ENTERTAINMENT
(Solo)

CULTURAL ENTERTAINMENT
There are several groups engaged in cultural activities :

WAYANG ORANG (HUMAN WAYANG THEATER)

Sriwedari
This is well-known, old group of wayang performs every evening from 08.00 am – 10.00 pm, Sunday is closed.

Wayang Orang "Sriwedari" performance

Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI)
Located on Jl. Abdul Rahman Saleh (Markoni) 57, held the wayang orang theater at its auditorium every second Tuesday of the month from 08.00 pm to midnight. It is very popular and oftenly excellent.

WAYANG KULIT PERFORMANCE

Ki Anom Suroto's Residence
Located on Jl. Gambir Anom 100. Notodiningratan, a highly reputable dalang (puppet master). Played on every Tuesday Kliwon (the eve of Rebo Legi) of Javanese calendar.

Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI)
Wayang performance is on air every third Saturday from 09.00 pm to 05.00 am.

Ki Manteb Soedharsono's House
He is another famous dalang in Solo, sometimes he performs in his house at Karang Pandan, 27 km south east of Solo.

Taman Budaya Surakarta (Cultural Center)
Located on Jl. DR. Sutami 57, there is a wayang kulit performance every Tuesday Kliwon (once in 35 days). ). It is worth to be noted that Taman Budaya Surakarta organizes many cultural events in Solo and a place where many cultural pundits could be contacted, such as Sardono W. Kusumo (a famous dance teacher), Murtidjono (the head of Taman Budaya Surakarta), Pak Ngaliman and Ibu Djoko, etc. From the Karaton Solo the experts are among other Princess G.R.Ay. Koes Murtiyah (Gusti Mung), B.R.M. Bambang Irawan and from Mangkunagaran Palace are Pak Suripto, Ibu Sutarwo, etc.

Karaton Surakarta - Course for Dalang (Puppet Master)
Practicing every Friday and Sunday from 07.00 pm – 09.00 pm.

Puro Mangkunagaran
Sunday, Wednesday, Friday, in the afternoon Jl. R.M. Said III.

KETOPRAK
Traditional folk drama with stories from history and legend.

Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI)
It performs ketoprak every forth Tuesday from 08.00 pm to midnight.

Balekambang
Every night performance from 08.30 pm – 11.30 pm.

Dancing Practice (Javanese Court Dance)

Karaton Surakarta
Sunday, at 09.00 am – 03.00 pm.
Puro Mangkunegaran
Wednesday, at 10.00 am – 12.00 pm.
STSI (Art Academy) in Jebres, North East of Solo
Daily, 09.00 am to noon, except Sunday.
SMKI (high school for performing art in Kepatihan)
Daily, 09.00 am to noon, except Sunday.
For private lessons, one may contact : Taman Budaya Surakarta or Karaton Surakarta.

Padepokan Lemah Putih
Solo is a 'warehouse' of cultural experts, men of letters, traditional dancers and dalangs (puppet masters). They are really valuable assets to the nation.
One of the famous artists living in Solo is Suprapto Suryodarmo who heads the ± 2 ha Padepokan Lemah Putih (padepokan refers to a quite large place where someone lives with main purpose to do meditation; lemah – land; putih – white) in Mojosongo. Mas Prapto is an extraordinary movement teacher 'The Movement Autodidact' with his 1000 (a thousand) students from all parts of the world.
There are some steps of training for someone who wishes to perfectly understand and master his teachings. Some self-conscious exercises are carried out in Padepokan, Candi or Sukuh Temple, Borobudur and the beach of Parangtritis.
For direct information could be contacted :
Padepokan Lemah Putih
P.O. BOX 301
Mojosongo, Solo, Indonesia
Tel. 061 – 0271 – 635210

CULTURAL EVENTS

Sekaten or Garebeg Ceremony
In the Javanese month of Mulud, on the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, the Karaton celebrates it by making several gunungan (rice mountain) paraded from the palace to the grand mosque yard. The Karaton sacred gamelans brought to the mosque and played there for a week.
The gunungan and gamelan processions are very interesting and usually a two weeks fair called Sekaten is held in the North Square.
Click here for complete information about 'Garebeg Procession in Karatons'!

Karaton's Heirloom Procession (Kirab Pusaka)
In the first date of Javanese month (1^st of Suro), Karaton Surakarta and Mangkunagaran organize heirlooms procesions, encircling their own palaces.
Click here for complete information about 'Commemoration of 1^st Suro'!

Maleman Sriwedari
Night fair in Sriwedari park, held during the month of Ramadan, begins on the eve of 21th of the month with a parade from Karaton to Sriwedari.

Pesta Seni
The annual art fair held at Sriwedari Park at the end of the year during Christmas and New Year Celebrations.

