WONDERFUL INDONESIA GASTRONOMY 2026: WHY SOLO IS NOW THE CENTER OF INDONESIA'S FOOD STORY
Wonderful Indonesia Gastronomy 2026 runs in Solo and Yogyakarta until 4 October. Dates, venues, events, and what to know.
Last year, Indonesia's biggest food event opened in Jakarta and Bali. This year, it opened inside a royal palace in Solo. Wonderful Indonesia Gastronomy 2026 is betting that the best way to impress the world is to go back to where the food actually comes from.
Wonderful Indonesia Gastronomy 2026 (WIG 2026) is a national food program run by the Ministry of Tourism (Kementerian Pariwisata). Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana opened it on 26 September 2026 at Pura Mangkunegaran in Solo. The main events run in Solo and Yogyakarta until 4 October 2026, and other programs continue in more cities until the end of the year. Ticket prices were not announced in the official release.
AT A GLANCE
- 9 days of main events in Solo and Yogyakarta (26 Sept – 4 Oct)
- 18 media and tastemakers invited, 13 of them international
- 150 + 150 restaurants and local eateries in two new guides
- 32 malls in 14 cities for the Culinary Festival (7 Oct – 1 Nov)
What is Wonderfull Indonesia Gastronomy 2026?
WIG is a flagship program of the Ministry of Tourism. Its goal is simple: make Indonesian food a real reason to travel. This is the second edition, and the theme is "From Local Roots to Global Recognition."
The event also helps link Yogyakarta, Solo, and Semarang as one travel area, so visitors can cover more ground in a single trip.
Why did the event move to Solo and Yogyakarta?
The 2025 edition started in Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia's two main international gateways. They showed the world a confident restaurant scene. This year is different. Solo and Yogyakarta sit at the heart of Javanese culture, where palace traditions, crafts, markets, and warung live side by side.
"This year, we want to go deeper into the roots that shaped Indonesian gastronomy."
— Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, Minister of Tourism (translated from Indonesian)
The Minister says the point is to show that Indonesian food is about more than taste. It is also about stories, history, people, and place.
What is happening at WIG 2026?
Opening night set the tone. Chef Degan Septoadji and Chef Wayan cooked alongside Chef Stéphane Carrade, Executive Chef of Le Skiff Club in France, which holds two MICHELIN stars. Guests included Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Adipati Arya Mangkoenagoro X and French Ambassador H.E. Fabien Penone.
The program goes well beyond one dinner. WIG Talks brings 22 speakers to five discussions and one book review, with a target of 300 attendees. The WIG Artisan Market runs 2–4 October at Grand Hotel de Djokja, with 21 tenants and 13 workshop collaborators, and expects up to 1,300 visitors.
Can't get to Java? The food comes to you. From 7 October to 1 November, a Culinary Festival runs in 32 malls across 14 cities, together with the shopping mall association APPBI. Indonesia Restaurant Months, with Priceless by Mastercard, covers 150 restaurants.
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Why is the world watching Indonesian food now?
Because the rankings moved. At Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026, Locavore NXT jumped from 92 to 44, a climb of 48 places in one year. August rose from 49 to 42. Indonesia also won the New Destination Champion Award 2026 from La Liste, the French gastronomy institution.
The guest list shows the same interest. Thirteen international guests come from outlets like Forbes Travel Guide, La Liste, The World's 50 Best, and CNN International. They will eat across Solo and Yogyakarta and visit Borobudur and Prambanan.
Here is the part worth sharing. On opening night, the government launched two guides and gave them equal weight. The Indonesia Gourmet Guide lists 150 restaurants. The Indonesia Local Eateries Guide lists 150 local eateries. Think steam rising from a bowl at a family warung, a recipe passed down through generations, sitting right next to fine dining.
What comes next? The Minister hopes the tour continues to West Sumatra.
