Holiday Ayo - Bandung is the capital of West Java and is inhabited by most of the Sundanese who have their own cultural legacy and language.

Most Sundanese people believe in the religion Islam. Although many locals are predominantly religious and religion plays a big role in the West Java region, many people still tend to be open-minded by welcoming foreigners, their habits, and their way of thinking.

The Sundanese people love to party, such as weddings and circumcision. Food is extravagantly prepared to feed hundreds of people, and the food can last a number of days.

Marriages become extravagant celebratory feasts with the bride and groom dressed up in elaborate Sundanese costumes. The couple is then ordered to change no less than five times throughout the celebration. Then, a Dangdut traditional performance is put on with loud music accompanied with lyrics and erotic dancing.

Aside from rituals and social events, festivals in Bandung are plenty as well. Most of the festivals celebrated in Badung are nationwide celebrations of the country. A large number of festivities are also religious-oriented while some non-religious feasts are attended by a large number of people as well.

Aside from celebrating New Year’s Day on January 1, Indonesians celebrate the Lomban Festival as well when the fishermen of the country thank the sea for whatever they caught during the year.

By March, the Kasada Festival kicks in as the Bandung people pay tribute to their ancestors by making offerings of flowers, fruits, and chicken. By August, the country comes together to celebrate Independence Day with countless parades and air shows in the major cities of the county including Bandung. The month of October then revolves around the Hari Raya Pusa, an important religious festival of the country.

Bandung is also a city filled with arts and music. From late November up until the end of December, the city hosts the Asian International Art Show at its Selarso Senaryo Art Space annually. This art show features a wide range of artists from Asian countries and their best works. Not only does it enhance communication and good ties with other Asian nations but at the same time, it encourages mutual understanding and respect for other traditions and cultures of Asian countries.

These festivals and events are often coupled with colorful processions and cultural performances that make them definitely worth attending. Sundanese people take a relatively light view of things.

Locals love to just joke around with people, making this a community with a good-hearted nature. This relaxed atmosphere and fun-loving attitude of the Sundanese people is best experienced in the culture and festivals Bandung can provide.

If you plan for visiting Bandung, here are the 7 Traditional Festivals in Bandung:

1. The Festive of Bandung Lautan Api

The festive of Bandung Lautan Api is usually conducted on 23 March every year. If you plan to join or see the festive, you will see some parades, such as the Torch parade and carnivals.  The torch parade starts from Tegallega until Bandung city hall. The participants of the festival are various in every year. It is usually 7000 participants from the students of Bandung. Each school in Bandung has to send their students as the representative of their school. The participant would compete to sing their yells, songs, and some performances that would mesmerize the visitor of Bandung. The purpose of this festive is to commemorate the Bandung Lautan Api's moment in 1946.

2. Bandung Clothing Expo

Bandung clothing expo is an annual festive in Bandung. It is also called Bandcloth. The event is usually conducted in Monument Perjuangan Bandung, Jalan Dipati Ukur Bandung.  In Bandcloth, you would see a lot of popular bands in Indonesia. The theme of band cloth would be different year by year.

Meanwhile, Bandung Clothing Expo usually introduces the local brand clothing of Bandung. So, you could shop for a lot of local clothing and see the performance of the band performance.

3. Braga Festival

Braga festival is also an annual festive in Bandung. It is usually held in September every year. The location is along the Braga city walk. The stages would be stood there. Braga Festival is actually a combination of art, talent exhibition, and food festival. You will find a lot of community in Bandung.

Furthermore, the example are photography community, reptile lover community, and painter community. There would be also the music performance of the local band in Bandung.

4. The Festive of Gedung Sate

Gedung Sate festival is an event to celebrate Bandung's birthday in September. The location of the festive is beside the Gedung Sate building on Diponegoro street. The festive will show some various traditional things in Bandung, such as music, cultures, and tourism.

Moreover, there are also unique traditions, such as Ngopi saraosna (drinking coffee as much as you want) and Jabar Ngaboseh sareng Gubernur (Riding a bicycle with the governor). In this festive, there would be also a wayang golek performance and some dances by the Senior High School students in Bandung. Gedung sate festival has always crowded the visitor every year.

5. Bandung Traditional Art and Cultural festival

This is the annual festival in Bandung. The cultural festival is aimed to show the extinction of traditional art and culture in Bandung. It is usually held in Ujungberung Public Square. The participants of the festival are hundreds of traditional artists and actors.  They would perform some traditional dances, modern dances, and traditional songs.

Furthermore, the enthusiasm of the Bandung citizen is amazing. They usually make a crowd in Bandung public from the morning before the event.

6. Asian Africa Carnival

The Asian Africa Carnival is conducted along Asia Africa street. The carnival is aimed to commemorate Asian Africa Conference. The procession of the carnival is begun by ‘napak tilas  ‘ to the King from the kingdom of all of Indonesia. Napak tilas means commemorating what they did at the Asia Africa conference some years ago. The next procession is the marching band from the army of Indonesia.

Then, the troops from the kingdoms in Indonesia will show their self-defense skill and the kingdom weapons. There is also the clothing and fashion parade of the kingdom.

7. The Festive of Sunda

The festive of Sunda is held in Trans Studio Bandung. This festive is aimed to maintain Sundanese culture and introduce the culture to the children. There is also a competition among the students of Bandung. The participants are the students of elementary school until the students of senior high school.

In this festival, They will perform Sundanese traditional show like Angklung, Degung, Pupuh, Kawih, Tari Kreasi Sunda, Rampak Sekar, and Sundanese tale. Trans Studio Bandung in collaboration with the government of Bandung are the main supporters for this festive.