This year’s Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP), touted as one of the biggest electronic dance music festivals in Southeast Asia, may end up being different than it was in previous years after the city warned that it must adhere to Indonesian norms of decency.
The DWP is set to be held in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta on December 15-16, and feature world-famous EDM artists. It is an annual raucous event with both performers and participants wearing revealing outfits and consuming alcohol.
Jakarta Tourism Agency Head Tinia Budiati has said that the event “must be adapted to Eastern norms”, which includes no alcohol and indecent outfits.
“We’ll just make them wear normal clothes. It can be done,” Tinia said, as quoted by RMOL .
“Most of the singers or artists have been warned that they must wear polite clothes. I have also warned them (DWP organizers) if they try to be funny, this will not only be about this year, but will affect the permit for the coming years,” she stressed.
Tinia’s statement was specifically in reference to DWP performers such as the Cyberjapan Dance Group who often perform in bikinis or other revealing outfits.
Regarding the matter of alcohol, Tinia said that the organizers must comply with prevailing city regulations, which restricts the sales of alcoholic beverages.
DWP is an event that has been a concern among youth and Islamic groups for the past few years as it is considered to promote immorality to Indonesian youths. Earlier in the month, a coalition of social organizations including the FPI tried to meet with Governor Anies Baswedan to persuade him to rescind the event.