Pemuda Persis held a Youth Pledge Day discussion in Merauke on October 27, bringing together representatives of several Muslim, Christian, and student organizations. Participants emphasized maintaining young people’s optimism and working across organizational and religious boundaries. Musa, a prospective teacher from Boven Digoel, called for greater attention to education for children in Papua. Organizers and participants framed cooperation and concern for local needs, especially education, as practical ways for young people to contribute to development in Papua Selatan and Indonesia.

Actor Ario Bayu says he accepted the 2024–2026 chairmanship of the Indonesian Film Festival committee because he cares about the growth of Indonesian cinema, its workers, artistic development and the next generation. He recognizes that the role has reduced his acting opportunities, though he was able to appear in and executive-produce Samsara during a break in the FFI schedule. Bayu also notes that horror remains especially popular in Indonesia and continues to evolve through hybrids such as horror-comedy, horror-action and horror-drama, partly reflecting audiences’ interest in supernatural and mystical themes. He describes FFI as a platform for recognizing and promoting people who have made an impact, rather than as an institution that directs the industry.

Actor Ario Bayu says portraying Sukarno and Sultan Agung deepened his historical knowledge and influenced his personal life beyond acting. He considers a story's substance, a director's vision, and the potential for personal and artistic growth when choosing roles. Bayu also observes that Indonesian horror remains popular and has evolved by blending with comedy, action, and drama, which he links to audiences' continuing interest in supernatural and mystical themes. He is now chair of the Indonesian Film Festival committee.

Actor Ario Bayu says horror remains a dominant and evolving genre in Indonesian cinema, often blended with comedy, action, or drama while retaining horror as its central element. Drawing on his own career breakthrough in the genre, he attributes its lasting popularity to Indonesian audiences’ interest in supernatural and mystical themes. Bayu, who chairs the Indonesian Film Festival committee, is also presented as a prominent figure in the national film industry.

Robi Syianturi won the national men's full-marathon category at the 2026 Jakarta Running Festival in 2:28:16, while Odekta Elvina Naibaho took the national women's half-marathon title in 1:13:55. Rikki Marthin Luther Simbolon won the men's half marathon. The four-day event, held October 22–25 in Jakarta, featured 5K, 10K, half-marathon and full-marathon races, as well as an expo. The festival received World Athletics Gold Label status for both its half and full marathons; participation grew from 27,000 runners the previous year to 37,000, with runners representing 48 countries.

The Jakarta Running Festival returns on October 22–25, 2026, with races ranging from a junior dash to half and full marathons. Its half-marathon receives a World Athletics Gold Label, described as a first for a 21-kilometer event in Indonesia, while the marathon also earns a World Athletics label. Organizers say the recognition entails international-level standards for course safety, timing, anti-doping, medical services, and elite participation. In response to hot, dry weather, hydration stations have been increased, with Le Minerale supporting about 32 stations; Siloam Hospitals is providing ambulances, medical staff, and emergency equipment. The festival also features Blok Serasi, a local-brand and creative-industry bazaar with 49 booths, up from about 36 the previous year.

Conductor Manggalawaditro, born Elgar Putrandhra, joined the Yogyakarta Royal Orchestra as a violinist in 2021 and became its concertmaster and conductor in 2024. The orchestra, formally revived in 2021 after a long hiatus and tracing its roots to a 1924 ensemble, has performed locally and internationally, including a 2025 concert tour to Kyoto. Manggalawaditro sees his role as an abdi dalem as a responsibility to uphold Yogyakarta's reputation. His long-term vision is for the orchestra to become a world-class professional ensemble with an independent musical ecosystem, its own concert hall, and regular performances.

Yogyakarta Royal Orchestra conductor Manggalawaditro, whose birth name is Elgar Putrandhra, is optimistic about the orchestra’s future as Indonesia approaches 2045. The orchestra was formally established in 2021, reviving a musical tradition that dates to 1924, and has set five-, ten- and twenty-year goals. Manggalawaditro joined as a violinist in 2021 and became a conductor in 2024; he says his role as an abdi dalem carries a responsibility to uphold the orchestra’s quality and Yogyakarta’s reputation. Its work includes a 2024 collaboration with Swa Bhuwana Paksa Orchestra and a 2025 concert tour to Kyoto. He acknowledges uncertainty about the future but says the group will continue working toward its goals.

Conductor Manggalawaditro, born Elgar Putrandhra, describes how the Yogyakarta Royal Orchestra (YRO) aims to bring Javanese musical traditions to younger audiences through contemporary presentation without losing their cultural essence. A violinist who joined YRO in 2021, he became its concertmaster and conductor in 2024. Founded in its current form in 2021 and reviving a tradition dating to the 1924 Kraton Orcest Djogja, the orchestra also serves the Yogyakarta Palace; Manggalawaditro says this role carries a responsibility to uphold its quality and the city’s reputation. YRO’s performances include a 2024 collaboration with Swa Bhuwana Paksa Orchestra and a 2025 concert tour to Kyoto.

Manggalawaditro, whose given name is Elgar Putrandhra, became conductor of the Yogyakarta Royal Orchestra (YRO) in 2024 after joining as a violinist in 2021. A music graduate, he says he researches repertoire so the orchestra can convey each work’s meaning and align its performance with Javanese musical traditions. He is particularly researching the newly composed Konserto Kidung Pamudji, inspired by devotional songs such as Lingsir Wengi. Rehearsals and collaborations can take years to achieve cohesion, but Manggalawaditro sees maintaining YRO’s musical quality and Yogyakarta’s reputation as a responsibility of serving the palace. YRO, revived after a long hiatus, has performed internationally, including in Kyoto.