https://baliobserver.com/The Bali Observer covers Bali for an international audience: news, tourism and hospitality, travel advisories, business and investment, culture, the environment and eastern Indonesia.en© 2026 PT. Kabar Delapan Belashttps://baliobserver.com/assets/site/brand/icon-144.pnghttps://baliobserver.com/144144Sun, 20 Sep 2026 22:01:59 +0800 https://baliobserver.com/ubud-writers-readers-festival-announces-first-2026-line-uphttps://baliobserver.com/ubud-writers-readers-festival-announces-first-2026-line-upSun, 20 Sep 2026 22:01:59 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyThe Ubud Writers & Readers Festival has announced its first 2026 line-up, with more than 100 sessions in Ubud from 21–25 October under the theme “Samarasā: Awareness. Empathy. Action.” https://baliobserver.com/barong-arts-festival-confirmed-for-balis-taman-ayun-templehttps://baliobserver.com/barong-arts-festival-confirmed-for-balis-taman-ayun-templeSun, 20 Sep 2026 22:01:52 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyA Barong-focused arts festival is scheduled at Pura Taman Ayun in Mengwi on 16–17 October 2026. The free event will feature dance performances, competitions and cultural activities at a UNESCO-listed temple complex. https://baliobserver.com/wonderful-indonesia-gastronomy-2026-to-spotlight-culinary-heritagehttps://baliobserver.com/wonderful-indonesia-gastronomy-2026-to-spotlight-culinary-heritageSun, 20 Sep 2026 22:01:39 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyIndonesia’s Tourism Ministry and Indonesia Gastronomy Network will stage Wonderful Indonesia Gastronomy 2026 from late September through December, headlined by a Solo–Yogyakarta programme and nationwide culinary events, festivals and… https://baliobserver.com/arma-fest-2026-opens-in-ubud-with-895-balinese-artistshttps://baliobserver.com/arma-fest-2026-opens-in-ubud-with-895-balinese-artistsSun, 20 Sep 2026 22:01:05 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyARMA Fest 2026, the fourth edition of the arts festival at ARMA Museum Ubud, opened on Saturday, 19 September, bringing hundreds of Balinese artists together for workshops, performances and baleganjur competitions over a two-day programme. https://baliobserver.com/betabeq-ceremony-opens-mandalika-preparations-for-2026-motogphttps://baliobserver.com/betabeq-ceremony-opens-mandalika-preparations-for-2026-motogpSun, 20 Sep 2026 22:00:19 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyLocal authorities and the circuit operator held a traditional Betabeq ceremony at Mandalika on 16 September 2026, seeking permission, blessings and community support ahead of the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia MotoGP weekend on 9–11… https://baliobserver.com/selat-piodalan-becomes-forum-for-appeal-on-shrine-and-village-centre-upgradeshttps://baliobserver.com/selat-piodalan-becomes-forum-for-appeal-on-shrine-and-village-centre-upgradesSun, 20 Sep 2026 22:00:00 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyA 15 September piodalan at Pura Alas Angker and Pura Alas Arum in Selat, Abiansemal, also served as a platform for Desa Adat Selat to ask the Badung regency government for continued support to upgrade village-centre shrine complexes and… https://baliobserver.com/tirta-gangga-art-festival-2026-highlights-cultural-diversity-in-karangasemhttps://baliobserver.com/tirta-gangga-art-festival-2026-highlights-cultural-diversity-in-karangasemSun, 20 Sep 2026 21:59:19 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyThe 13–19 September Tirta Gangga Art Festival 2026 in Karangasem brought together Balinese Hindu arts and performances from Muslim and Chinese communities, as organisers and officials linked cultural diversity to tourism and local economic… https://baliobserver.com/art-bali-2026-brings-23-galleries-and-300-artists-to-nuanuhttps://baliobserver.com/art-bali-2026-brings-23-galleries-and-300-artists-to-nuanuSun, 20 Sep 2026 21:59:08 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyArt & Bali’s second edition returned to Nuanu Creative City in Tabanan from 11–13 September 2026, gathering 23 galleries, more than 300 artists and the flagship textile exhibition “What the Body Remembers” across the 44-hectare creative… https://baliobserver.com/eight-hindu-observances-set-in-balis-calendar-for-september-2026https://baliobserver.com/eight-hindu-observances-set-in-balis-calendar-for-september-2026Sun, 20 Sep 2026 21:58:04 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyThe Balinese calendar records eight Hindu rerainan, or religious observances, for September 2026, from Tumpek Kandang on 5 September through Buda Kliwon Ugu on 30 September, according to Kalender Bali Digital and local media. https://baliobserver.com/tri-hita-karana-ceremony-closes-bali-harmony-encounter-week-2026https://baliobserver.com/tri-hita-karana-ceremony-closes-bali-harmony-encounter-week-2026Sun, 20 Sep 2026 21:58:00 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyBali Harmony Encounter Week 2026 ran from 2–7 September and closed with the Tri Hita Karana Universal Reflection Ceremony