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Get ready for some thrilling high-speed rowing actions! From August 29th to September 1st, 2018, the exciting Pacu Jalur Festival will again be held at Kuantan Singingi by the Kuantan River, in the Riau Province on Sumatra. This time, the dug-out long boats races will be centered at Tepian Narosa, Kuantan Bay, Kuantan Singingi, some 4 hours drive from the provincial capital city of Pekanbaru.
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A series of events precedes the festival including art performances at Jalur Park and the mini traditional Pacu Jalur exhibition race on Saturday, August 25th, 2018. On August 28th, a cultural parade featuring representatives from all cities and regencies of Riau Province will color the city, followed by an art and cultural night, the next day. For a full three days (August 39th to 31st), side events will also display art and cultural attractions from other provinces.
Meanwhile, as to the Pacu Jalur race itself, a tight selection had already been conducted from July 12th to August 11th. Divided into 4 selection areas, only those who are found sufficiently speedy and have passed the selection process are the only once eligible to race at the Festival. The event is projected to attract more than 60,000 of both domestic and international tourists.
Literally translated as the long dug-outs rowing competition, the Pacu Jalur is a popular event at Kuantan Singingi, Riau. Here, large, long logs had been dug out to build long boats that are rowed together by many crewmembers. More often, some 40 crew members row in one boat that measures between 25 to 40 meters. Each crew has his own task: there is the commander who shouts out instructions, the helmsman, another one leads the boat by dancing from left to right, while another provides the "music" to provide rhythm and ensure regularity to rowers. All these are so that the boat moves fast forward in the right direction, keeps its balance, while rowers follow the rhythm.
Pacu Jalur is believed to have begun in the 17th century. At that time, the dug-outs or Jalur were used as a means of transportation along the Kuantan River from the Kuantan Hulu at the source of the river flowing all the way down to the Cerenti sub-district at the mouth of the Kuantan River. It was only a century ago that the Pacu Jalur races were started, and only after Indonesia's Independence was it held regularly in conjunction with the Proclamation of Indonesia’s Independence Day on August 17th.
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For those who plan to stay and watch the exciting races as well as enjoy other attractions in and around the area, Kuantan Singingi has a number of hotels to choose from in an affordable price range of between IDR100, 000 to IDR350, 000 per night.
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Among these are the Hotel Pujangga with rates ranging from IDR250, 000 to IDR350, 000 and the Sabilion Wisma with rates from IDR150, 000 to IDR250, 000.
To get to Kuantan Singingi, first, you should fly to Pekanbaru, the capital city of Riau Province. There are regular daily flights from Jakarta and Singapore to Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru. From here, you should rent a car and head to Kuantan Singingi which will take about some 4 hours’ drive.
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