PORTALJABAR, BOGOR CITY - Heavy rain that fell in Bogor City, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, did not dampen the public's enthusiasm to watch the peak event of the Cap Go Meh Bogor Street Festival 2026. Carrying the theme 'Harmony in Diversity', the activity took place lively along Jalan Suryakencana.

Unlike usual, this time the series of events were held at night in observance of Ramadan's fasting month and Tarawih prayers. Nevertheless, the crowd remained enthusiastic about watching the cultural parade, which included the traditional Chinese Barongsai (Lion Dance) and Liong (Liong Dance) performances, as well as Sisingaan, a Sundanese cultural masterpiece.

"Thank God, tonight, amidst the rain and still in the midst of breaking the fast, we can still gather to celebrate one of Indonesia's cultural expressions, Cap Go Meh. This is proof that despite our diversity, culture still unites us all. Differences are not a threat, but rather bring us closer together," said Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon.

"Hopefully, our culture will continue to advance, and we hope that Cap Go Meh 2026 will be a moment that will always unite the community," he added.

This year's Cap Go Meh Bogor Street Festival series of activities was held from Sunday, March 1, 2026. In addition to the cultural parade, various other agendas were carried out, starting from the MSME bazaar, breaking the fast together, to donations for 400 orphans.

Although imbued with Chinese traditions, the Cap Go Meh Bogor Street Festival is truly intended to foster interfaith and interethnic camaraderie. These values align with its main tagline: "Cultural Event, Uniting the Nation."

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi also praised the Cap Go Meh Bogor Street Festival. He described it as a unifying cultural event, inspiring him to hold a Pajajaran carnival in Bogor.

"Thank you to everyone who attended this event. Art can unite people. With art, we live without distinction of caste. With art, we have feelings. And with art, we can bring happiness. Hopefully, this carnival will not be the first carnival, and later I asked the Mayor of Bogor (Dedie Rachim) to have another carnival starting this year, namely the Pajajaran Carnival," he said.

As host, the Mayor of Bogor expressed his pride in the successful and lively implementation of the Cap Go Meh Bogor Street Festival. He stated that the consistent implementation of this event demonstrates the commitment of the community and city government to maintaining tolerance amidst diversity. He urged that this momentum inspire the community to unite in diversity.

"This demonstrates the commitment of the Bogor community, particularly in strengthening tolerance, preserving diversity, and strengthening ties between religious communities and all elements of society in Bogor City," he said.

Due to this consistency, the Cap Go Meh Bogor Street Festival was selected as one of the featured activities in the 2026 Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) program of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia. (Apun)