Know-Before-You-Go: The International Mermaid & Aquatic Arts Championship 2025 in Jakarta

Here’s Everything I Wish I’d Known Before Going — and Whether I’d Go Again

If you’re a mermaid (or mer-curious) and you've been eyeing the International Mermaid & Aquatic Arts Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia, let me save you hours of research and guesswork.

I’m the CEO of MerMapp, and this year, my husband Julio and I attended the 2025 edition of the championship during our Asia MerMapp promotion trip — part as exhibitor, part as community builder, and part as curious ocean-lover who wanted to know how this compares to other mermaid events around the world.

This post is your real-talk guide on what to expect, who this event is best for, and what I’d do differently next time — with plenty of storytelling, laughs, and hard-earned travel tips thrown in.

🎭 The Competition: Long, Impressive, and Deeply Passionate

We arrived just in time to catch some incredible performances in the water dance category — and let me tell you, the performances here were next-level.

Costumes, props, choreography, music — many competitors poured their whole ocean hearts into their routines. There was real talent on display. As someone who’s been to a few mermaid gatherings and perfromances, this felt like one of the more serious artistic showcases I’ve seen in Southeast Asia.

The entire championship was organized by Clara Xintia of Meracle Academy, and she’s set a high bar for how serious competition-level mermaiding can be.

All judges were certified international judges, trained directly by the Mermaid Federation International (MFI). They didn’t just show up and wing it — each one completed a 2-day course specifically for judging mermaid competitions. The commitment to objectivity and professionalism really showed throughout the day.

Oh — and one of the judges? Yeah, a Guinness World Record Holder - yup, we're talking about none other than Hydroman. No big deal. 😮‍💨

Add to that a crowd representing 12 different nationalities — participants, performers, and judges came from Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Russia, Hong Kong, South Korea, China, and Japan. It truly was a global celebration of mer-culture.

✨ Highlights:

• High performance quality

• Strong international judging panel (8–10 judges!)

• Several categories like underwater dance, mermaiding, with Indonesian and international sub-categories - as well as adult and kid categories

But it was a long haul — the competition ran from morning until 7pm, with only a short break for heavy rain. Judges were troopers. I was impressed... and a little exhausted just watching.

If you're a competitor:
🎖️ This is a high-integrity (sign-up fees are around $100 USD), well-judged event
👯 There were a good 100 participants! So the competition is fierce!
📸 Be prepared for long days and bring backup energy snacks
🎤 There’s serious pride in participating — the awards moment was emotional

🏨 The Venue: Borobudur Hotel — Luxe & BIG

The Borobudur Hotel has it’s name from the Borobudur temple close to Yogjakarta which is the largest buddhist temple in the world. Staying true to its name giver, the hotel itself is a beautiful and equally sprawling venue that’s clearly used to hosting big events. But it’s easy to get lost — it hosts multiple conventions at the same time, so don’t be shy about asking staff for directions.

The mermaid championship was split across two areas:

💦 Poolside Area:

• Premium placement for sponsors and top-tier vendors

• All the action happens here — performances, spectators, judges

• Nice, exotic vibe and easy foot traffic

🏕️ Backyard Tent Area:

• Larger tent with vendor booths

• Well-ventilated, shaded, with rest area (relaxing puffs!!) and surprisingly lovely

• But: further away from the competition = fewer passersby

Honestly? The separation wasn’t the best for vendor traffic. It's a pattern we’ve seen elsewhere — when vendors and performers are separated, it splits the energy.

That said, live-streaming the competition to big screens in the vendor area was a brilliant workaround. Divers recorded the underwater action and broadcasted it in real time. Huge plus.

🛍️ Vendor & Participant Experience: Great Setup, But Not a Crowd Magnet

Let’s talk vendor reality.

The setup? Solid. Vendors & competitors had access to:

• A private AC’d prep room with snacks and drinks (thank you!!)

• Free water and food

• A chill, friendly vibe

But the vendor traffic was minimal. There weren’t a ton of attendees outside the competition crew, and many booths weren’t mermaid-specific.

This isn’t a U.S.-style mer-con with rows of shiny tail makers and tons eco-mermaid and mermaid-jewelry brands. And compared to events in Asia I’ve seen before, this one actually had more booths (especially as this one is focused completely on mermaid and underwater dance) — but there’s still lots of room for growth in the vendor space.

