Out of all the cities in the world that organise Car Free Days, only Jakarta takes it as seriously to the length of having the city government run the event directly every Sunday from 6am to 11am. As an initiative to reduce carbon emissions in the city, cars and motorcycles are prohibited to pass Sudirman and Thamrin protocol roads, allowing residents to exercise and conduct other healthy activities around the area. 

The even is held on the main street on the city: Thamrin street , from the Independence Square and Monas monument to Hotel Indonesia roundabout (Bundaran HI), and Sudirman street, from above place to Senayan Stadium. On normal day the streets are Jakarta’s most important central business district. Hundreds of thousand people commute and works daily on the two streets. But for this weekend event, the streets will be filled by people who jog along, walk their dogs or simply gawk at the numerous street vendors, huskers, and the occasional local celebrities who are shooting TV shows or doing promotion concerts.

Various street foods are on the menu, with street vendors selling food in the walkway and around Hotel Indonesia fountain. In fact you can consider the event as a mile-long culinary festival. Everything from Jakarta’s traditional dish of Ketoprak (steamed rice cake with veggies and peanut sauce), kebab, Chinese noodle and dim sum, and cuisine of Indonesia‘s other ethnic groups.