Dieng Culture Festival Grows Organically and Benefits the Community: Govt

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Creative Economy considers the Dieng Culture Festival a community-driven event that has grown organically and delivers broader social benefits.

The ministry’s Director of Music, Mohammad Amin, said the festival grew from local initiatives and is now supported through facilitation and legitimacy from the regional administration.

“I think this is an organic festival,” Amin said during the IP Talks & Coffee session at the 2026 Dieng Coffee Festival, broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DJKI) of the Ministry of Law on Saturday, August 29, 2026.

Amin said the founder of the Dieng Culture Festival, Alif Faozi, has become one of the local heroes behind its development. He noted that this bottom-up model differs from festivals created through a top-down approach.

Amin also referred to a study estimating that activities in Dieng generated an economic impact of around IDR 40–50 billion (USD 2.25–2.81 million) last year. Beyond the economic impact, he said the festival also produces social and cultural benefits for the Dieng community.

Founder of the Dieng Culture Festival and Chair of the Dieng Pandawa Tourism Awareness Group, Alif Faozi, said the festival’s development began with efforts to promote Dieng’s cultural potential. He said culture is one of the strengths that can be developed into a tourism experience.

He explained that quality tourism is not only about inviting visitors to see attractions. “But also about how we can offer tourists something to do, something to learn, something to feel, and something to buy,” Alif said.

Alif hopes this concept will encourage tourists to stay longer in Dieng. These tourism activities are also expected to generate wider economic benefits for the community.

Meanwhile, Banjarnegara Regent Amalia Desyana said the regional administration has provided local stakeholders with ample space to develop their activities. “We are optimistic that when these partners are given room to operate, they will deliver their best performance,” she said.

Chair of the Banjarnegara Regency Creative Economy Committee, Kristiano Hadi Pranoto, said the creative economy is also advancing through collaboration across various subsectors, including street coffee. The initiative is planned to be held regularly starting in October at Banjarnegara’s Alun-Alun.

The event will involve other creative economy subsectors, including the skateboarding community, painters, and youth groups.

Kristiano said the collaboration aims to expand opportunities for creative economy actors in Banjarnegara. He added that development should not focus on a single subsector but should involve the community’s diverse creative potential. (Gusti Panji)