Labuan Bajo, June 19, 2025 — The Golo Koe Festival marks its fourth year in 2025. This Catholic religious festival in Labuan Bajo, infused with the distinctive cultural elements of Manggarai, is held annually from August 10 to 15. Although the dates and main program remain the same, each year’s festival is marked by unique and special highlights. Here, we briefly review the festival’s first year and subsequent years, along with their distinctive features.

The Church and the Development of Tourism in Labuan Bajo

As it enters the second phase of the implementation of the Third Synod, the Diocese of Ruteng has established the focus of its annual pastoral work from 2020 to 2025. The year 2020 was designated as the Year of Pastoral Care. Subsequently, 2021 will be the Year of the Ministry of Love, 2022 the Year of Holistic Tourism, 2023 the Year of Sustainable Economy, 2024 the Year of Sustainable Ecology, and 2025 the Year of the Transformative Eucharist.

The local Church of the Diocese of Ruteng has responded positively to the progress being made in developing tourism in Labuan Bajo. Through various programs as part of the 2022 Holistic Tourism Year, the Diocese of Ruteng is encouraging the faithful to take part in this tourism development. At the same time, the Diocese of Ruteng is also promoting the Christian values that should be embodied in the development of tourism.

Pastoral agents reflected on tourism—the focus of their pastoral work—during a pastoral meeting in early January 2022. Tourism was approached first and foremost from a holistic perspective, that is, in relation to various other aspects of human life and the natural environment. This holistic approach to tourism is expected to embody the “Three Bs”: participatory, cultural, and sustainable.

The Golo Koe Festival 2022, with the theme “Holistic Tourism: Participatory, Cultural, and Sustainable”

The Golo Koe Festival was first held in 2022 as part of the Year of Holistic Pastoral Tourism. The Local Church of the Diocese of Ruteng, in collaboration with the local governments of West Manggarai, Manggarai, and East Manggarai; the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority (BPOLBF); the Elbajo Komodus Polytechnic; the Ministry of Tourism; and other institutions in Labuan Bajo, formed a joint organizing committee to host the event.

This festival highlights Catholic religious traditions—particularly devotion to the Virgin Mary—Manggarai culture, and various exhibitions of products from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The inaugural festival took place from August 10–15, 2022, with the theme “Holistic Tourism: Participatory, Cultural, and Sustainable.” The main events included a Grand Eucharistic Celebration commemorating the Assumption of Mary at Marina Labuan Bajo, the Maria Assumpta Nusantara procession, a cultural carnival, exhibitions, and arts performances. The festival also featured various empowerment activities for young people, reforestation initiatives, and retreats.

The first Golo Koe Festival was held shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic ended. Thousands of parishioners from parishes across the Diocese of Ruteng gathered in Labuan Bajo during the festival, which lasted several days. This helped revive economic and tourism activity in Labuan Bajo, which had been severely impacted by the pandemic.

The Golo Koe Festival 2023, with the Theme “Sustainable Economy: Prosperous, Fair, and Ecological”

The Golo Koe Festival 2023 took place at a time when the Diocese of Ruteng was focusing its attention on the field of economic pastoral care. Therefore, in its second year, the festival adopted the theme “Sustainable Economic Pastoral Care: Prosperous, Just, and Ecological.” That year, the Diocese of Ruteng carried out economic empowerment programs for the faithful in collaboration with the government and relevant institutions. Parish-based MSME groups and community groups were formed and mentored until they were able to produce high-quality products that met marketing standards.

Although the schedule and main agenda were the same as in the first year, the Golo Koe Festival that year was marked by an increasing diversity of MSME exhibits as a result of the economic empowerment initiatives carried out that year. The exhibition venue was larger and more crowded due to the large number of participants and visitors.

The Golo Koe Festival 2024, “Integral Ecological Pastoral Care: Harmony, Pedagogy, and Well-Being”

The Golo Koe Festival 2024 will focus on the theme “Integral Ecological Pastoral Care: Harmony, Pedagogy, and Well-being.” The schedule and main events remain the same as last year. However, ecological activities will receive special attention this year. These include tracking the carbon footprint of all activities during the festival, ecological education for teenagers and young adults, and a greening initiative.

Entering its third year in 2024, the Golo Koe Festival has been included in the Kharisma Event Nusantara (KEN) list—a collection of high-quality events from Indonesia’s 34 provinces that will serve as a collaborative strategy between the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and local governments through the organization of high-quality activities. Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno attended the festival’s closing ceremony (October 15, 2025) and presented a decree confirming the Golo Koe Festival’s inclusion in the 2024 KEN list.

In early 2025, the Golo Koe Festival was successfully included in the list of the 110 KEN 2025 and even ranked in the Top 10 KEN, as per Ministry of Tourism Decision No. SK/13/HK.01.02/MP/2025. This serves as a form of recognition from the government for the collaborative efforts of everyone involved in organizing the Golo Koe Festival.

West Manggarai Deputy Regent Yulianus Weng stated that the inclusion of the Golo Koe Festival on the KEN list is a form of the government’s appreciation for the collaborative efforts of all parties involved in organizing the festival. With its inclusion on the KEN list, the government, through the Ministry of Tourism, will provide support for the organization of the Golo Koe Festival.
Being named one of KEN’s Top 10, Weng said, also places a greater responsibility on the organizing committee to make the Golo Koe festival even more engaging and festive.

Heribertus Ratu,
Seksi Publikasi Festival Golo Koe 2025