Bisik Serayu Festival and Two Other Bayumas Cultural Event Proposed to KEN
- 02 Sep 2026 12:13 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Poin Utama
- The Bisik Serayu Festival 2026 in Banyumas, Central Java, has been proposed for inclusion in the Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) calendar.
- Now in its third edition, the festival is considered to have potential to develop into a national-scale and eventually international tourism event.
RRI.CO.ID, Banyumas - The Bisik Serayu Festival that is held in Banyumas Regency, Central Java has been proposed for inclusion in Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN). Now in its third edition, the festival is considered to have the potential to be developed into a national-scale tourism event.
The Bisik Serayu Festival has been held since 2024 at Joglo Gayatri, Kaliori Village, Kalibagor Subdistrict. This year, Bisik Serayu Festival 2026 took place on August 29–30. In addition to local and international cultural performances, the event also featured discussions and workshops, as well as an MSME bazaar.
Bisik Serayu Festival Founder, Rianto, proposed the festival on the grounds that it nurtures a community ecosystem along the Serayu River. According to him, the area holds significant heritage value, both for tourism and culture.
“With support from various parties, because this also serves as tourism and an ecosystem for the community, we are cultivating riverside areas as extraordinary heritage, as well as developing tourism in the fields of tourism and culture,” said Rianto on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
He added that the festival also provides a platform to promote micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and stimulate economic activity among communities around the Serayu River. In his view, cultural and tourism development can go hand in hand with strengthening the local economy.
“Culture and tourism can never be left behind or separated, because they will indeed boost the economy in the areas surrounding events like this,” he said.
In addition to the Bisik Serayu Festival, Rianto also submitted two other cultural events from Banyumas for consideration in Karisma Event Nusantara, which are Banyumas Ngibing (Dancing) and Lengger Bicara (Lengger Talk).
The House of Representatives Commission VII Lawmaker, Siti Mukaromah, said the Bisik Serayu Festival has the potential to be developed into a national event and included in the KEN calendar. She assessed that the festival concept, which has been running for three years, shows progress and can still be further improved, including in terms of its programme lineup and activity concept.
“We will strive to improve this concept so that it becomes even better, so that when we present it to the central government, in this case the Ministry of Tourism, it can become part of KEN,” she said.
Siti added that the festival’s development must continue to position the Serayu River as the main identity of Bisik Serayu. In her view, the appeal of the Serayu River has already attracted visitors from abroad.
She expressed hope that this potential can be further developed so that the Bisik Serayu Festival gains wider recognition, not only at the national level but also internationally.
“Friends from Japan and several other countries have already become part of those who enjoy and regularly come here. We hope it can be internationalised and included in KEN, so that one of the national, even international, calendar events is Bisik Serayu from Kaliori, Kalibagor Subdistrict, Banyumas Regency,” said Siti.
Meanwhile, one spectator, Aprilia Intan Saputri, supported the plan for the Bisik Serayu Festival to enter KEN. The Indonesian Literature student at Jenderal Soedirman University expressed hope that the festival could attract more people and encourage the younger generation to better recognise and care about local culture. (Annaila Azzahra-EN)
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