page_title: Gambir Fair
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Gambir Fair / History
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Repronegatief. Vogelvlucht van de jaarmarkt 'Pasar Gambir' van 1930 op het Koningsplein te Jakarta, Java English: Pasir Gambir in 1930 on the Koningsplein in Jakarta, Java
context_page_description: The Gambir Fair was a fair held in 1906 and yearly from 1921 until 1942 in the Koningsplein, Batavia, Dutch East Indies to celebrate the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. After the Japanese occupied the Indies, the fair was no longer held. However, after a failed attempt in 1952, in 1968 it was reinstated as the Jakarta Fair.
  Gambir Market featured hundreds of kiosks selling arts and crafts, food, and other items. It also included singing competitions, dances, and movie showings. Other activities included association football games and a lottery. Most visitors were European and ethnic Chinese, although rich natives also went.
context_section_description: To celebrate the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands on 31 August, in 1906 the Batavia city government decided to hold a bazaar.  In 1921, due to great interest in the event — attendance over one week had reached 75,000 — the Dutch decided to hold it yearly to coincide with the queen's birthday; as such, the week-long fair was held from the end of August until the beginning of September. Open from 10 in the morning until midnight, the entrance fee was 10 cents for Native Indonesians and 25 cents for the Dutch.
  The initial displays were privately owned and run, but as the fair grew increasingly crowded elements of the government became involved and opened their own kiosks. It was also extended to two weeks. The visitors were generally well-off financially, mainly Europeans and ethnic Chinese. Natives Betawi and other groups were fewer, and those which came were generally of noble background.
  After the Japanese occupied the Indies in 1942, the fair was stopped. After the end of World War II and Indonesia's independence, several attempts were made to reinstate the fair. In 1952 an attempt was made near Sudirman Street; however, this event did not last long. The next effort, the Jakarta Fair, was launched in 1968 and better received; it continues to this day.
caption: Aerial view of Pasar Gambir (1930)
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