The Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) Gunungkidul campus hosted Leafestiva 2026 on Tuesday (May 5, 2026), an annual culinary festival themed “One Leaf, Endless Flavors: Leafestiva Full of Creativity.” The event featured a series of activities, including group exercise sessions, seminars, traditional tumpeng tiwul decoration, and exhibitions of food and beverage products. The festival also forms part of the Food Festival course in the Applied Bachelor’s Program in Culinary Arts, designed as both a showcase and a platform for students to demonstrate their culinary innovation.
Leafestiva serves as a strategic platform to introduce, promote, and appreciate diverse food innovations based on local ingredients. With a unique concept, all products presented in this year’s festival utilized various types of leaves as the main ingredient, processed with modern culinary techniques to compete in today’s food industry.
The event was officially opened by Wibawanti Wulandari, S.P., Economic Affairs Advisor to the Gunungkidul Regency Government, representing the Regent. In her remarks, she appreciated the academic initiative that not only fosters student creativity but also contributes to the development of local food potential.
Meanwhile, the Vice Dean for Planning, Finance, and Human Resources of the UNY Vocational Faculty, Dr. Adeng Pustikaningsih, S.E., M.Si., emphasized that Leafestiva is a tangible example of applied learning in vocational education. “Leafestiva is clear evidence of practice-based learning implementation. Through this event, students are challenged to go beyond the classroom and laboratory,” she stated.
The event, chaired by Difaa Dwibudiutomo, showcased 72 innovative products ranging from food to beverages. Each product emphasized not only taste but also quality, food safety, and market appeal.
All products were developed by students of the 2023 cohort of the Applied Culinary Arts Program. Students worked collaboratively in groups to manage exhibition booths, while each product was individually developed, encouraging a balance between teamwork and personal creativity.
Notably, all featured products were modern culinary innovations using leaves as substitute ingredients. This approach not only creates product differentiation but also highlights health benefits and food sustainability. Examples included red spinach leaf gyoza, katuk leaf cake, and fern leaf pempek, among others.
Through Leafestiva, UNY Gunungkidul reaffirmed its commitment to producing adaptive, creative, and industry-ready vocational graduates. The festival not only serves as an exhibition platform but also as a real-world laboratory for students to develop entrepreneurial skills, product innovation, and workforce readiness.
With strong visitor enthusiasm and a wide range of creative products, Leafestiva 2026 is expected to inspire the development of local ingredient-based culinary innovations at both regional and national levels.
