VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Makassar International Eight Festival & Forum (F8 Makassar), one of the leading tourism and creative economy events in Makassar City, will be held again from July 24 to 28, 2024, at Anjungan Pantai Losari Makassar with the theme "Unity."

The "Unity" theme is a continuation of last year's theme, "The Next Gen Treasure," which explains that the various languages, cultures, and differences owned by various ethnic groups have been united at F8 Makassar.

F8 Makassar was initiated by artists and cultural experts together with the Makassar City Government in 2015, aiming to change and strengthen the image of Makassar City through cultural channels. This event officially began in 2016 and has since been included in the wonderful event and is now part of the Top 10 Karisma Event Nusantara.

Throughout its journey, F8 Makassar has proven capable of raising the image and brand awareness of Makassar City in the tourism sector. Last year, 471 thousand people were recorded during the five-day event, and this year’s target is between 500 thousand and 600 thousand. Last year’s transactions totaled Rp27 billion, and this year all sectors in F8 are expected to reach a target of Rp30 billion.

President Director of PT Festival Delapan Indonesia, Sofyan Setiawan, explained that there are several innovations presented in the organization of F8 Makassar this year. One of them is that on the second day of the event, there will be treats that truly reflect the city of Makassar in five stage zones. The treats will reflect all creative industries, ranging from music, film, fashion, folks, and others who will perform simultaneously on the stages prepared.

This year, F8 Makassar will also digitize the works of creative actors from the film and fusion music subsectors, facilitating the registration of Intellectual Property Rights and incorporating them into the prepared platform. As before, F8 also provides a special stage for students in Makassar to perform.

This year, 1000 dancers will give their best performances at the opening and closing of F8. At the opening, they will perform a colossal dance called "Harmony of the Archipelago." The dance depicts the diversity of Indonesia, different yet still in harmonious unity. While at the closing, they will dance "Bunga Rampai Makassar," which is an expression of the daily life of the community in building a good Makassar for all.