Salo Karajae Festival listed in KEN for fifth straight year

Parepare City, South Sulawesi Province has once again established itself as a national-level marine tourism hub through the 2025 Salo Karajae Festival. 

The festival was officially opened by Parepare Mayor Tasming Hamid at the Tonrangen Riverside Pavilion on the evening of Sep. 27, 2025. The date was chosen to coincide with the World Tourism Day.

He was accompanied during the opening by officials from the Tourism Ministry and South Sulawesi Culture and Tourism Office Head Muhammad Arafah, who represented South Sulawesi Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman.

The lively opening ceremony was also attended by several Parepare City Government officials, representatives of the South Sulawesi Provincial Government, cultural figures, and delegates from neighboring regions. Their presence supported the Salo Karajae Festival's position as one of the largest cultural and tourism events in South Sulawesi.

Salo Karajae Festival 2025 has also been included in Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) calendar of cultural festivals assembled by the Tourism Ministry for the fifth consecutive year, affirming its standing as a leading national event.

"This festival is not just an ordinary event, but a celebration that combines tradition, nature, and modern creativity," said Parepare Mayor Tasming Hamid in his opening remarks.

He gave his warm welcome to the festival's guests, introducing Parepare City as a beautiful small city steeped in history and full of inspiration. Tasming also noted that Parepare City is the birthplace Bacharuddin Jusuf (B.J.) Habibie, the third President of Indonesia.

B.J. Habibie has been immortalized in the city through the Habibie Ainun True Love Monument, Institut Teknologi Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, the BJ Habibie Floating Mosque, and the Hasri Ainun Habibie Regional General Hospital.

"The Salo Karajae Festival is a source of pride for us all. It proves that tourism activities in Parepare are recognized nationally. Therefore, this event must continue to develop in line with the growing cultural interaction within the community," Tasming emphasized.

He added that the Salo Karajae Festival is one of the Parepare City Government's strategies to promote the city's tourism destinations. Through events like the festival, he is confident that Parepare can become more widely known at the national and international stage.