Malanginspirasi.com – The city of Malang hosted the 11th Indonesia Creative Cities Festival (ICCF) in 2025, introducing a groundbreaking concept distinct from previous editions. For the first time, the three regions of Malang Raya—Malang City, Malang Regency, and Batu City—joined forces as co-hosts under the overarching theme “Senyawa Nusantara” (The Unity of the Archipelago).
Galih Sedayu, Vice Chairman of the Indonesia Creative Cities Network (ICCN), explained that the “Senyawa Nusantara” theme embodies the spirit of inter-regional collaboration.
“Each city and regency has its own unique strengths. But when they synergize, the impact becomes broader and more sustainable,” he stated at the Malang Creative Center (MCC) on Saturday, November 8th 2025.
He added that this year’s ICCF transcended mere celebration, serving as a platform for sharing regional achievements. This was evident in the mayors’ forum, where representatives from various cities presented best practices and success stories in building creative ecosystems.
“We had a mayors’ session earlier, with city leaders sharing good practices and positive developments from their regions,” Galih noted.
He expressed hope that the forum would sustain inter-regional partnerships through impactful joint programs.
“Our expectation is that after ICCF concludes, collaboration between regions doesn’t end here. Instead, it continues through shared initiatives that directly benefit communities,” he continued.
Forum for Sharing Best Practices and Policy
As a national networking hub, ICCF has now connected over 200 creative cities and regencies across Indonesia.
“When else do we get the chance—once a year—to gather a network of more than 200 cities and regencies right here in Malang? It’s truly a memorable experience,” he said enthusiastically.
Held annually with rotating hosts, ICCF has grown into a flagship event for Indonesia’s creative community since its inception in Surakarta in 2015.
During the festival, delegates discuss and select the host for the following year’s edition.
“We’ll soon hold a session to decide next year’s host. It hasn’t been finalized. But we hope for greater rotation—so that every city and regency gets its turn,” Galih explained.
In closing, ICCF 2025 is envisioned not only as a showcase of creative works. But also as a space for learning, knowledge-sharing, and network-building among creative industry stakeholders throughout Indonesia.
Full Government Support for ICCF 2025 in Malang
The ICCF 2025 held in Malang has received full support from the government. As part of its commitment to fostering the creative economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, the Minister of Creative Economy, revealed that the Ministry of Creative Economy (Kemenkraf) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) have signed a Joint Decree (SKB) regarding the establishment of Creative Economy Agencies at the regional level.
“At the beginning of 2025, the Ministry of Creative Economy, together with the Ministry of Home Affairs, signed a Joint Decree regarding guidelines for establishing creative economy agencies in the regions,” he stated.
“The target is that by the end of 2025, there will be 28 provinces and around 80 regencies/cities that will have a Creative Economy Agency, either as a standalone agency or as part of a combined department,” he added.
In conclusion, the event is a significant step toward mainstreaming the development of the creative economy, from local to national levels.
“This is part of the effort to mainstream the development of the creative economy from the regions to the national level, and it requires support from various regions,” he explained.
“We highly appreciate the regional leaders who have recognized the potential of the creative economy as a new engine for economic growth in their regions,” he concluded.
