REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- North Sumatra's Simalungun district will host the annual Lake Toba Festival in Prapat, on September 18-20, in conjunction with the Lake Toba Festival in Toba Samosir (Tobasa) district on September 17-21, 2014, stated an official.

Local Culture and Tourism Department spokesman Rizal E.P. Saragih noted here on Thursday that the Simalungun district administration has allocated Rp2 billion from the regional budget to organize the three-day party.

He remarked that the party will be held on a much grander scale than that organized in the previous years in order to attract as many tourists as possible to enjoy traditional and conventional sports as well as art and dance performances.

Rizal elaborated that the Lake Toba Party will feature numerous activities such as cultural parade, Solu Bolon boat race, typical regional culinary, traditional music performance, exhibition, and sports competition.

He pointed out that the Lake Toba Party was an effort to introduce and preserve the Simalungun local culture and to promote Lake Toba and Prapat as a domestic and foreign tourist destination.

The Lake Toba Party is fully supported by Simalungun Regional Legislative Council's Commission IV Chairman, Sulaiman Sinaga, although the Tobasa district will also host the Lake Toba Festival at the same time.

"It is good, and there is no problem with the Lake Toba Party because historically, this event originated from Prapat in Simalungun," Sulaiman remarked.

He noted that unlike the Lake Toba Party, the Lake Toba Festival is an annual national event that is alternately hosted by districts and cities around Lake Toba.

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