Rembang Unen-Unen Festival Celebrates Local Arts and Heritage
- 28 Sep 2026 14:46 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Key Points
- The Unen-Unen Festival showcases Rembang’s traditional arts, performances and culinary heritage while engaging younger generations.
- Around 100 elementary school students joined cultural workshops aimed at encouraging artistic regeneration.
RRI.CO.ID, Rembang - The Rembang Regency Culture and Tourism Agency (Dinbudpar) in Central Java hosted the Unen-Unen Festival over the weekend to serve as a meeting space for diverse performing arts while introducing local cultural heritage to younger generations.
Held at the official residence of the Rembang Deputy Regent in Rembang on Saturday evening, September 26, the festival featured traditional arts, cultural performances, and regional culinary treats aimed at accelerating artistic regeneration among students.
"The title Festival Unen-Unen was deliberately chosen to spark public curiosity about the contents of the festival," said Acting Head of the Rembang Dinbudpar, Isti Choma Wati, on Sunday, September 27, as quoted by Antara.
To ensure rapid cultural succession, the event actively involved elementary school students across public, private, and religious institutions in educational workshops, such as coloring techniques, alongside art showcases. The initiative builds on Dinbudpar’s previous Rembangan Fest, where 100 junior high school students learned to craft straw puppets and experienced live traditional music.
"We embrace everyone so that our artistic regeneration moves faster. Previously we had 100 junior high school students, and today we invited 100 elementary school students," Isti explained.
The festival provided an inclusive platform for various performing arts, including the traditional barongsai (lion dance), leang-leong (dragon dance), Barongan Ndas Papat, Unen-Unen Rengel, and geguritan (Javanese poetry recitations).
Stephen, a local lion dance performer, expressed his excitement over participating alongside other cultural groups. "My hope is that barongsai continues to advance and that all the public can enjoy it. Hopefully, events like this can run smoothly, continue to grow, and happen often to entertain the people," Stephen said.
Atmospheric touches added to the traditional ambiance, with attendees enjoying local snacks such as boiled peanuts, steamed cassava, and Rembang's signature kopi lelet (finely ground coffee) while watching the evening performances. ***
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