Indonesia
Bali Arts Festival 2027: a month of dance and gamelan in Denpasar, est. mid-June to mid-July
At a glance
- Dates
- Next: mid-June to mid-July 2027 (est.)
- Where
- Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Centre, Denpasar
- Getting there
- Not listed
- Cost
- Free entry (2026 listing)
- Limits
- Not listed
The 2026 edition has passed
Dates last checked: 13 October 2026
The festival
In 2026, 20,929 performers took the stage in Denpasar over one month
The Bali Arts Festival (Pesta Kesenian Bali, or PKB) began in 1979 and fills the Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Centre in Denpasar for a month each year. The 48th edition, in 2026, brought 673 groups and 20,929 artists. When it closed on 11 July, Bali's governor, Wayan Koster, put attendance at 1,822,857 visits, up from about 1.6 million the year before.
It opened on 13 June in front of the Bali People's Struggle Monument in Renon, where the governor struck the kulkul drum and about 3,430 artists set off in the Peed Aya cultural parade. From then on the programme splits into performances (Rekasadana), parades and showcases (Utsawa), competitions, talks, workshops and exhibitions, all running at once across the Art Centre's stages.
Take 8 July. At 15:00 a troupe from Abiansemal in Badung performed Wayang Wong dance-drama in the Angsoka pavilion. At 17:00 the Ratna Kanda pavilion had Semar Pagulingan gamelan, and at 18:30 a group from Jembrana staged Drama Gong in the Ayodya pavilion. At 19:30 three shows began together: an adult Gong Kebyar contest on the open-air Ardha Candra stage, shadow puppetry outside the Kriya building, and a mask performance by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in the Ksirarnawa hall.
Booking
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Prices and ratings checked 13 Oct 2026
Tickets and tours
Ubud, Bali
Ubud highlights private day tour
The festival is in Denpasar; set aside another day for Ubud, with a private guide, hotel pick-up, about 9–10 hours, English-speaking.
from NT$847
See pricesBatubulan, Bali
Kecak & fire dance with a private Ubud tour
Watch the festival in Denpasar by day, and on another day take this private Ubud tour with a Kecak and fire dance. Hotel pick-up, about 8 hours.
from NT$515
See prices
Mobile data
Indonesia & Bali eSIM (sent by email)
Install it as soon as the email arrives (one-tap on iOS 17.4 and later). The cheapest plan is 5 days with 1 GB a day; no refunds after purchase.
See plans
Details
Only the first day has the opening parade, and every other day of the month has free shows. Evening shows list a start time but no end time, so keep the ride home flexible.
Dates: mid-June to mid-July 2027 (expected)
The 48th edition ran from Saturday 13 June to Saturday 11 July 2026. The 2027 dates have not been announced. Past editions have all fallen in June and July and lasted about a month, and the exact dates are subject to the official announcement from the organiser, Bali's provincial culture office (disbud.baliprov.go.id).
The opening parade happens only on day one. Every other day has performances, competitions and exhibitions, so there is no need to aim for a particular date.
Opening and show venues
The opening ceremony and the Peed Aya parade are not held at the Art Centre but at the Bali People's Struggle Monument in Renon (Monumen Perjuangan Rakyat Bali, also called Bajra Sandhi), where the spectator stands were widened in 2026.
After the opening, the programme moves to the Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Centre, where the open-air Ardha Candra stage, the Ksirarnawa hall and several pavilions each run their own schedule.
Admission: free
Indonesia's official tourism site lists the Bali Arts Festival as free.
When evening shows end
With 1.8 million visits in a month, the Art Centre averages around 60,000 visits a day. Evening shows are listed with a start time but no end time, so leave your ride home flexible. Several stages start at the same time, which usually means one show per evening.
Planning a day
Check the day's programme, pick a pavilion performance in the afternoon and one of the main stages in the evening. In 2026 local media such as RRI published the schedule day by day, listing each stage's start time, group and home regency.
Where to stay
The opening is in Renon and everything afterwards is at the Art Centre in central Denpasar, so Denpasar or neighbouring Sanur is the most convenient base, especially for getting back after an evening show.
Good to know
- Venue and stages
- The Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Centre in Denpasar, with the open-air Ardha Candra stage, the Ksirarnawa hall and performance pavilions including Ayodya, Angsoka and Ratna Kanda.
- Opening
- The 2026 festival opened on 13 June in front of the Bali People's Struggle Monument in Niti Mandala, Renon. The governor struck the kulkul, a wooden slit drum, and the Peed Aya cultural parade followed.
- Admission
- Indonesia's official tourism site lists the 2026 festival as free.
- Scale
- In 2026, 673 groups and 20,929 artists took part, presenting 879 works.
- Daily programme
- On 8 July 2026, for example, the first show started at 15:00 and three stages opened at 19:30. The programme lists start times only, not end times.
FAQ
5
Where is the Bali Arts Festival held?
At the Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Centre in Denpasar. The opening ceremony and parade take place separately, at the Bali People's Struggle Monument in Renon.
Do you need a ticket?
No. Indonesia's official tourism site lists the 2026 festival as free.
What kinds of shows are there?
The organisers group the programme into the Peed Aya parade, Rekasadana performances, Utsawa parades and showcases, competitions, talks, workshops and exhibitions. In 2026 it also included the Bali World Culture Celebration with invited groups from abroad.
Do many foreign visitors go?
Relatively few. Of 1,822,857 visits over the month in 2026, 5,743 were by foreign tourists.
What is the 2027 theme?
At the 2026 closing the provincial government announced the 2027 theme, Wana Kerthi, which it glosses as the forest that sustains life.
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