Extrajoss taps cultural harmony in Singkawang's Cap Go Meh alongside chef Bobon Santoso

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Early March brought a rare moment of overlapping celebrations in Indonesia, as energy drink brand Extrajoss joined the Cap Go Meh festivities in Singkawang alongside Indonesian culinary personality Bobon Santoso. While Muslims observed the holy month of Ramadan, Chinese-Indonesian communities across the country marked Cap Go Meh on 3 March, the closing of the Lunar New Year festivities.

In Singkawang, West Kalimantan – home to one of Indonesia’s largest Cap Go Meh celebrations – the moment carried special significance. Thousands of residents and visitors gathered as the city came alive with lion dances, the ritual performances of tatung spirit mediums, colourful cultural parades, and a diverse spread of local cuisine.

The 2026 festival marked Extrajoss’ third consecutive year supporting the Singkawang event, reinforcing the brand’s long-standing presence among local consumers.

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For many Chinese-Indonesians, Cap Go Meh is more than a ceremonial conclusion to Lunar New Year. It symbolises completeness, togetherness, and hopes for continued fortune in the year ahead. In Singkawang, however, the celebration has taken on broader meaning – reflecting the city’s daily reality of coexistence among diverse ethnic communities.

The city is frequently cited as a model of harmony in Indonesia, where Chinese, Malay, Dayak, and other communities live side by side while maintaining their respective cultural traditions. Cap Go Meh in Singkawang has therefore evolved into more than a tourism event – it is widely seen as a reflection of the values of mutual respect embedded in the community.

This reputation is reflected in the SETARA Institute’s 2024 Tolerant City Index, which ranked Singkawang as the second most tolerant city in Indonesia, just behind Salatiga, among 94 cities evaluated nationwide. “This is real positive energy,” said Arwin Nugraha Hutasoit, head of marketing at Bintang Toedjoe, the company behind Extrajoss.

Amid social and economic challenges, Singkawang’s celebration offers a reminder of Indonesia’s capacity for coexistence. Here, traditions continue to flourish, and differences are not simply accepted but celebrated as part of a shared cultural fabric.

The presence of Bobon Santoso added another dimension to the festival. Often dubbed the “Chef of the Indonesian people”, Santoso is known for spotlighting regional cuisines as a way of celebrating the country’s diversity. During the festivities, he mingled with members of the tatung community and distributed Extrajoss drinks throughout the event.

“In my view, Cap Go Meh is not just a cultural celebration, but also a celebration of flavours. Lontong Cap Go Meh, for example, symbolises cultural acculturation. It brings together Chinese and Nusantara traditions on a single plate. That’s what makes Indonesia special,” said Santoso.

For Extrajoss, the festival also served as a platform to reinforce its brand positioning around energy, resilience, and community spirit. During the celebration, the brand distributed around 20,000 free drinks to spectators and tatung participants, framing the initiative as a symbol of encouragement and optimism.

“Through this momentum, Extrajoss hopes the spirit of tolerance and togetherness from Singkawang can inspire communities across different regions,” Hutasoit said.

In Singkawang, he added, the Cap Go Meh festival offered not only a vibrant cultural spectacle but also a reminder that, for many Indonesians, diversity remains a source of collective strength – and positive energy.

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