Bali Festival Sets Oct. 22 Ceremony After Karangasem Students Win 20 Awards

Karangasem — The closing ceremony and award presentation for Bali’s 2026 provincial Festival Tunas Bahasa Ibu are scheduled for Oct. 22, 2026, as Karangasem students mark results that brought the district 20 awards.

The festival, known as FTBI, brought together elementary and junior-high students in competitions centered on Balinese-language skills and performance. Karangasem sent 28 students across seven categories; 20 earned awards, including two first-place finishes. The competition was held from Oct. 6 to 15, 2026.

The two first-place awards went to I Komang Bawa Suadnyana of SD Negeri 1 Duda Timur in the elementary-school boys’ Balinese speech competition and I Gusti Lanang Bijendra Sastra Gunadhi of SMP Negeri 1 Bebandem in the junior-high boys’ Balinese storytelling competition. Other Karangasem students received awards ranging from second and third place to honorable mentions.

Why the Oct. 22 ceremony matters

The ceremony gives the provincial festival a public closing point and formally recognizes students who competed in Balinese writing, singing, speech, storytelling, short-story writing, poetry reading and comedy. For families and schools in Karangasem, the date is when the students’ provincial results are scheduled to be acknowledged and prizes presented.

The Language Center of Bali Province, a government language institution, said the festival was part of the October 2026 Language Month program. Its planned peak was set for Oct. 22 at the OJK Building, alongside the broader Language Month program. The institution described the activities as supporting the development of language, literature and literacy in Bali.

The festival’s seven categories included writing Balinese script, singing, public speaking, storytelling, writing Balinese short stories, reading contemporary Balinese poetry and comedy performance. Events were conducted both in person and online, while the main competition took place at the Bali Province Language Center in Denpasar from Oct. 6 to 15.

For foreign residents and visitors, the event is primarily a cultural and educational occasion rather than a change to immigration, transport or visitor rules. The next scheduled development is the Oct. 22 closing and prize presentation.

Sources

• NusaBali — regional news report
• baliprov.go.id