: www.jakarta-events.com