From the Ekalaya archive. This session has ended; contact us for current opportunities.
(Last update: 27 July 2025)
Javanese Performing Arts Calender 2025
PAKUALAMAN in Yogyakarta: every 35 days on the EVE of Saturday Kliwon
:
MANGKUNEGARAN in Surakarta: every 35 days on the EVE of Saturday Pon
:
routine dance performances every 26th of the month at SMKI Negeri 8 (The High School of Performing Arts in Solo)
–link attached to photo below from 26 July 2025.
Klenengan PUJANGGA LARAS (variable dates depending on musician availability):
KRATON SURAKARTA: every 35 days routine klenengan on the eve of Tuesday Legi:
KRATON YOGYAKARTA: every 35 days on the eve of Tuesday Wage:
SAPAR
Saturday Wage 26 July 2025 (1st day of Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
–Nem-likuran at SMKI (routine dance event every 26th of the month), 19:00-23:00
LINK
Sunday Kliwon 27 July 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Monday Legi 28 July 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Tuesday Paing 29 July 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Wednesday Pon 30 July 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Thursday Wage 31 July 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
–routine monthly wayang at Taman Budaya Jawa Tengah (also known as TBJT or TBS)
20:00-03:00, Ki Anggit Laras Prabowo,
LINK
Friday Kliwon 1 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Saturday Legi 2 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Sunday Paing 3 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Monday Pon 4 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
–Uyon-uyon Keraton Ngayogyakarta, 20:00-00:00, normally streamed at this site:
SITE
Tuesday Wage 5 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Wednesday Kliwon 6 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Thursday Legi 7 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Friday Paing 8 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
–radio broadcast at Mangkunegaran, 21:00-00:00, normally streamed on this site:
SITE
Saturday Pon 9 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Sunday Wage 10 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Monday Kliwon 11 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
–there will either be a klenengan or a wayang at the Kraton (still under discussion according to my sources)
Tuesday Legi 12 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Wednesday 13 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Thursday 14 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Friday 15 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
–routine wayang at RRI Solo, 21:00-02:00
Saturday 16 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Sunday 17 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
–wayangan by Ki Purbo Asmoro “Banjaran Jayadrata” at the home of Ki Purbo Asmoro, with karawitan Mayangkara, simultaneous English translation on site by Kitsie Emerson, but not on the streaming
Monday 18 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Tuesday 19 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
–Klenengan Pujangga Laras Year 19 #6 at Griya Seni Ekalaya
Wednesday 20 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Thursday 21 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Friday 22 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
Saturday 23 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of SAPAR)
–wayang performance by Gamelan Sekar Kenanga of Hamburg, Germany, dhalang Ki Arjun, at the home of Ki Anom Soeroto, 19:00-00:00, open to the public
MULUD:
Sunday 24 August 2025 (1st day of the Javanese lunar month of MULUD)
–Hands-on Master Class on Wayang Accompaniment by Ki Purbo Asmoro with musicians from Gamelan Sekar Kenanga, Hamburg Germany, at Griya Seni Ekalaya, 19:00-00:00, open to the public
Monday 25 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of MULUD)
–wayang performance by Ki Purbo Asmoro to honor the 100 years after the birth of Ki Nartosabdho (1925-1985), musicians from Mayangkara with guests from Condhong Raos, simultaneous English translation on site by Kitsie Emerson, but not on the streaming
–klenengan at SMKI, 20:00-00:00
–wayangan at PDMN in Solo, 20:00-00:00
–wayangan at RSPD in Klaten
Tuesday 26 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of MULUD)
–Nem-likuran at SMKI (routine dance event every 26th of the month), 19:00-23:00
LINK
Wednesday 27 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of MULUD)
Thursday 28 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of MULUD)
–klenengan at the home of the late Bp Cokrowarsito in Yogyakarta, 20:00-01:00
–routine klenengan by Laras Gumelar at Ki Purbo Asmoro’s Kampung Njawani, 21:00-01:00
Friday 29 August 2025 (Javanese lunar month of MULUD)
–Gamelan SEKATEN Festival begins! Schedule to follow soon…
Javanese Traditional Market 5–day week:
Kliwon, Legi, Paing, Pon, Wagé
Javanese Lunar Months in order from January 2025:
REJEB: typically a somewhat busy month, as Ruwah and Pasa which come next are more ascetic in nature (1 Jan 2025 – 30 Jan 2025). This year REJEB is firmly in the rainy season. The annual re-crowning ceremony of the King in Solo (Pakubuwana) occurs every 25th of Rejeb.
RUWAH: a month in which many Javanese honor their ancestors at gravesites, numerous special wayang performances take place—especially in the villages and particularly in Klaten (31 Jan 2025 – 28 Feb 2025). Still firmly falls during the rainy season this year.
PASA: the fasting month, very few official ceremonies like weddings etc, and most routine rehearsals will take a break, but the musicians and dhalang like to keep busy so there can be a surprising amount going on that is last minute, especially in the second half of the month (1 March 2025 – 29 March 2025). This year, the rainy season is coming to a close by the end of PASA.
