Surakarta City optimistic Solo Menari increased tourist visits

The Surakarta City Government is optimistic that there will be an increase in tourist visits to Surakarta City, Central Java, also known as Solo, the after the commemoration of World Dance Day through Solo Menari 2025 on Apr. 29, 2025.

The series of Solo Menari events, and the 24 Hours of Dance event held by Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Surakarta, or ISI Solo, are an attraction for tourists to come to Solo.

Surakarta City Culture and Tourism Office Head Aryo Widyandoko admitted that data on tourist visits from various Solo Menari events was not yet available.

"But we are optimistic that there will be an increase in tourist visits to Solo," he added.

The optimism was based on the data for Solo Menari 2024, which showed an increase in tourist visits to Solo indicated by hotel occupancy performance.

"Last year, [hotel] occupancy during the Solo Menari event on April 29, 2024 was 49.12 percent, up 7.26 percent compared to the normal monthly [hotel] occupancy of 41.86 percent," said Aryo.

The data also showed that the number of visitors to the Solo Menari event last year was around 17,600 people, with the number of visitors to Solo in all of April 2024 was recorded at 531,365 people.

The series of Solo Menari events on April 29, 2025 were held in several locations. The appearance of 500 dancers in a mass dance in the Ngarsopuro area on the afternoon of that day enlivened the celebration of the World Dance Day in the city.

Meanwhile, ISI Solo's 24 Hours of Dancing which took place in Apr. 29-30, 2025. The series of performances has "The Land of Thousands Kingdom" as its theme

ISI Solo Rector I Nyoman Sukerna stated that the world of dance is a culture rooted in 'kingdoms,' namely cultural patronages that in the present day have developed into kingdoms that exist within the people.

"Thousands of people gather together, move together, celebrate together World Dance Day in 24 Hours of Dancing [in] ISI Surakarta (Solo)," said Sukerna.