Pacitan Ronthek Festival needs central government support to go international

The 2025 Pacitan Ronthek Festival has concluded. It had "Pacitan Sumandhang Nugraha" as its theme, and was attended by dozens of ronthek peformance groups from various districts and high schools in Pacitan Regency, East Java Province.

Gondrong Gunarto, one of the festival's juries, evaluated the event—which was included in the Tourism Ministry's Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) 2025 calendar of cultural festivals.

"This year's festival is beginning to show the true identity of ronthek," he said on July 10, 2025.

Gunarto emphasized that the 2025 Pacitan Ronthek Festival was unlike last year.

"It's not like previous years' [editions of the festival], which were dominated by supporting elements such as accompanying music, lighting, and dance," he said.

Gunarto acknowledged that Pacitan Ronthek Festival 2025 that many participants showcased Pacitan's authentic local cultural wealth. The emphasis on the authenticity and power of the kentongan slit bamboo drums as a key element of ronthek is considered a step forward in cultural preservation.

However, the seasoned artist explained that the goal of Pacitan Ronthek Festival 2025 going international is quite challenging to realize. One of the reasons is the budget required for that goal, which would need support from the provincial and central governments.

"I think it's quite difficult if the goal is to go international. It's not impossible, but it will require a large budget and the involvement of many parties," he explained.

Gunarto acknowledged that ronthek has enormous potential to become known internationally, but thorough preparation is needed in terms of both the cultural content and promotional strategy.