Gunungkidul’s Geopark Night Specta 8.0, A Premiere Tourism Masterpiece

RRI.CO.ID, Yogyakarta - The Geopark Night Specta (GNS) 8.0, an annual international cultural event held within the pristine landscape of the UNESCO Global Geopark Mount Sewu, has captured major national prestige by securing a coveted slot in the Kharisma Event Nusantara (KEN) 2026 program.

The highly prestigious inclusion establishes the eco-festival as one of Indonesia's premiere tourism masterpieces, successfully using the dramatic backdrop of ancient volcanic craters to merge cutting-edge performance art with strict geological preservation. The Geopark Night Specta (GNS) 8.0 was held at the Nglanggeran Ancient Volcano in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta.

"It must be conceptualized for community empowerment, conservation, education, and innovation," Gunungkidul Regent Endah Subekti Kuntariningsih said on Sunday, July 12, 2026, reinforcing that the sprawling geopark should actively feed the local economy while prioritizing absolute environmental sustainability, as quoted by Antara.

Endah detailed that the vast Mount Sewu UNESCO Global Geopark spans an impressive network of 33 distinct geosites cross-cutting three administrative regencies: Gunungkidul, Pacitan, and Wonogiri.

"Out of a total of 33 geosites owned by the Mount Sewu Geopark, as many as 13 of them are located within the Gunungkidul Regency area, including the Nglanggeran Ancient Volcano," she said.

She emphasized that the region's breathtaking prehistoric topology and rich cultural legacy represent a sacred trust that requires sustainable management to directly elevate local household incomes rather than allowing unregulated, destructive mass commercialization.

During the festival's dazzling peak night on Saturday, July 11, the official KEN 2026 national certification was symbolically presented to Regent Endah by Harfiansah Bimantara, the Marketing Director of the Borobudur Authority Agency (BPOB), at the base of the majestic Nglanggeran ancient volcanic formation.

Endah revealed that this year's selection marks a spectacular milestone for the region, marking the third consecutive year the creative production has been handpicked by national tourism evaluators.

"The entry of the Geopark Night Specta into the KEN 2026 list marks the third consecutive achievement, standing as one of the nation's 125 featured flagship events," Endah announced proudly.

Backed by the strategic injection of the Special Region of Yogyakarta's Special Autonomy Funds for the 2026 fiscal year, the Gunungkidul Regency Administration pledged to keep scaling high-value, low-impact premium tourism models.

Endah concluded that by utilizing these dedicated provincial resources, the green tourism sector and creative micro-economies will firmly anchor an inclusive economic expansion, creating sustainable jobs across rural Gunungkidul communities without compromising their ancient geological heritage. ***