Amongst a lively weekend, one of the biggest ones was the return of Joyland Festival 2019. Taking place at the grassy grounds of Lapangan Panahan Senayan at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) on the 7th and 8th December, this year’s event was a break from the typical music festival, by bringing storytelling, comedy and film for a wholesomely chummy weekend.
After a six-year hiatus, Joyland’s comeback brought a multi-programme festival for the audience of all age. Curated by rock band Efek Rumah Kaca, comedian Soleh Solihun and actor-director Anggun Priambodo, the two-day festival had an abundance of engaging shows and activities ready to be consumed in a laid-back, family-friendly atmosphere, set across five stages (Joyland Stage, Lily Pad, Shrooms Garden, Cinerilas, and White Peacock),
This year’s line-up had a broad selection of music from some of the exciting artists in the genre, both locally and internationally. On Day-1, Jamie Aditya gave classic jazz songs a modern twist during a cloudy Saturday for fans to sway to, while Yves Tumor’s performance added a dose of heart pumping electronic beats and TOPS’s indie rock vibes mesmerised the audience. Washed Out then illuminated the stage as the final performance with their dreamy pop sounds from their new visual album, Mister Mellow. On Day-2, the swoon-worthy melodies of Hackie and Anna of the North brought a relaxing ambiance to the Sunday crowd thanks to their tender vocals, and Frankie Cosmos ended the festival with crowd pleasing songs, like Windows, that had all fans mossing to the beat.
Local artists also brightened the stage at the festival, paving way for emerging artists like Hindia and Eva Celia to shine, while all-time favourites Mooner, Barasuara, Maliq & D’Essentials and The Trees & The Wild belted out their popular numbers to a sing-along crowd. There was even a ‘Hello Dangdut’ mini stage featuring Feel Koplo and Prontaxan, busting out playful dangdut-fied pop songs that unsurprisingly gathered a crowd who unabashedly danced to the folksy beats.
Away from the hurrahs of music, festival-goers weren’t left wandering off: the other programmes, such as movie screenings and stand-up comedy shows were there to entertain an audience. Whether festival-goers went in for movie screenings to enjoy the selection of short films of varying themes or rest their legs before dancing to the next set of artists, the addition was innocuous as far as festivals go. Away from the hurrahs of music, comedians from Aci Resti to Awwe all held court in the Shroom Garden, scoring some humour with tongue-in-cheek stories for the audience.
The gloomy weather didn’t deter anyone from spending the whole day at GBK. Giant mushroom inflatables spread across the area, along with twinkling lights set a wholesome mood for a loosened weekend of bona fide fun. With all that energy coming from this year’s Joyland Festival, there’s only heightened anticipation of what the next one will bring.
