Bali is a land of various cultures and traditions. It is popular for its scenic beauty as well as for its rich culture. This small island celebrates many festivals with great enthusiasm and zeal. Tourists from all over the world attend these festivals and take back so many great memories with them.
People of Bali do not need to find reasons to celebrate life. They enjoy each day because of the various festivities and cultural activities. When you visit Bali for festivals be sure to book your Bali vacation rentals few weeks prior to a big festival as good places can get sold out pretty fast.
Here are the top festivals that are celebrated in Bali each year.
- Bali Spirit Festival
Bali Spirit Festival is one of the longest festivals for yoga in the world. This festival is organized to celebrate music, dance, and yoga. Just as the name suggests, this festival organizes various programs for the rejuvenation of the mind, body and the heart like yoga classes, healing, meditation and various seminars for the participants. The festival takes a whole new character during the night with its world music concerts and dance performances in the beautiful rice fields of Ubud. The mantra of this festival is Balinese Hinduism.
- Ubud Village Jazz Festival
Ubud Village Jazz Festival is a music and jazz lover’s paradise. This music festival takes place in the picturesque setting of Ubud for the young and the old, local and international artists each year. There are workshops organized by music educators to find more young talent who truly love jazz music. The Jazz café in Bali was the first venue for the live Jazz festival in 1996.
- Bali Arts Festival
The Bali Arts Festival is the best place to experience the local culture and their various traditional dances, music, and handicrafts. The festivities last for an entire month. From cultural dances, performances by the local as well as international artists to exhibit of handicrafts, this festival is a complete package of fun and new experiences. This festival provides proof that Bali is not just a popular for its tropical beaches but, it is also very rich in culture. It shows the relatively less explored and discovered side of Bali.
- Bali Kite Festival
The Bali Kite Festival is celebrated during the windy season. The sky gets filled with infinite gigantic kites of different shapes and sizes during this season. The whole sky is full of colors, and the entire view is just spectacular. The festival is open for everyone, the spectators, the participants as well as adults and kids. Plan your tour during July to experience this colorful festival of Bali.
- Rice Harvest Festival
The Rice Harvest Festival is celebrated every year from May 1 to June 30 at the end of the harvesting period. The visitors make the regional cuisine to honor the god of rice known as Dewi Sri. The visitors also get to enjoy the bull races. The bulls are decorated with beautiful accessories. Tourists are welcomed with warm hearts and open arms to join them in their festivities and traditions. Plan your trip around the harvest season and get to know more about the Balinese traditions.
- Legian Beach Festival
The lively festival begins around the month of August and is organized by the Legian village community. The festivities take place along the extensive Legian beachfront with the support of the Indonesian Tourism Board. Participate in different games and competitions, and enjoy the bazaars and exhibitions or those traditional dances on the sand. There are fashion shows and food trucks, which are the highlights of the event. - Sanur Village Festival
Sanur Village Festival is well famous for its arts, water sports, and environmental-awareness events. The festivities along the shores of Bali highlight a food festival, culinary challenges, bazaars, fashion shows, expos, and tours. There are other activities such as environmental awareness programs, yoga, sports activities. Sanur Run is another highlight that people are crazy about. Sporting events feature fishing tournament and the Jukung competition on the Sanur Beach. - Nyepi celebration
Nyepi celebration is big and massive and celebrates the Saka New Year, which is also known as the Bali day of silence. The preparations for Nyepi start weeks before, and each district gets busy building their own papier-mâché effigies called ogoh-ogoh or monsters. Melasti pilgrimages from various village temples are performed all over Bali as pilgrims take long walks towards the coastlines to perform purification ceremonies. Keep your camera ready to capture the iconic and colorful Balinese processions in motion. - Ubud food Festival
If you want to explore Indonesia’s culinary heritage, then it is at Ubud food Festival that is held in May. There are workshops, tours, forum sessions, cooking demonstrations related to food. You get to know the history, geography and diverse culture of the archipelago in every culinary tradition you come across. There is a story behind every flavor that is shared by the international chefs through their recipes.
10.Bali International Film Festival
Registered as BALINALE, Bali International Film Festival showcases work of international filmmakers, and it is here that you get to see the beautiful mix of locals and expatriates from across the world. The festival goes on throughout the year and celebrates different films that carry the power to communicate messages from foreign lands. BALINALE not only promotes Indonesian cinema but brings together global creativity.
Be a part of any of the above festivals to create unique moments and colorful memories of Bali. Grab your chance to be part of different facets of rich arts and culture of the island.