SAWAL: a very busy month for post-fasting celebrations across towns and villages (30 March 2025 – 28 April 2025). This year, Sawal will fall in the transition between rainy and dry season.
SELA: “sela” means break or rest and this month is a break between two very busy months (29 April 2025 – 27 May 2025), dry season.
BESAR: the busiest month for weddings (28 May 2025 – 25 June 2025), probably even more busy because in 2025 as it falls during the dry season and school holidays.
SURA: the lunar new year, considered a solemn and slightly tricky/dangerous/auspicious month, many traditional artists conduct ascetic exercises (26 June 2025 – 25 July 2025)
SAPAR: a busy month for weddings (26 July 2025 – 23 August 2025)—NOTE: from 17 August to 31 August is the season for Indonesian Independence Day celebrations, often including gamelan and wayang performances
MULUD: the month in which the SEKATEN gamelan and ceremonies take place (24 August 2025 – 22 Sept 2025), dry season. The actual SEKATEN festival will take place from about 31 August to 5 September, but check as the month approaches. Dry season.
BAKDA MULUD—just a typical month in terms of the performing arts world (23 Sept 2025 – 22 October 2025). The rainy season will be starting.
JUMADIL AWAL—just a typical month in terms of the performing arts world (23 October 2025 – 21 November 2025). Rainy season
JUMADIL AKIR—just a typical month in terms of the performing arts world (22 November 2025 – 20 December 2025). Rainy season
.
The year will end in REJEB, from 21 December 2025 into the first 20-ish days of January 2026.
WEATHER in Solo and Yogya, simply put:
—the sun sets at 6am and sets at 6pm, 365 days a year (give or take a few minutes)
—pretty much 365 days a year, the temperature is between 27-32C (85-95F) in the day and 20-25C (70-80F) at night, give or take
—RAINY SEASON: starts around late October and ends by mid-April
—DRY SEASON: from late April through early October
WORLDWIDE TIMES, Jan 2025:
LOCATION
EXP: if in Java starts at 8pm (20:00)
EXP: if in Java ends at 02:00am
basic formula
Honolulu and Hilo
3am (03:00)
9am (09:00)
17 hours earlier than the Java time
USA, West Coast
5am (06:00)
11:00 (11:00)
15 hours earlier than the Java time
MIssoula and Santa Fe
6am (07:00)
midnight (00:00)
15 hours earlier than the Java time
Chicago and Mexico City
7am (07:00)
1pm (13:00)
13 hours earlier than the Java time
USA, East Coast
8am (08:00)
2pm (14:00)
12 hours earlier than the Java time
London
1pm (13:00)
7pm (20:00)
7 hours earlier than the Java time
Central European Time and in Johannesburg
2pm (14:00)
8pm (21:00)
6 hours earlier than the Java time
New Delhi
6:30pm (18:30)
00:30 the next day
1.5 hours earlier than the Java time
the island of Java, and all of Vietnam, and Thailand
8pm (20:00)
2am (0200) the next day
Bali, Singapore, and Perth
9pm (21:00)
3am (3:00) the next day
1 hour later than the Java time
all of Japan, South Korea, and the city of Adelaide
10pm (22:00)
4am (4:00) the next day
2 hours later than the Java time
Sydney and Melbourne
midnight (00:00)
6am (06:00) the next day
4 hours later than the Java time
Wellington and Auckland
2am (02:00) the next day
8am (08:00) the next day
6 hours later than the Java time
CONTACT Ekalaya if you know of an event
that should be on this page!
All the links here will be available for the foreseeable future well after the performance date and time. You rarely have to watch something live/in the moment anymore these days, although the live experience allows for chatting and a more communal experience, of course. I still get a lot of people writing to me with things like: “Oh, so sorry I missed that…” but in fact you can almost always go back to the link at any time, or come in late and “rewind” back to the beginning. Most live streamers keep their links up for good.
But in case you’d like to watch live and in the moment, here is a guide to times:
past wayang performances with simultaneous English translation
The YOGYA KRATON monthly broadcast every TUESDAY WAGE EVE:
Karaton Ngayogyakarta’s monthly UYON-UYON and DANCE broadcast
The PAKU ALAMAN monthly broadcast every SATURDAY KLIWON EVE:
Uyon–uyon Pakualaman Klenengan
The MANGKUNEGARAN has a monthly broadcast every SATURDAY PON EVE:
Mangkunegaran monthly broadcast
KRATON SOLO has a monthly broadcast on TUESDAY LEGI EVE:
Kraton Solo broadcast
SMKI hosts a dance event every 26th of the month:
NEMLIKURAN
:
SMKI 26th of the month dance event
For information on events at the PURO MANGKUNEGARAN, see their Instagram account:
Mangkunegaran Instagram
or
Mangkunegaran Website
[Apologies that this site cannot be “everyone’s site”—this is a place where I share events I myself am planning on going to or listening in on, and that I hear about. There is a lot else going on, so keep your eyes and ears on social media!]
