Gambir Fair

[2] The fairgrounds, which included its own police station, was surrounded by a 2-metre (6.6 ft) high wooden fence.

[3] The open stalls were generally used for photographic exhibitions and the sale of arts and crafts from throughout the archipelago and imported goods, while the covered stalls — which charged an additional entrance fee — featured various attractions, including movies, magic shows, a dancing hall, and a lottery.

Government stalls included book exhibitions from the state-owned publisher Balai Pustaka and information on the oil industry from Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij.

[4] Other ethnic groups ate from food kiosks scattered throughout the square, which sold snacks from different parts of the Indies.

[2] The fair featured petasan (local fireworks) on three occasions: at its beginning, on Wilhelmina's birthday, and at the end.

[2] To celebrate the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands on 31 August, in 1906 the Batavia city government decided to hold a bazaar.

[1] In 1921, due to great interest in the event — attendance over one week had reached 75,000 — the Dutch decided to hold it yearly to coincide with the queen's birthday; as such, the week-long fair was held from the end of August until the beginning of September.

In Armijn Pane's 1940 novel Belenggu (Shackles), the male lead Tono discovers that his mistress, Yah, is also his favourite kroncong singer during a competition at Gambir.