Jakarta stadium strengthens pitch foundations ahead of BTS concerts
Work at Gelora Bung Karno is targeted for completion in November 2026, before BTS’s scheduled December performances in Jakarta.
Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno main stadium is reinforcing the foundations beneath its pitch ahead of BTS’s scheduled December concerts, with large stages increasingly being installed in the centre of the playing area.
Rakhmadi Afif Kusumo, president director of stadium operator PPKGBK, said the improvements were intended to help the venue accommodate both sporting and non-sporting events. He said more frequent concerts posed challenges for maintaining the football pitch.
The pitch currently rests on soil, stones and gravel, rather than the concrete foundations used at some modern stadiums. Its load-bearing capacity is around 150 to 200 kilograms per square metre. Large central stages for international concerts could exceed that capacity, potentially disturbing the underlying layers, altering drainage levels and causing water to pool or the grass surface to become uneven.
PPKGBK is strengthening the central section of the pitch’s foundations and modernising grass-maintenance equipment. David Prastyan, its head of development and maintenance, said the structural work was targeted for completion in November 2026.
Indonesia is among the stops on BTS’s ARIRANG world tour, which is scheduled to continue to Asia and Australia after its South American concerts.
