Kora-Kora Festival 2025 opens with boat decoration competition

The 2025 Kora-Kora Festival was officially held with a series of activities taking place at the Nukila Park area of Ternate City, North Maluku Province on June 19, 2025. The festival, which was held until June 21, 2025 began with a boat decoration competition as the opening event.

Ternate Mayor M. Tauhid Soleman stated that this festival was a form of joint commitment to develop the tourism industry through holding cultural events.

"This festival does not only belong to Ternate, but to all people of the nation. Here, we witness attractions that include Kora-Kora boats, traditional art performances, and MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprise) exhibitions, all of which are spaces to celebrate culture," said Tauhid during his remarks opening the event.

"I invite all of us to not only be spectators, but also active actors in maintaining and preserving culture," he added. "This festival is also part of an effort to make Ternate City a City of Spices that is an inclusive and sustainable tourist destination."

Kora-Kora Festival 2025, which has "The Maritime Pathway to the Indonesian Archipelago's Heritage" as its theme, is one of the 110 events listed in the Tourism Ministry's Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) calendar of cultural festivals.

Meanwhile, Tourism Ministry Regional Events Assistant Deputy Reza Fahlevi, who also had an opening speech, said that the collaboration and uniqueness of the Kora-Kora Festival 2025 has had a positive impact on the local economy.

"We hope that this event could increase tourist visits to North Maluku, especially Ternate City. In addition, this festival is expected to encourage the growth of MSMEs, creativity, and the preservation of cultural values," concluded Reza.