Keroncong Plesiran 2025 combines keroncong and contemporary music

Hundreds of people chose to stay in the rain in Tinalah Tourism Village, Kulon Progo Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY) for the lively 2025 Keroncong Plesiran Festival that is also in tune with nature on May 24, 2025.

The festival has once again showed that combining traditional and contemporary music with a cross-generational approach could be relevant to our times and enchanting to experience.

Keroncong Plesiran 2025, which opened with performances by keroncong groups from various cities and culminated with a collaboration between national musicians across music genres such as Marcello Tahitoe, Bilal Indrajaya, Endah Laras, and Paksi Raras Alit, showcased keroncong as a fresh and inclusive emotional language.

“Keroncong Plesiran is a celebration of keroncong music. I saw firsthand how keroncong can be loved again, even by the youth,” said Paksi.

For urban dwellers who are less attached to traditional culture, the event is an open invitation to reconnect as both spectators and part of a cultural regeneration.

Borobudur Authority Implementing Agency Head Agustin Peranginangin noted Keroncong Plesiran is part of the Tourism  Ministry's Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) 2025 calendar of cultural festivals.

“I salute the audience for holding out even though it was raining. This is not just a concert, but a living space for culture,” he said.

Keroncong Plesiran 2025 also has a notable economic impact, with around 70 percent of its visitors coming from outside the region - including Jakarta. That means the festival has succeeded in attracting city dwellers to revive tourist villages, such as Tinalah which is now a new star of DIY's tourism offerings.

“We want tourism to not just pile up in one spot. Keroncong Plesiran helps promote alternative destinations,” said Imam Pramana from the DIY Tourism Office.

Visitors are also treated with wingko tinalah, one of the region's characteristic rural snacks, which is distributed as a cultural souvenir to them. Local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), from food sellers and craftspeople, are also involved in the mini bazaars around Keroncong Plesiran 2025.

The festival is supported by the DIY Special Fund, proving that fostering culture can go hand in hand with economic empowerment.

"We chose Kulon Progo because we [Keroncong Plesiran] have never been here before. This year, we want the village to be the main stage," said Ari 'Kancil' Sulistiyanto, event initiator from the Simphony Kerontjong Moeda Community.