Downtown Walk Festival: Tangerang, West Java

Lantern-lined footpaths and music playing all night long will give the industrial city of Tangerang a new ambience for the next month. Starting Friday, the newly-opened Summarecon Mall Serpong (SMS) shopping mall is set to hold a month-long Downtown Walk Festival.

“The Downtown Walk Festival is aimed at entertaining visitors by featuring music and dancing,” corporate public relations coordinator Eky Mery said.

There would be five different themes each week until Nov. 25, she said.

The first week, themed “Octoberforrest“, has been dedicated to German culture and will feature performances from the Humpa Humpa dance group and Tiwi Sukushachi and Friends singers.

Latin week, which started Monday and will run until to Nov. 4, will feature performances from Los Morenitos and Manha D Carnaval.

A “wild west” theme, which can be enjoyed from Nov. 11-15, will feature country music by Tantowi Yahya & Friends, Dalton Band and Kanda Band.

Visitors will also be entertained with a Jakjazz 2007 preview, featuring singers Syahrani and Bertha, and swing dances from Nov. 12-18.

From Nov. 19-25, the festival will feature performances from popular bands such as She and the White Shoes and the Couples Company.

“We envision the Downtown Walk as an annual entertainment festival that every visitor will be able to enjoy,” Eky added.

Located in the Gading Serpong housing estate on Jl. Raya Serpong, some 20 kilometers west of Jakarta, SMS is a new leisure point for residents of Serpong, Tangerang.

The 65,000-square-meter mall was opened to the public on June 28. Within three months, it has emulated the success of its sister malls — Mal Kelapa Gading, Gading Food City and La Piazza — in attracting visitors.

The atmosphere at SMS is similar to that of the outdoor-cafe areas found at Cilandak Town Square and La Piazza, where visitors can enjoy al fresco dining while listening to live music.

SMS, designed by Cadiz International, is part of Gading Serpong’s planned integrated business district, which will boast two luxury hotels, two serviced-apartment complexes, two apartment towers and an office tower within the next 10 years.

“SMS is aimed at a wide range of visitors — families, teenagers, businesspeople and executives looking for a ‘modern lifestyle’,” Eky said.

Multa Fidrus