As in previous years, there are many celebrations including festivals and cultural performances that you can enjoy in Bali in 2019. This can be a great opportunity for you to get closer to Bali and immerse in its culture. Here are 12 upcoming festivities that you can look forward on your visit to Bali this year!
March
1
Nyepi and Ogoh-Ogoh Festivals
If you are fed up with pollution and hectic town life, Nyepi is a beautiful solution. This is Bali’s annual Day of Silence, where everyone stays home and uses no electricity for 24 hours. The streets are deserted and even the airport is closed. You can experience a day with a clearer sky and peaceful atmosphere. To enjoy this celebration in Bali, make sure that you know the basic rules—no lights, no traveling, no partying, and no working. On the previous evening, there is a noisy parade of ogoh-ogoh, giant effigies built by local villagers and symbolizing negative energies. The idea is make a feast for the demons and then ask them to leave the world in peace.
Date: 6 – 7 March 2019
Photo courtesy of @rusdi.umbara
2
Omed-omedan
After Nyepi, there is a merry celebration held only in Sesetan, Badung called Omed-omedan. In this ritual, the young people in the village divide into groups of male and female. They face each other in the center of the designated area, and when the signal is given, both sides will approach each other. The male participant at the first line will kiss the female, while the other residents pour a bucket of water over them.
Date: 8 March 2019
Photo courtesy of iseebali.com/author/arifrahman/
3
Tumpek Kandang
On Bali’s 210-day calendar, there is a day for honoring animals with offerings. In earlier times, this was mainly livestock, such as chickens, pigs, and the family cow. Nowadays it may be pets. It’s also an expression of devotion to God, and preserves harmony with other living beings. That day if you visit a zoo in Bali, you might find something interesting!
Date: 16 March 2019
Photo Courtesy of fosutoka.blogspot.com
4
Bali Spirit Festival
In the last week of this March, the Bali Spirit Festival will be held in Ubud. This annual festival, which started in 2010 and draws many foreign visitors, runs for a week long and features yoga, dance, meditation, workshops and seminars. You can also enjoy their exhibitions of food, clothing and handcrafts. Spiritual music performances are held day and night. Tickets required.
Date: 24 – 31 March 2019
Photo courtesy of balispiritfestival.com/
April
1
Gianyar Art and Cultural Festival
Gianyar is the capital city of the region of Gianyar and is famous as a cultural center. Every year it holds the Gianyar Arts and Cultural Festival over 9 days, with the best of the city’s performing arts and local music.
Date: 10 – 19 April 2019
Photo courtesy of bali-travelnews.com
2
Ubud Food Festival
Are you ready to ‘Spice up the World’? This theme is taken for the fifth year of the Ubud Food Festival. This three-day event will showcase culinary icons from around the world, along with Indonesian chefs, restaurateurs, producers and food professionals. A festival of feasting!
Date: 26 – 28 April 2019
Photo courtesy of Wirasathya Darmaja – flickr.com/photos/ubudfoodfestival/41796596171/
June
1
Tenganan Pegringsingan Festival and Perang Pandan
Perang Pandan is an ancient rite where men perform ritual combat with long spiny pandan leaves and rattan shields. It is held annually in the village of Tenganan Pegringsingan in East Bali. The villagers believe that this dramatic rite will bring prosperity to the village.
Date: 24 – 25 June 2019
Photo courtesy of wego.co.id
2
Bali Arts Festival
As mean of preserving Balis culture, the Bali Government holds the month-long Bali Art Festival every year at the Arts Center in Denpasar, featuring distinct cultural performances from all the regions of Bali. Each district sends representatives to demonstrate the unique culture of their respective areas. There are also stalls selling local products such as paintings, handcrafts, spa products, etc.
Date: 9 June – 6 July 2019
Photo courtesy of thejakartapost.com
July
1
Makepung Buffalo Races
Makepung is a tradition loved by villagers in the region of Jembrana in western Bali, where farmers race their highly decorated buffaloes for pride and honor, not for money. The government supports these races as a way to preserve local traditions.
Date: 14 July 2019
Photo courtesy of pureluxetravel.com.au
2
Galungan and Kuningan
These two holidays honoring deified ancestors fall once every 210 days on the Balinese calendar. All over the island, people erect ornamental bamboo poles in front of their houses, filling the streets with beauty and festivity. At this time, there are many unique traditional performances in the villages.
Date: 24 July 2019 and 3 August 2019
Photo courtesy of kabarin.co
August
1
Bali Kites Festival
Kite-lovers will not want to miss this festival, held in Padang Galak near Sanur. The Bali Kite Festival gives you the opportunity to see many kinds of kites created by youth groups from all over Bali, ranging from the small to the massive. Some even produce sound. Like a small paradise for kite-lovers!
Date: 29 August 2019
Photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
2
Sanur Village Festival
Sanur Village Festival has become an annual fair with stalls presenting Balinese specialties, such as contemporary clothes favored by youth, and many other interesting things.
Date: 21 – 25 August 2019
Leave A Comment