Indonesia Holidays & Festivals

Lake Toba Festival

Image courtesy of the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism

For five days every December, the Lake Toba Festival puts North Sumatra's cultural gifts on display for the world to see. The native Batak of Lake Toba throw a feast as thanksgiving for the year's blessings, including displays of Batak opera, tortor dance, and exhibitions of ulos weaving and boat races.

The placid Lake Toba belies its violent history; formerly ground zero for a massive volcanic explosion over 70,000 years ago, the lake and its Samosir island now serve as a home for North Sumatra's Bataks, who fish and trade around the lake. Today, Lake Toba is the largest lake in Southeast Asia, and one of its deepest.

 

Festival date: 2020 dates TBA