For the last two centuries, the royal houses of Solo have developed highly individual styles for the traditional Javanese arts of gamelan and wayang. The Puro Mangkunegoro's performances of wayang orang (Wed 10am-noon) are more rumbustious and aggressive than the graceful, fluid style of the Kasunanan Palace (Sun 9-11am). Another option is the three-hour performance at Sriwedari Park (Mon-Sat 8pm). Gamelan is also something of a Solonese speciality. The Sahid Kusuma Hotel gamelan orchestra plays every afternoon and evening in the reception hall, and the Puro Mangkunegoro stages a ninety-minute performance on Saturday evening (9pm).

The radio station Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) regularly records performances of Solo's traditional arts, including wayang orang (every first and third Tuesday of the month), gamelan (every second and fourth Thursday), and wayang kulit (third Saturday); performances generally start around 9pm and tickets should be bought in advance from the RRI Building just to the south of the Balapan train station.