in Kura Kura Bali, linking Balinese philosophy with global debates on artificial intelligence, ethics and peace, but… https://baliobserver.com/balis-september-2026-agenda-mixes-events-and-hindu-holy-dayshttps://baliobserver.com/balis-september-2026-agenda-mixes-events-and-hindu-holy-daysSun, 20 Sep 2026 21:57:57 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyA September 2026 agenda compiled from Bali event listings highlights concerts, exhibitions, food fairs, conservation activities and Hindu religious observances, with dates for major religious days confirmed by the Balinese Hindu calendar. https://baliobserver.com/ubud-art-collect-gathers-39-artists-and-4863-visitors-in-a-village-pavilionhttps://baliobserver.com/ubud-art-collect-gathers-39-artists-and-4863-visitors-in-a-village-pavilionSun, 20 Sep 2026 21:57:54 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyHeld from 4–6 September 2026 at Wantilan Ubud, Ubud Art Collect brought 39 artists and 4,863 visitors together in a village pavilion, mixing traditional painting, contemporary practices and multiple generations in a market-style art… https://baliobserver.com/bali-interfood-opens-in-nusa-dua-headlining-balis-september-event-calendarhttps://baliobserver.com/bali-interfood-opens-in-nusa-dua-headlining-balis-september-event-calendarSun, 20 Sep 2026 21:57:36 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyBali Interfood opened in Nusa Dua on Sept. 2 as part of a September 2026 calendar that also includes art, conservation and Balinese Hindu observances. https://baliobserver.com/saka-museum-opens-kamasan-exhibition-in-jimbaranhttps://baliobserver.com/saka-museum-opens-kamasan-exhibition-in-jimbaranSun, 20 Sep 2026 21:57:05 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonySAKA Museum at AYANA Bali has launched its first temporary exhibition, KAMASAN: The Noble Tradition of Balinese Painting, bringing together more than 30 works from the late 19th century to today. https://baliobserver.com/adir-2026-2027-links-bali-and-burgundy-in-forest-themed-design-residencyhttps://baliobserver.com/adir-2026-2027-links-bali-and-burgundy-in-forest-themed-design-residencySun, 20 Sep 2026 21:56:20 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyCushCush Gallery’s Artist Designer In Residence 2026–2027 pairs Bali-based designer Cokorda G. B. https://baliobserver.com/17th-mel-tanjung-kite-festival-sends-1685-kites-into-sanurs-skyhttps://baliobserver.com/17th-mel-tanjung-kite-festival-sends-1685-kites-into-sanurs-skySun, 20 Sep 2026 21:55:50 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyThe 17th Mel Tanjung Kite Festival in Sanur brought 1,685 traditional and creative kites to Mekarsari Beach in 2026, blending strict rules for classical Balinese designs with open creative categories to keep the island’s kite-flying… https://baliobserver.com/bk-creative-hub-in-seminyak-launches-with-ade-habibies-monkey-spirithttps://baliobserver.com/bk-creative-hub-in-seminyak-launches-with-ade-habibies-monkey-spiritSun, 20 Sep 2026 21:55:01 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyBK Creative Hub in Seminyak has launched as an art and cultural space under the Blue Karma brand, opening with Ade Habibie’s Monkey Spirit exhibition and combining rotating contemporary works with workshops, immersive experiences and an… https://baliobserver.com/miss-fish-balis-matsuri-festival-runs-three-nights-in-june-2026https://baliobserver.com/miss-fish-balis-matsuri-festival-runs-three-nights-in-june-2026Sun, 20 Sep 2026 21:54:56 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyFrom 11 to 13 June 2026, Miss Fish Bali’s three-night MATSURI Festival transformed its Tibubeneng restaurant into a cinematic, shrine-like setting inspired by Japanese mythology, with taiko-led performances and a high-end omakase menu… https://baliobserver.com/balinese-ghost-stories-behind-halloween-lost-souls-leyak-and-kerauhanhttps://baliobserver.com/balinese-ghost-stories-behind-halloween-lost-souls-leyak-and-kerauhanSun, 20 Sep 2026 21:54:02 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyThree Balinese narratives often presented as “ghost stories” for Halloween – the lost soul, the sorcerer figure leyak and the trance state kerauhan – reflect local ideas about ritual, the unseen world and the balance of opposing forces. https://baliobserver.com/candi-teballinggah-and-lontar-two-forms-of-balis-memoryhttps://baliobserver.com/candi-teballinggah-and-lontar-two-forms-of-balis-memorySun, 20 Sep 2026 21:53:54 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonyA cliff-cut sanctuary in the Pakerisan River valley and palm-leaf manuscripts preserve different strands of Bali’s cultural memory. https://baliobserver.com/saka-museum-in-bali-opens-daily-with-design-by-two-firmshttps://baliobserver.com/saka-museum-in-bali-opens-daily-with-design-by-two-firmsSun, 20 Sep 2026 21:53:50 +0800Mukmin JohnCulture & CeremonySAKA Museum at AYANA Bali is now open daily, with architecture by Mitsubishi Jisho Design and interiors by Napp Studio. The museum’s concept draws on Nyepi, water and the Saka calendar.