BLITAR – The 120th anniversary celebration of Blitar City generated hundreds of millions of rupiah in economic activity. Street vendors recorded strong sales during the main event at Blitar City Square.
The city’s Industry and Trade Office, known locally as Disperindag, reported that hundreds of small traders benefited from the crowded celebration. The event attracted large numbers of visitors and boosted vendor income throughout the evening.
Head of Blitar City Disperindag Parminto said officials collected data from street vendors inside the central event area.
Based on field monitoring and retribution checks, authorities recorded 176 active street vendors during the celebration. Each vendor earned an average turnover of around Rp 850,000 during the event night.
“We collected data from vendors who occupied the centralized area inside the city square. Based on monitoring and interviews with traders, the average revenue reached around Rp 850,000 per vendor,” Parminto said on Thursday.
When combined, the total money circulation inside the main square reached approximately Rp 150 million in a single night. However, Parminto stressed that the figure only covered vendors officially monitored inside the central event zone.
According to him, the real economic impact likely exceeded the recorded number because many traders also sold goods outside the main area. Those vendors did not appear in the official monitoring system.
“Many traders operated outside the square because they could not enter the central area. We could not fully detect those numbers, so the Rp 150 million figure only reflects vendors inside the main location,” he explained.
The strong sales performance highlighted the importance of large public events for small businesses and informal traders in Blitar. Local authorities believe crowded cultural celebrations can quickly stimulate economic activity, especially for lower-income communities.
Parminto said the city government hopes to organize similar events more regularly in the future. He described mass public gatherings as an effective way to maintain local purchasing power and support micro-business growth.
He also said officials plan to improve vendor management and event organization so more traders can participate in future celebrations.
“The impact of events like this does not end in one night. We want major events to become an economic stimulus that keeps public spending stable,” Parminto added.
Blitar City has recently increased public entertainment and cultural programs as part of broader efforts to strengthen tourism, support local businesses, and revive community economic activity after periods of slower growth.