BIGustusan: Celebrating Independence Through Togetherness and Social Impact
This year, Best Indonesian Gift (BIG) gave its Independence Day celebration a name of its own: BIGustusan.
The celebration kicked off on August 13, 2026, with a blood donation drive held in collaboration with PMI Badung-Bali. The activity was open to both BIG employees and the public, with around 20 people signing up to participate.
The following day, August 14, it was time for the Independence Day games.
This year, there were five games: Sprint Group One Leg, Sandra Melarikan Diri, Estafet Air, Tarik Tambang Licin, and Water Tower.
Two days, two very different activities.
But both were part of the same BIGustusan spirit: bringing people together inside the company while creating an opportunity to make an impact beyond it.
Starting BIGustusan with a Blood Donation Drive
On August 13, BIG worked with PMI Badung-Bali to organize a blood donation drive.
The activity was open to BIG employees as well as members of the public, with around 20 people registering to donate blood.
For us, it was a simple way to start the Independence Day celebration.
There was no competition and no race to finish first. Everyone came for the same reason: to give something that could be useful to someone else.
Opening the activity to the public also meant BIGustusan was not limited to an internal company event. It created an opportunity for people outside BIG to take part as well.
Ending BIGustusan with Games
After the blood donation drive, BIGustusan continued on August 14 with a day of Independence Day games.
Five games were prepared, each with its own challenge:
1. Sprint Group One Leg tested speed and balance.
2. Sandra Melarikan Diri brought a more unpredictable challenge that required participants to move quickly and work together.
3. Estafet Air depended on coordination between team members. If one person lost their rhythm, the amount of water reaching the finish point could quickly drop.
4. Tarik Tambang Minyak Licin put a different spin on the classic tug-of-war. Instead of simply pulling against the other team, participants had to fight to take control of the rope.
5. Water Tower required strategy, teamwork, and, of course, the ability to keep the tower standing for as long as possible.
The names might sound simple enough. Once the games started, they were anything but.
Some people were fully focused on winning. Others were busy cheering from the sidelines. And some ended up laughing more than they played.
There was one rule everyone had to follow, though: no talking about work.
The only strategy worth discussing that day was how to win the game.
Two Activities, Two Ways to Make an Impact
When viewed as one celebration, the blood donation drive and the Independence Day games served different purposes.
The blood donation drive gave BIG employees and the public an opportunity to do something that could benefit others. The games, meanwhile, gave BIG employees a chance to come together, have fun, and spend time with one another outside their usual work routines.
One created an impact beyond the company.
The other strengthened connections within it.
Both became part of BIGustusan.
We believe company activities do not always need to be big or complicated to mean something. What matters is creating opportunities for people to participate, connect, and share an experience together.
Moments like these are also part of how we build our workplace environment at BIG. Because not every connection has to come from working on the same project or meeting the same deadline.
Sometimes, it comes from being on the same team, cheering each other on, competing for a win, or simply laughing together.
And through BIGustusan this year, we got to experience both sides: an opportunity to give back to others and a chance to celebrate Independence Day with the people we work with every day.