PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The 2026 Bandung City Angklung Festival was held at the Bandung City Hall Plaza on Saturday (June 6, 2026). This event serves as a space for cultural collaboration, bringing together artists, communities, the government, and the public in an effort to strengthen Bandung's identity as the City of Angklung while preserving this UNESCO-recognized world cultural heritage.

The festival was enlivened by the performance of singer Ade Astrid along with more than 500 angklung activists and artists from various communities throughout the city of Bandung.

In addition, five unique participants from the series of pre-events and the champions of the Greater Bandung Student Angklung Festival also appeared.

The Regional Secretary of Bandung City, Iskandar Zulkarnain, said that the angklung is not just a traditional musical instrument, but a symbol of togetherness that is full of the values of mutual cooperation, tolerance, and harmony.

"Today, we show Indonesia and even the world that Bandung is not just a creative city, a city of education, or a tourist destination. Bandung is a city that preserves its cultural roots with love and responsibility," said Zulkarnain.

According to him, the philosophy of the angklung teaches that differences can become strength when combined in unity. Therefore, preserving the angklung involves more than just preserving it; it also involves ensuring that this cultural heritage continues to live, be played, studied, loved, and remain relevant to the younger generation.

"Angklung teaches mutual cooperation, togetherness, and tolerance. Differences are not meant to be pitted against each other, but rather to be united into a strength," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Bandung City Culture and Tourism Office, Adi Junjunan Mustafa, explained that the 2026 Bandung City Angklung Festival is the culmination of the commemoration of Bandung City Angklung Day, which this year is entering its fifth year since its declaration.

According to him, this year's festival was preceded by a series of Road to Bandung Kota Angklung Festivals which took place throughout May 2026 in five shopping centers, namely Bandung Indah Plaza, Cihampelas Walk, The Botanica Mall Bandung, Summarecon Mall Bandung, and Festival Citylink.

A total of 57 angklung groups participated in the series of activities with the number of visitors reaching around 1,000 people.

Various activities ranging from community parades, cross-generational angklung performances, interactive workshops, to creative cultural activations also directly involve the community.

Adi said that the Bandung City Angklung Festival is not just an art performance, but a joint movement to preserve cultural heritage and strengthen the identity of the city of Bandung.

"As a UNESCO-recognized world cultural heritage, the angklung is not only a traditional musical instrument, but also a representation of the values of mutual cooperation, tolerance, and togetherness. We must continue to maintain and develop the spirit of preserving the angklung as Bandung's identity," he said.

He hopes that Bandung's position as the City of Angklung will be strengthened through various forms of recognition and collaboration involving the government, communities, the world of education, and the wider community.

For those of you who missed it and are curious to see the excitement, you can watch the 2026 Bandung City Angklung Festival live on the Bandung City Communications and Information Agency's YouTube channel. (Bandung City Communications and Information Agency/rka)