The clouds were grey and the skies were pouring as the festival gates opened on Friday (24/11), but nothing could dampen Joyland Festival 2023.

This year's festival is their biggest edition in Jakarta to date, with over 35,000 attendees trooping to GBK Baseball Stadium across the 3-day weekend. Despite the downpour for two consecutive days, music fans - even little ones - braved the weather conditions to catch their favourite artists live – from homegrown acts to the much-awaited headliners. The sun finally shone on the last day as a perfect close to the thrilling weekend.

The latest run of the Plainsong Live-helmed affair proved it to be more than a music festival, but rather, a coming together of a plethora of art forms – from live music performances to cinema, stand-up comedy to arts and crafts. 

Here's a look at what went down at Joyland Jakarta 2023.

Indonesian Pride

Indonesia has one of the most vibrant local music scenes, and it shows each time a homegrown artist gets onstage. Whether it was L’Alphalpha and The Panturas at the Lily Pad, or Maliq & D’Essentials and Reality Club on the Joyland and Plainsong Live Stages, everyone showed up for their hometown heroes.

Mocca vocalist Arina was spot on when she told Bandwagon in an interview that "Indonesia is the best place to be an artist." The amount of support Indonesians give their local acts is an immense and wonderful sight we've continuously seen in Jakarta, Bali, and even at SXSW Sydney.

It's All About The Music

With a massive roster of acts, Joyland Jakarta 2023 had something for everyone. The Lily Pad Stage hosted rising stars from Southeast Asia like Sobs (SG), Yonlapa (TH), CURB (SG), and Bayangan (MY), as well as local favourites like Dongker, Kurosoke, and Gabber Modus Operandi.

While smaller than the main stages, the energy that both artists and fans gave for Lily Pad made us wish for a bigger space for the next edition. Something that will be able to hold a larger White Shoes & The Couples Company singalong, perhaps?

Japanese dream pop band Luby Sparks, Indonesian mainstays Mocca, British artist Kamaal Williams, Indonesian singer David Bayu, Montreal-based lo-fi act Homeshake, Coldplay surprise guests Maliq & D' Essentials, and more kicked off the festivities at the Plainsong Live and Joyland Stages early in the afternoon.

Transitioning into the night, Dutch singer-songwriter Benny Sings, Japanese duo Wednesday Campanella, local band Rock N Roll Mafia, and more set the tone for what's next.

True to their namesake, Indonesian rising act Grrrl Gang encouraged fans to start a "girl pit". "It was the first time I truly felt safe moshing with my fellow girlies in the audience and my heart was so full after that. In the words of Kathleen Hanna, they really said 'girls to the front,' Elly, a Singaporean culture writer shared. The band also had their own little milestone onstage, performing with Lafa Pratomo, their Spunky! producer for the first time. 

Crowd favourites paved the way for the festival headliners. Fazerdaze's Amelia Murray, who held a homecoming of sorts, sang some parts of 'Shoulders' in Indonesian.

American singer-songwriter d4vd brought out his younger sister for his performance of 'Here With Me'.

Japanese punk-rock band Otoboke Beaver brought their signature brand of energy and candid antics on stage.

Korean-American act eaJ, who was welcomed by dozens of adoring fans as soon as he touched down in Jakarta, performed his heart out onstage backed by flashing lights and deafening cheers from the audience. "It's an absolute pleasure to be here... Terima Kasih (Thank you). I'm playing amongst giants and legendary bands that I grew up listening to."

In anticipation of the festival headliners, droves of people filled up the GBK Baseball Stadium grounds, with more and more people each night.

Bloc Party took music fans on a nostalgic trip with their set, while the Last Dinosaurs made a triumphant comeback to the Jakarta stage.

Mew closed Day 1 with their cinematic performance, a fitting end to the rollercoaster of a first day.

Fleet Foxes, whose Joyland Jakarta set served as their lone Asia stop this year, made their fans' dreams come true with their highly-anticipated Indonesian debut.

Indie rock darlings Alvvays and American rock icons Interpol drew in the biggest crowd on the last day, making it the perfect ending for the music-filled weekend.

Family Affair

A festival for all ages, this year's edition made sure that young ones were more than welcome to the event. White Peacock Area was created specifically for families with children and tweens. Instilling an appreciation for different forms of art at an early age, kids can choose from over a dozen activities like puppet making, tote bag painting, colouring, hair braiding, and jewellery art.

Festival attendee Elly was also pleasantly surprised at "how family-friendly the vibe was!" She added, "I love that the organisers tried to make the event more inclusive for millennial parents and their kids - we need more festivals like this." 

