Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) once again held the Festival Dalang Cilik (Young Puppeteer Festival) as part of its 61st Dies Natalis celebration. The event ran for three days, from May 13 to 15, 2025, at the Pendopo Foodcourt on the UNY campus. It was open to the general public and free of charge, so anyone could come and watch the wayang performances live.

The festival is not a one-off event. It is a programmed activity that UNY first held in 2011, and since then it has taken place every year as part of the Dies Natalis celebration. The 2025 festival was therefore the fifteenth. Because it is held regularly, it has become a place where children, schools, and the wider community can learn about culture year after year.

The festival was officially opened on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in the Foodcourt courtyard. The Rector of UNY, Prof. Dr. Sumaryanto, M.Kes., AIFO, opened the event himself. University leaders, deans, heads of units at UNY, and the festival finalists were also present.

In his speech, the Rector stated that, starting in 2025, the Dies Natalis would be celebrated only at the university level. “This is part of UNY’s commitment to strengthening the sense of family among the academic community and to keeping up the momentum for achievement,” he said. He added, “This festival is where young talents in puppetry emerge. For this reason, I ask the new Dean of FBSB to keep appreciating and nurturing the arts at UNY.”

This year, the festival was organized jointly by the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) and the Faculty of Languages, Arts, and Culture (FBSB). The chair of the organizing committee, Galang Prastowo, M.A., explained that the competition is held annually and is open to elementary and junior high school students from various regions. “Out of 58 participants from DIY, Central Java, and East Java, 18 made it to the final. All of them went through a strict preliminary selection. The judges assessed the videos that participants sent to the committee,” he said.

Over the three days, the finalists performed wayang stories in front of the judges and the audience. Students from several elementary schools came to watch, along with members of the general public. For the audience, and especially for the children, the performances offered a chance to learn wayang stories and moral values outside the classroom.

Guided by the spirit of “sak iyeg sak eko kapti, sak iyeg sak eko proyo,” UNY hopes that the festival will be more than a competition. As a programmed, free event open to the general public, it is also expected to help preserve culture, train young people in traditional arts from an early age, and offer lifelong learning opportunities to the wider community.