New Year eve celebration in Ancol, not Monas

Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 12/18/2009 12:15 PM

The city administration has decided to hold a New Year eve celebration in Ancol recreational area in North Jakarta.

Head of the Culture and Tourism Agency Arie Budiman said Thursday the Ancol management would organize the event.

“The place is spacious and people are used to gathering there,” Arie said.

The city used to celebrate the turning of the year at the National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta.

Monas management unit director Rini Hariyani said the city administration had stopped using the city’s landmark as the venue of New Year eve celebration to protect the facility.

She said people could get carried away with the celebration and littered in the park at will.

“I am also afraid the fireworks can harm the monument. We haven’t conducted major renovation of the facility for quite a long time,” she said recently.