Yaqowiyu
A religious traditional ceremony held in the district of Jatinom, nearby Klaten, 30 km west of Solo. It is in honor of Ki Ageng Gribig, a prominent religious leader of the 16^th century. The spectacular ritual occurs when Apem (round rice cake) thrown from a high platform to the crowds. This apem considered as having magical power to keep a healthy live.
The ceremony is held every month of Sapar, on the 15^th, begins in the evening and followed by a night fair. This year is Thursday, June 11, 1998.

MODERN ENTERTAINMENT

The are many places for modern entertainment especially in the center of the city, such as cinemas, karaoke, discotheques, bars, pubs, etc.
Click here for Entertainment – Modern !

Golf
Solo Golf Course, located next to Adisumarmo Airport.

Restaurants
In Javanese 'Mangan enak' means to eat something delicious is a requirement for Solonese. No wonder, in this town, there are a lot of restaurants offering different kind of cuisine; Javanese, Chinese, Western, Japanese, etc. Many local people are still enjoying the 'lesehan' sitting on the mat while dining, even some people prefer using fingers. It's not a big deal!.
Pujasari in Sriwedari Park is a popular place for lesehan, also along the street of Keprabon. The speciality of this region is Nasi Liwet, rice cooked with coconut milk and chicken. For westerners, a plate of fried shrimps or fish might be ordered for a light meal with a price less than US$ 1.00. Plus the refreshment drink, one should spend not more than equivalent US$ 2.00. An unbelievable cheap price! Every Thursday night from 10.00 - midnight a kroncong music beat could be enjoyed while dining , and every Sunday night a Javanese Siteran music is entertaining passionately
The cheapest are the food sold by roaming street hawkers such as; bakso, mie, kue putu, pecel (mix vegetables), serabi (rice pudding, like pan cake).
For budget travelers, restaurants on Jl. Ahmad Dahlan should be good enough. One could get something easily something to eat around the clock in 'this city that never sleeps'.
Click here to see the 'List of Restaurants'!.

Hotels
Solo has many hotels to accommodate visitors ranging from budget hotels to star rated ones, which are luxurious but maintain traditional values.
Hotel classification in Indonesia :

1. Star rated hotels, the highest is the five stars.
2. Lower grade is the Melati (jasmine flower), grouping Melati III, II and I.

Despite above hotels, there are many homestays offering accommodation with modest facilities.
Click here to see the List of Hotels!.

TRANSPORTATION

Airplane
Solo has an International Airport, the name is Adisumarmo, 10 km west of the downtown. The direct flight abroad is served by Silk Air, with route Singapore – Solo – Singapore. There are domestic connections to and from Jakarta, Balikpapan and Surabaya and via Surabaya there are connecting flight to Bali and other bigger cities of East Indonesia. The airlines engaged are Garuda Indonesia and Merpati .
Click here for information about 'Airport and Airline Schedule' !.

Train
The main railway station is Solo Balapan, a strategic station connecting Jakarta, Yogya, Solo and Surabaya. It has also connection to Bandung and Semarang.
Click here for information about 'Train Schedule'!.

Bus
The inter city bus terminal is Tirtonadi, in the north west part of the city. There are many buses upon your choice, serving the routes to almost all cities in Java, Bali and Sumatra. Direct information can be collected in the terminal.
Click here to see the 'List of Bus Companies'!

Intercity Minivan
The terminal of these minivans is located in Gilingan, nearby the bus station. These cars serve connections with other cities.

LOCAL CITY TRANSPORT
For transportation within the city, there are various kinds such as becak (Trishows), minibuses (Angkota), buses and Taxis.
Click here for information about Taxi and Car Rentals!

TRAVEL AGENTS
For the sake of conveniences, one could go to a Tour and Travel Agent to get a ticket or to go to any tourist spot nearby.
Click here to see the list of Travel Agent!.

PUBLIC SERVICE
Listing the offices of immigration, Post-Office, Tourist Office, etc.
Click here for the list of Public Service Offices!.

MONEY CHANGERS and BANKS
There are many banks and several money changers in this city. The popular credit card here are; Master, Visa and Amex.
Click here for information about Banks and Money Changers!.

BUSINESS and INDUSTRY
Business local as well as international is thriving. The national products such as batik and textile play an important role. There are big batik manufacturers and textile factories in Solo. The trading and production of pharmaceutical products, foodstuffs, herbal medicine, iron and brasswares, chemicals are prospering.
The cultural related items such as gamelan, wayang (leather puppets), keris and craft are still in active production.

For further information, kindly click the list bellow :
List of Exporters
List of Importers
List of forwarding Agents
List of Insurance
List of Artshops and Craft Centers

For those who are interested in more detailed information for business, industry and investment, addresses of :
1. Assistant governor's Office of Surakarta Regency,
2. The Mayor of Surakarta,
3. The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Solo branch),
4. BAPPEDA (Board of Planning and Development of Solo),
5. BKPMD (Regional Board of Investment),
Just click here for going to the article of 'Business, Investment and Industry'.

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