The Festival Kali Besar was organized by the ‘Volunteers of Architecture’. and supported by the Royal Netherlands Embassy Jakarta.
This festival took place in the Kali Besar Area in the period June 1-22. The main focus of the festival was to show the people and the government of Jakarta that the Kali Besar Area, which has been abandoned and forgotten by many, still has a cultural potential and historical value. A further aim was to raise the awareness of the community about some architectural issues in a way that is understandable to the ordinary person without any specialist knowledge. A Campaign to emphasize the importance of the preservation of historical buildings . The painting of 5 historical buildings in Jalan Kali besar timur by giving a new face to Kali Besar with the support from the community and the student architects. The creation of a temporary condition in a campaign aimed to show how these building could look if they were correctly preserved. Gathering the local community for 1 day to work together and clean the area around the Fatahilah square and Jl. Kali Besar Timur. Art Performances and social events to bring back the art and culture of traditional Betawi. 5 Floating installations built from wood, plastic bottles and fabrics that were found in the Kali Besar river. Students from universities, Academic societies, Professional organizations, cultural centres, and government institutions across Jakarta and professionals were also invited to exhibit their work on kali besar.