If you’re considering vending here:
🧜‍♀️ Don't expect huge sales unless you're poolside
🎁 Do bring community-building energy over pure sales goals
🌏 Use it as a regional exposure opportunity, not just a revenue play

🧜‍♀️ Workshops & Would-Have-Loved-Tos

Exiting the venue was another mini-adventure.

Traffic jams near the hotel are constant, so here’s your move:
🛵 Grab a motorbike taxi for the first stretch (e.g. to the Central Park Mall)
🚗 Then switch to a car to finish your trip

We considered taking the motorbike all the way... but we were so tired we were genuinely afraid of falling asleep and sliding off. Safety first, sea creatures.

🚦 Leaving Jakarta: Motorbike > Car (Again)

Let’s start with the most Jakarta-specific piece of advice: traffic is brutal. Not "haha this is busy" brutal. I mean "we arrived at 8am and still didn’t make it to the venue until 1pm" brutal.

Our hotel was just 25 minutes from the airport. We got our bags quickly. Took a shower. Hopped on motorbikes to cut through traffic. We should have arrived in plenty of time.

Instead, we were 3 hours late to the start of the convention.

So if you plan to go:
✅ Arrive a full day early
✅ Schedule a flexible first day
✅ And if you have a speaking slot, performance, or competition? Let the organizers know you need buffer time

Oh, and don’t underestimate the magic of motorbike taxis in Jakarta. They’re often the only way to move faster than a sleepy jellyfish - and don’t worry if you’ve got some more stuff to carry along (e.g. mermaid costume). As long as you can fit it into bigger and smaller backpack and order the comfort premium class, you’ll get a bigger motorbike that has space for it to go on your back and in front of the driver (and let’s face it - they’re used to weird luggage here in Asia :D ).

🛬 Getting There Is a Journey (Literally)

The next day featured workshops by well-known underwater dancers and mermaid performers - a beautiful chance to train, learn, and get inspired.

We didn’t go. Not because it wasn’t worth it — we were just fried from day one and already had a flight to our next destination. Had we had more time in Indonesia, we’d definitely have joined.

Just a heads-up: as it is separate from the competition it also is not included in your competition registration fee. So you’ll have to pick and chose if you don’t have enough cash to attend all of it.

At the end of day two there was also a celebratory dinner for all participants. Again - we weren’t able to make it, but from what we heard it must have been lovely.

🧜🏽‍♀️ So... Should You Go Next Year?

It depends on who you are. Here’s a breakdown:

✔️ YES, if you are:

• A competitor looking for a professional, international-level mermaid competition

• A professional mermaid / underwater dancer who wants exposure in Southeast Asia

• A curious community member who loves seeing high-quality performances

• A vendor with mermaid or underwater products, willing to test the waters in a growing regional market

🤔 Maybe, if you are:

• Hoping for a US-style mermaid convention experience — it's more niche and performance-focused

• A vendor focused strictly on high foot-traffic sales

Easily overwhelmed by long, all-day events without a break

✨ Come with curiosity, flexibility, and backup snacks.
✨ Arrive early, leave late. Traffic is real.
✨ Manage expectations — this is a competition-first event, not a convention.
✨ Celebrate the incredible growth of the Asian mer-community — it’s vibrant, it’s talented, and it’s just getting started.

Thinking of competing yourself next year?

🗓️ Registration opens mid-February 2025 and closes 17 days before the competition! So make sure to save the date!

Would I go again?
Yes — but I’d plan smarter.

Would I recommend it?
Yes — especially if you're performing or just want to feel the pulse of the mermaid world beyond the Western scene.

Until next time — stay salty, swim smart, and maybe keep a helmet handy. 🐚

With love from the deep,
Corinna - CEO, MerMapp 🧜🏽‍♀️🌍

🔱 Final Takeaways

🎤 Our Moment to Shine... on CNN?!

After the competition ended, the vibe shifted — people relaxed, mingled, and media arrived.

CNN Indonesia showed up, and guess what? A selected group of participants - including me as representative of MerMapp - was interviewed!

Now, the fun twist? I had no idea what was being said. There was a language barrier as the interview was being held in Indonesian and only when they directed concrete questions at the internationals did they switch to English. But hey — when you’re passionate about your project (hi, MerMapp!), you find your flow. And if you're lost, just go with the mantra of smile and nodd ;-)

This is definitely a benefit of these smaller local events, especially if you're a foreign participant - as you're the odd one out, your chances of getting picked to speak in front of a camera gets a lot higher! So