(English) 3 Reasons Why You Should Come to Bali Art Festival

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The 41st edition of the annual Bali Arts Festival will take place from June 15 to July 13 at The Bali Art Centre in Denpasar, the capital city of Bali province.

Image via The Lokha Ubud

Bali Arts Festival brings “Bayu Pramana, Memuliakan Sumber Daya Angin” as the main theme. “Bayu pramana” which means: breathe of life. The concept of Bayu pramana comes from two words namely “Bayu” and “Pramana”. Bayu means wind while pramana means strength. Bayu pramana means the Power of Breath of Life, the most vital energy that lives and controls everything. The meaning is transformed into a theme and wind element that can make a work of art. This event will allow you to explore the true beauty of the island of the Gods.

Here are the 3 reasons why you should come to Bali Art Festival.

1. The biggest Art Festival in Bali with the Best of Balinese Performances

Bali Art Festival is one of the biggest annual events in Bali. It is held once a year by involving thousands of artists from various regions in and outside Bali, from children to adults. The festival does not only involve artists, but it also involves the government and non-government institutions in its execution.

During the one month long of the festival, dances, music, and artistic expressions of this beautiful tropical island will be displayed and performed. It is presented and revived by the villagers throughout the Bali Island. There will be daily performances of traditional and modern dances and music along with countless related cultural and commercial activities. In the following days, some different stages and venues will resonate with various colorful shows presented by various art groups from Bali and other Indonesian islands. You will be able to watch the performance art that we have never seen before.

At this festival, there will be several new shows and also shows that have begun to be rarely displayed in some areas. Dramatic and luxurious parades and processions will also be displayed including Gong Kebyar, Topeng Panca, Ngelawang, Dramatari Arja, Wayang Kulit Parwa, Joged Bumbung, and many more.

As a special treat this year, also on the agenda, the Modern Bonds Competition (Comedy Games), Baleganjur Competition for Children, Drama Gong Parade featuring modern Balinese lyrics, Wayang Kulit Babad and other new creative artistic performances. It is the perfect moment to witness Bali’s wealth of performing arts.

2. Traditional Culinary Party Offering!

This month, you are not only going to be entertained with art and cultural performances but also a culinary party offering! The nine regencies in Bali take part to serve traditional specialties in their respective regions every day.

Some of the dishes to be presented at the festival are sate lilit, lawar, babi guling, rujak kuah pindah, serombotan, tipat blayang, and many more. You will find the different tastes of each region from the same type of food.

For example, lawar. Although every area in Bali has lawar, but they have different flavors, taste, and even spiciness levels. Usually, the typical food of the region can be different depending on the culture of each region. Besides, you also can find foods that you rarely find in tourist areas such as Plecing Telengis from Karangasem and Blayag from Buleleng.

Image via Serious Eats

3. Endless Shopping Opportunities

In addition to finding traditional culinary varieties from all the regions in Bali, you can also find various types of handicrafts from all regions. If you usually can only find crafts from the Ubud area, here you can find handicrafts from various artists in Bali. Ranging from handicrafts made from paper, fabric, wood, to gold.

Gold and silver are items that you should not miss to buy. This is because the gold and silver accessories displayed at the Bali Arts Festival are mostly handmade to produce high-quality products with more detailed workmanship.

The concepts offered are also varied, starting from the simple and elegant concept that is loved by foreign tourists to charming accessories with typical Balinese carvings to wear. So bring an extra suitcase, or be willing to pick one up along the way!

It’s the 3 reason why you should try to come to Bali Art Festival for this year. So, don’t miss this amazing cultural festival!