Would you travel 36 hours and 1,300km on a bus for esports? These Indonesian fans did

For most, attending an esports event may mean a short subway trip or a plane ride from another part of the country.

But in Indonesia – with over 17,000 islands and around 1.9 million sq km in size – an esports event in the capital city of Jakarta meant a 36-hour journey there, and another 36 hours back by bus without stopping to rest at night for some.

And many who were at the recent Free Fire World Series 2025 weren't deterred the least bit. 

More than 3,000 fans from 45 cities hopped on 60 buses provided by Garena, a Singapore-based esports company, to attend the Free Fire World Series.

The event, which took place at the Indonesia Arena on Nov 14 and 15 and drew a crowd of 6,000, was the first ever to be held in the country.

Some of them came from as far as Dumai in Riau Province and Padang in West Sumatra, approximately 1,400km and 1,300km from Jakarta, respectively.

"It was a long journey, and of course, we didn't get enough rest because we couldn't stretch our back, sleep well, or lie down. But as soon as we got here to meet with the other members of the Free Fire community, those feelings of tiredness are gone and I felt really happy," Rian Pamungkas Saputra told CNA Lifestyle. 

Rian, a Free Fire Community Builder, had travelled from Padang – with his five-year-old son Baliq Mufid Pamungkas. 

He had originally planned to travel with both of his sons, but eventually decided to bring the younger one as his older kid did not like travelling on long journeys.

"Baliq was very well behaved, very calm and quiet on the trip here. And while he doesn't play Free Fire, he knows what it is, and always wants to know about the game, especially when I'm playing together with his older brother. Maybe when he is older, he