IDEAFEST 2026 DAY 2: THE FULL SCHEDULE, ALL 10 STAGES, ONE RIDICULOUSLY PACKED SATURDAY
IdeaFest 2026 Day 2 at JICC Jakarta: full Sept 5 schedule, stages, and speakers including Dian Sastrowardoyo, Reza Rahadian, and Najwa Shihab.
A BTS fan meetup is happening two doors down from a panel on AI and journalism ethics. That's IdeaFest for you.
If you're trying to plan your Saturday at JICC and the multi-page Instagram carousel is giving you decision fatigue, here's the breakdown. IdeaFest 2026 Day 2 Saturday, September 5 runs across at least ten stages simultaneously, from 9:00 AM until past 9:00 PM, and no single person can catch everything. This is your cheat sheet.
At a glance:
- 3-day festival (September 4–6, 2026) at Jakarta Convention Center, Senayan
- Day 2 alone spans 10+ stages: Assembly 1, Merak 1, 2, 3, Summit, Kenari, Murai, Maleo, Nuri, and Nuri 2
- 60+ sessions running roughly 9:40 AM to 9:30 PM
- Theme this year: "Rehumanize," powered by Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison
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What Is IdeaFest 2026 and Who's Behind It?
IdeaFest is Indonesia's long-running creative economy and ideas festival, this year themed "Rehumanize" and powered by Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, with Wondr by BNI as official banking partner and Pertamina, Indomie, Pop Mie, Indomilk, Cham Lite, Google Gemini, and TACO as official sponsors. It runs September 4 to 6, 2026, at Jakarta Convention Center (JICC) in Senayan. Day 2's schedule was published by the official account @ideafestid, and it's the busiest day of the three.
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What's Actually Happening on Day 2?
On Assembly 1, the big pull is a 11:00 AM panel called "Descendants of the Sun, Localized," with director Hanung Bramantyo, actress Dian Sastrowardoyo, and actor Reza Rahadian talking about adapting global stories for Indonesian audiences. Later, at 2:20 PM, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison President Director Vikram Sinha joins journalist Najwa Shihab and comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono for "The Future Is Undeniably Human." At 3:40 PM, actress Putri Marino and director Kamila Andini discuss "Empat Musim Pertiwi" on the same stage.
Over on Merak 3, filmmaker Nia Dinata and lead actress Sherina Munaf break down "The Making of Filosofi Teras" with MD Entertainment at 11:00 AM. Elsewhere, Merak 2 hosts a session literally called "Seporsi Mie Ayam Sebelum Mati" a meditation on food and memory with Nia Dinata again, this time as scriptwriter.
If policy and identity are more your speed, Kenari has female parliamentarians from DPRD Jakarta and DPR discussing representation at 3:40 PM, and Padang Mayor Fadly Amran joins chef and restaurateur Ray Janson at 5:00 PM to argue Indonesian food deserves global cuisine status. Meanwhile, the smell of grilled patties will likely drift from Merak 3's 9:40 AM "Burger Showdown," judged by burger-flipping founders comparing notes on what actually makes a great burger.
The most counterintuitive slot of the day: at 6:30 PM, Merak 3 hosts an ARMY x picnicstory.id community gathering a K-pop fandom meetup sitting on the same festival floor as panels on AI, policy, and journalism.
"Save this post, plan your route, and don't miss the sessions you came for." @ideafestid, official Day 2 schedule caption
How Much Does It Cost and How Do You Get In?
Ticket pricing isn't listed on the schedule post itself tickets are sold through ideafest.id, where day-pass and multi-day bundle options are published directly. Given the size of the lineup, buying early and mapping your stage-hopping route in advance is the organizers' own advice, not just ours.
Which Sessions Should You Actually Prioritize?
If you only have room for three: catch the Assembly 1 lineup for star power, Merak 3's "Can Indonesian Food Become a Global Cuisine?" for something with real policy weight, and whichever Maleo session fits your afternoon the stage runs a full arc from sound-bath healing at 9:40 AM to an AI agent talk with Indosat at 11:00 AM to a kebaya upcycling workshop at 6:30 PM.
