VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta – Indonesia arranged an exotic gala dinner for guests at the 43rd ASEAN Summit 2023 in Jakarta, on Wednesday, 6 September 2023.

Highlighting a green concept, the gala dinner was hosted in the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) City Forest, located inside the GBK Senayan Stadium Complex.

The artificial forest, which originally covered 4.5 hectares of commercial space, came as another surprise during the 43rd ASEAN Summit 2023.

Over the past few days, dozens of workers have been busy with preparations, including building a bamboo canopy structure that spans several meters and resembles the roof of a traditional Sasak tribe house in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

This canopy serves as the entrance to the gala dinner venue. Thick red carpets, still wrapped in white plastic, were spread out just beneath this canopy to welcome the delegation guests. Upon entering the gala dinner area, a small hill surrounds an open stage (amphitheater). This small hill, replete with synthetic green grass, is an artificial construction built to accommodate more delegates of the 43rd ASEAN Summit 2023.

There are access points, including eight stairs and a special sloping path for people with disabilities to reach the hill. On this hill, dozens of round tables have been arranged, each with a diameter of approximately 1.6 meters. There are eight gray chairs surrounding each table, spaced roughly 25–35 centimeters apart.

Eight large white plates have also been neatly arranged. Several other rectangular tables are arranged on the edge of the hill, facing directly towards the amphitheater. Meanwhile, at the front of the open stage, several round tables surrounded by eight chairs have been set up, each with white plates.

All tables and chairs, whether located on the small hill or in front of the open stage, are covered with special plastic. The open stage, measuring approximately 50 meters by 30 meters, becomes the center of attention for the gala dinner participants. Here, a variety of art performances and music entertainment by several artists will be presented.

Right behind the stage, numerous skyscrapers in the Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD) area can be seen, which is located across from the GBK City Forest. These buildings act as giant screens for video mapping performances during the gala dinner. In addition, the event organizers have covered the surrounding fence of the GBK City Forest with thousands of giant vines, giving the impression that you are in the middle of a forest.

The police have also closed the access to Jl Jenderal Sudirman from the Semanggi Bridge towards the Senayan Roundabout from 4 p.m. until the conclusion of the gala dinner event. The Jakarta Provincial Government has requested companies surrounding the Sudirman area to implement a Work From Home (WFH) policy for their employees on 5—7 September 2023.

During the 42nd ASEAN Summit 2023 in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, on 9—11 May 2023, President Joko “Jokowi Widodo invited all ASEAN leaders and heads of state to enjoy the sunset from a pinisi sailing ship in the waters of Flores Sea.

The pinisi is a traditional sailing ship characteristic of the Bugis tribe, one of the indigenous people of South Sulawesi, which has two main masts and seven sails; three in front, two in the middle, and two at the rear. This ship is often used to transport goods between islands. The event of enjoying the sunset while sailing on a pinisi made a deep impression on the leaders of ASEAN member states. (VOI)