Solopos.com, SOLO–The 44th anniversary celebration of the National Handicraft Council (Dekranas) and the 52nd commemoration of the Family Empowerment and Welfare Movement Day (HKG PKK), which will be held in Solo from Wednesday to Saturday (May 15-18, 2024), aims to achieve a record in the Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI).

This was conveyed by the Head of New Entrepreneurship at Dekranas as well as the Chairperson of the Parade Committee for the 44th Dekranas Anniversary, Endang Budi Karya, during a press conference at the Lobby of Sriwedari Stadium on Sunday (May 12, 2024).

The parade will be enlivened by at least 20 decorated horse carriages or biolet, 102 decorated cars, handicrafts, and cultural performances, as well as more than 1,200 walking participants, who are PKK women from all over Indonesia wearing their respective traditional attire.

“We have approached MURI and inquired whether this Dekranas parade could receive a record. After checking all the required files and conditions, MURI confirmed that there has never been a parade with this many decorated vehicles before,” Endang said.

Endang also explained that the parade is scheduled to take place on Wednesday (May 15, 2024) at 2:00 PM WIB. The route will start from Sriwedari Stadium and end at Solo City Hall. As for the parade arrangement, at the forefront will be a security escort from the police, followed by 80 walking participants, then 20 decorated horse carriages or biolet. Behind them will be PKK women from 38 provinces across Indonesia, followed by 102 decorated cars representing each Dekranas and Regional Dekranas across Indonesia.

“This parade is also a competition. And since the participants are from Dekranas across Indonesia, we have requested that the decorated cars not just be ordinary decorations but also carry the identity and culture of each region,” Endang added.

Endang hopes that the 44th Dekranas anniversary celebration and the 52nd HKG PKK commemoration will entertain the people of Solo in particular and Indonesia in general.

Also present at the press conference was the Executive Chairman of Dekranas, Tri Tito Karnavian. Tri stated that the 44th Dekranas anniversary celebration and the 52nd HKG PKK commemoration are being held together for efficiency in time and venue.

“The Dekranas anniversary is celebrated every March 3, and HKG PKK every March 4. Since I am both the Executive Chairman of Dekranas and the General Chairperson of PKK, for efficiency in all aspects, we decided to hold both events in the same place [in Solo] and at the same time,” Tri said during the press conference at the Lobby of Sriwedari Stadium on Sunday (May 12, 2024).

Additionally, Tri mentioned that this year’s celebrations will be significantly different from the previous year’s event in Medan, North Sumatra. This year’s celebration will feature a variety of activities that will gather more people because, aside from the parade, there will also be exhibitions and art performances.

“The event will take place from May 15-18, 2024, but on the evening of May 14, 2024, there will be a dinner at Pracima Tuin Mangkunegaran, attended by the First Lady [Iriana Jokowi] and the Vice President’s wife [Nuri Ma’ruf Amin],” she said.

Meanwhile, when asked by journalists about the reason for choosing Solo as the host city for the event, Tri responded that Solo is easily accessible from many other regions in Indonesia and, in terms of supporting infrastructure, is considered highly suitable and ready for a large-scale event.

“Previously, these kinds of events were typically determined by us at the central level and were often held in Jakarta. However, due to the [Covid] pandemic, which we believe greatly impacted craftsmen in the regions, we decided to hold it in Medan. After that, the Central Java Provincial Government requested that the next host be Central Java, specifically Solo, so we are holding it in Solo,” she explained.

At the end of her remarks, Tri apologized to the people of Solo because the event would bring a large influx of visitors from all over Indonesia. She also hoped that the people of Solo would enjoy and participate in the 44th Dekranas anniversary celebration and the 52nd HKG PKK commemoration.

The Regional Secretary (Sekda) of Solo, Budi Murtono, who was also present at the press conference, shared the same hope as Tri Tito Karnavian.

“This is a national agenda organized by Dekranas. I hope the people of Solo will participate in the event,” Budi said during the press conference at the Lobby of Sriwedari Stadium on Sunday (May 12, 2024).