Jakarta Deputy Governor, Rano Karno flagged off thousands of participants for the Sarendo Rendo Carnival at the southwest side of the National Monument (Monas), Central Jakarta, Sunday morning (12/14).

Rano stated that the Sarendo Rendo Carnival is one of the largest celebrations of Betawi arts and culture in Jakarta, serving as a year-end closing event ahead of Christmas and New Year.

"Alhamdulillah (thank God), today all forms of Betawi arts are on display at this Sarendo Rendo event. There are Tanjidor, Tehyan, Ondel-ondel, martial arts, traditional dances, and much more joining the carnival parade all the way to Sarinah Thamrin," he expressed.

Besides the carnival, which involves over 100 art studios and 2,000 participants, he explained that visitors can also enjoy the 'Night Market' atmosphere in the Monas area.

"I invite all Jakarta residents who do not have plans yet to come to Monas to enjoy all the entertainment and taste MSME products at the Sarendo Rendo Carnival series until tonight," he urged.

Notably, the Sarendo Rendo Carnival is a concrete manifestation of the Jakarta gvernment's commitment to preserving, revitalizing, and promoting Betawi arts and culture more broadly.

The event also aims to strengthen Jakarta's position as a cultural city that is open, inclusive, and full of character.

The carnival presents not only traditional Betawi masks but also a variety of masks from across the archipelago (Nusantara) and abroad, symbolizing Jakarta's cultural diversity and creativity.

At the Night Market, visitors can enjoy an array of Betawi culinary delights from Jakarta's MSMEs, ranging from selendang mayang (dessert made from rice flour and palm sugar), kerak telor (Betawi traditional omelette), toge goreng (stir fried beansprouts), laksa Betawi (a curry flavoured soup with rice cakes), kue dongkal (usually served on banana leaves and topped with grated coconut), kue ape (a crispy pancake), putu mayang (noodle-shaped cake), to Bir Pletok (spice-based Betawi beverage), and Es Goyang (a traditional ice-cream peddler).

Further, there are folk games such as carousels, trampolines, stilt-walking (engrang) juggling attractions, fish scooping, and nostalgic static kiddie rides (odong-odong).

Additionally, the event will feature the "Panggung Rakyat Gembira" (Happy People's Stage), showcasing renowned local musicians such as Danilla, Endah & Ressa, Mocca, Azul Jiung, Boysjob, and many others.