In Commemoration of Ozone Day, Lights on Several Buildings and Streets in Central Jakarta Turned Off

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A city-wide blackout initiated by the Jakarta Provincial Government (Pemprov) began to be seen at several points in Central Jakarta on Saturday night (19/9/2026).

This light outage commemorates World Ozone Day, observed annually on September 16.

At around 8:32 p.m. Western Indonesian Time, Kompas.com observed several streetlights and building lights along Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan were turned off.

The Jakarta City Hall building appeared unusually dark, lacking its typical illumination.

Several other buildings along Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan also appeared dimmer than normal.

KOMPAS.com/LIDIA PRATAMA FEBRIAN The scene at the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout area, Central Jakarta, remained brightly lit during the simultaneous blackout on Saturday night (19/9/2026).

Similar conditions were noted with street lighting around the area.

However, not all areas of Central Jakarta were plunged into darkness.

The National Monument (Monas) remained lit, and parts of Jalan MH Thamrin, Sarinah area, and the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout retained their streetlights and exterior lighting.

This disparity in lighting created a stark contrast across different street sections.

The Medan Merdeka Selatan area appeared dimmer, while the stretch from MH Thamrin to Sarinah and the HI Roundabout stayed illuminated.

Several passersby noticed the lights being turned off.

"At first, I thought there was a power outage. It turned out to be a coordinated blackout," said Erina (38), a resident, when met near the IRTI Monas Parking on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan.

Erina said she only realized the blackout event after noticing several building and street lights going dark.

"It looks quite different because buildings here are usually well-lit. Now, parts of them are dark," she added.

Another local, Hardi (34), said he had prior information about the one-hour blackout.