A collective songwriting workshop with Indonesian duo Endah N Rhesa, the White Peacock Parade, and Kak Nunuk & Agus DS Storytelling Karaoke were just some of the highlights of the family-friendly curated programme. The entire area was soundtracked by 'Joyful Land,' which was written by Bandung-founded band, Mocca. Vocalist Arina revealed that "To have our song: 'Joyful Land' as a theme in the White Peacock area and also to see some parts of the lyrics written (gigantically) as a backdrop at the venue, it was so surreal.. we are truly honoured."

Ain't No Sunshine

It was cold and grey for the first two days of the festival, with huge downpours at various times of the day. On Day 1, many festival-goers were caught in the rain and artists had to hold off performances or cut their sets short due to the inclement weather. Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, fans soldiered on and fought their way through ankle-deep waters and sinking mud to get to the stages to catch and wait for their favourite artists. Elly, who flew in from Singapore just for the festival, had a good-natured response to the weather: "It would have been perfect if not for the rain, but I guess getting your feet muddy is part of the quintessential festival experience."

By Day 2, we could see attendees sporting Joyland Jakarta raincoats and slides (fresh from the Plainsong Store) in anticipation of the rain and mud. The festival also laid out felt rugs and wooden planks to help provide safer pathways for attendees.

On the third day, the sun peeked out from behind the dark clouds and gave the festival the much-needed warm and sunny atmosphere Joyland Jakarta deserved. Festival goers were elated to be finally under the sun, laying out their colourful mats on the grass and sitting on the field with their friends. Even artists like Mocca shared their elation in the sunlight: "Cool music constantly filled the air, bumping into many of long lost friends but also making new ones, and as the cherry on top, there was no rain on the third day!"

Artists for Artists

Throughout our years of covering music festivals and concerts, we've been to a couple of green rooms across Asia. That didn't prepare us for what Joyland Jakarta had in store for their acts this year: Plainsong Live rented out the neighbouring Tennis Indoor Stadium for their Artist Village. Used for tennis matches and concerts, the venue has hosted the likes of Ramengvrl, Bon Iver, Louis Tomlinson, Carly Rae Jepsen, and more in recent years. For the Joyland Jakarta weekend, the massive venue was transformed into an intimate space for artists to chill out, relax, eat, and drink. The well-thought-out Artist Village was the brainchild of Joyland regulars White Shoes & The Couples Company. "We wanted to create this ambience."

In an interview with Bandwagon, the band revealed that they pitched the concept to Joyland co-founder Ferry Dermawan and curated the retro-themed green room – from the DJ sets to the laid-back furniture - themselves. Aside from the usual food and drink available backstage for artists, a photo booth, darts, arcade games, a ping-pong table, a basketball hoop, and a billiards table were also available for artists to enjoy before and after their sets. 

Eco Efforts

While Joyland doesn't exactly claim to be a fully sustainable festival, it was nice to see significant efforts for the environment for this year's edition. Hydration stations were located strategically across the grounds, with water dispensers and ice chests available for festival goers throughout the weekend. In keeping up with being a family-friendly affair, smoking was limited to designated areas (21 Monkeys) with plastic ashtrays made from recycled material. The Lily Pad stage was also framed with recycled PET bottles which lit up beautifully in the night.

Joyful Land

Aside from the music, Joyland Jakarta showcased short films curated by Palari Films at the Cinerillaz outdoor cinema, and stand-up comedy at the Shrooms Stage curated and hosted by Soleh Solihun. Fun brand activations were also aplenty, making sure fans always had something to do in between sets. Joyland Village also featured a mish-mash of local and international flavours for sustenance, with both cash and cashless payment options available for convenience.

Despite the setbacks and challenges we (you, me, the promoters, artists, vendors, etc) experienced at the festival, we still had a great time. Joyland Jakarta proved to be a truly Joyful Land with all its quirks and surprises. For some attendees like Elly, it was their first proper festival since the pandemic ended."I liked at least 60% of the lineup which is usually my baseline to decide if I should go for a festival. I was especially excited to catch Alvvays and Last Dinosaurs, and their shows were a dream come true for 16-year-old me when I was still a baby indie rock fan."

Mocca's Arina added, "Being in Joyland was a very delightful experience, can't wait for more!" Meanwhile, Akbar, bassist of Grrrl Gang shared that "Not only Jakarta, Joyland is always a wonderful experience for us."

While some of us may still have festival blues, we won't have to wait for long as Joyland returns to Bali this March 2024.