A Gift from Cultural Heritage: InJourney Destination Management Presents a Meaningful and Joyful Christmas and New Year Holiday Experience at Prambanan Temple

Closing out 2025 isn't just about changing the calendar, but also a moment to celebrate togetherness with family and friends and create new stories. This Christmas and New Year holiday season, InJourney Destination Management (IDM) is preparing Prambanan Temple as a joyful space with the theme "Gifts from Cultural Heritage, Meaningful Stories."

From December 24 to January 4, 2026, Prambanan Temple offers not only the beauty of the temple, but also various arts and cultural activities throughout the day, designed to provide relevant experiences for various groups across generations, in line with the principles of quality and sustainable tourism. 

Keeping culture relevant, this year is also special with strategic collaboration with BTN, Loket.com , Coca-cola, AQUA, and Wardah to present the year-end festival including 3 flagship programs of Prambanan Temple, namely Dolan Ria, Pasar Medang, and Swara Prambanan.

"We want visitors to enjoy Prambanan Temple, not only as a beautiful cultural heritage site, but also as a joyous one. "A gift from cultural heritage, a meaningful story" is our promise, that every visitor will return home with a story. Whether it's a father taking his child to a traditional game village, a family enjoying traditional dishes at Medang Market, or a couple celebrating New Year's Eve at Swara Prambanan. We want Prambanan Temple to be a warm 'home' to close out 2025 with meaning and joy," explained Gistang Richard Panutur, Commercial Director of IDM.

End of year activities that visitors can enjoy, including 3 IPs from IDM, include:

• DolanRia Prambanan. 

A cross-generational interaction space, where parents can invite children to experience outdoor activities again with a variety of games and interactions, including a Traditional Games Area that is full of morals amidst the rise of digital games, art in the Kanak Art area, a Mini Zoo Area, and a Balance Bike track.

In this program, which will run from December 25-31, IDM also collaborates with Balai Pustaka to present a variety of warm and educational family activities, starting from an attractive Pop-Up Bookstore , inspiring children's storytelling sessions, to coloring activities of legendary characters that are full of learning values.

• Medang Market 

Located at Sentono Field, the Medang Market complex offers authentic culinary experiences featuring gudeg, sate koyor, apem, and other traditional snacks. IDM is partnering with 50 local MSMEs for a pop-up market in a traditional market setting.

"Medang Market is not just a people's festival, but also a form of sustainable tourism synergy, a step to encourage economic turnover in the Prambanan tourism ecosystem ," explained Gistang Panutur.

• Prambanan Voice 

The final sunset celebration of 2025 was marked by Swara Prambanan. This was more than just a concert, but a gift for ears and souls longing for classy entertainment set in an epic historical setting. Collaborating with BTN, Loket, Gold Live, Antara Suara, WIngs, AQUA, and Wardah, this event featured top Indonesian artists, including Padi Reborn, Denny Caknan, Bilal Indrajaya, For Revenge, Tenxi X Naykilla, and Mr Jono & Joni.

This year's New Year's celebrations will be different. As a show of empathy and solidarity for the tragedy experienced by our brothers and sisters in Sumatra, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (IDM) has decided to cancel fireworks on New Year's Eve. 

"This year, we chose to celebrate the new year in a more contemplative manner without the fireworks that have become a symbol of Swara Prambanan. Our focus shifted to donations, communal prayers, and cultural appreciation. We want the year-end festivities in Prambanan to be felt not only as a momentary euphoria, but also as a space to pray for our fellow Indonesians," added Gistang Panutur.

Swara Prambanan will collaborate with the Human Initiative to raise funds through the #SwarauntukIndonesia campaign. The program, which runs from December 24th to 31st, is open to the public to express their empathy for disaster victims in various regions of Indonesia.

IDM for Sumatra

In line with the spirit of Serving Wholeheartedly, IDM also cares by distributing humanitarian aid to residents affected by the flood disaster in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.

Through the #IDMUntukSumatra campaign, IDM collaborated with Kitabisa, distributing aid in the form of cash and various needs for victims, including medicines, basic necessities, cleaning equipment, milk, baby clothes, generators, clean water installations and others.

Visit Projections at Destinations

IDM predicts total visits to Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple, Ratu Boko Temple, and the Prambanan Ramayana Theater & Stage will reach 340.875 visitors . The breakdown and growth for each destination is as follows:

"We hope for positive improvements compared to last year. However, our primary focus remains on the principle of providing quality tourism to ensure every visitor has a comfortable and memorable experience," he continued.

Destination Operational Readiness

IDM is committed to ensuring the comfort and safety of tourists visiting its destinations. To ensure the safety, security, and comfort of visitors, IDM has established strategic collaborations with various parties, such as the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), the Transportation Agency, and others.

IDM collaborated with the Directorate of Vital Object Security (Dirpamobvit) of the Central Java Regional Police and the Yogyakarta Regional Police to conduct joint assessments at each destination. IDM mitigated the potential for extreme weather at the end of the year by implementing various measures, including pruning vulnerable tree branches in park areas and adding safety infrastructure.

During the visit, IDM issued preparedness advice to tourists. Furthermore, IDM collaborated with nearby hospitals to anticipate cases with specialized and intensive care.

To ensure a smooth flow of tourists, IDM is also coordinating with the Transportation Agency to manage traffic around the destinations. IDM is anticipating a surge in traffic during the Christmas and New Year holidays by preparing several reserve parking areas around Prambanan Temple and Ratu Boko Palace. 

For convenient mobility, IDM provides a fleet of Prambanan–Ratu Boko shuttle buses as well as a variety of electric vehicle options to serve tourists at the destination.

Holiday Excitement at Prambanan Temple Tourism Park

In addition to the three main programs at Prambanan Temple, there are various other activities, including a Christmas Carol at Prambanan Temple. The Raya Swara children's choir will enliven the special holiday on December 24, 2025, at the Prambanan Medang Market area. On Christmas 2025, the Christmas Carol will feature a Secret Santa at the Prambanan Temple Tourism Park.

Prambanan Temple has also opened earlier to accommodate people who want to exercise by running or cycling in the temple area. 

Theater and Performance presents three special performances, namely, Ramayana Prambanan Ballet, The Legend of Roro Jonggrang, Shinta Obong enlivening the year-end holidays. Ramayana Ballet Prambanan is present on two different stages , namely the Trimurti building ( indoor ) and Prambanan Riverfront ( outdoor ) on December 23, 25, 27, 28, 30 and 31, 2025 including the schedule of additional performances.

The Legend of Roro Jonggrang will be performed at the Trimurti building on December 24, 26, 29, and 31, 2025. Meanwhile, the Shinta Obong performance at Prambanan Riverfront is scheduled for December 26 and 28, 2025. 

The legendary Prambanan Ramayana Ballet performance presents an extra performance this December. 

IDM aims to invite every visitor to not only see but also experience and take home heartfelt stories. Every step of the way through this destination is designed to act as a bridge connecting travelers to the richness of history, creating lasting and meaningful memories for all who visit.

"We invite all Indonesians to celebrate the end of the year with us. Let's use this moment as an opportunity to rekindle our love for our culture, in a safe, comfortable, and joyful atmosphere," he concluded.