The Bali Arts Festival is held annually in Denpasar for one-month mid-year. If you have not witnessed this beautiful event, I recommend you make a date in Bali around June and July.

This amazing Balinese event is called the Bali Arts and Culture Festival. I first experienced it in 2011, and I was in awe of the amount of local culture and heritage on display in Denpasar.

A local wears his traditional costume during the festival.

At this unique and colourful festival, groups from various tribes and cultures around Bali, Indonesia, will participate in their traditional ethnic costumes. From beautiful, sweet Balinese women in colourful attire to fiercely made-up men, this festival is bound to amaze you in many ways.

Some of the groups often see monumental effigies, and some of them can be pretty scary. They’re kind of like the ones used in the Nyepi Festival, another massive event that takes place every early March. Each tribe or group consists of about 10 to 50 participants who line up and wait their turn parading in front of the main stage, where officials and VIPs are seated.

When I attended the previous Arts Festival in Bali, it was held in a huge local field that could accommodate thousands of people in Denpasar. It was indeed a sight to see, and I have to thank the Diwangkara Holiday Villa staff for introducing me to this event, as I would have never known about it.

A local Balinese in full makeup and costume.

The best part was that I could count the number of foreigners or tourists on one hand when I was there. Not many people know about the ‘Openang Parade,’ so I was fortunate to witness it. Camera in hand, I blended in with the local journalists and photographers, running all over the massive field as people dressed in costumes everywhere.

My movement was chaotic; everywhere I looked, there was something new to see and photograph. To summarize, I took about 3000 photos of this event, which started at about 10:00 a.m. and continued until late in the afternoon—until I ran out of batteries!

So this time, I hope to be there again with more batteries, lenses and a better camera. If you are going for this and see me there, don’t be a stranger and say hello to me. I end this with a series of photographs I took back then. Click on the pictures to see the full image.

“The Bali Arts Festival is a full month of daily performances, handicraft exhibitions and other related cultural and commercial activities during which literally the whole of Bali comes to the city to present its offerings of dance, music and beauty.

On display are trances from remote mountain slopes, forgotten or recently revived village dances, food and offering contests, classical palace dances, stars of Balinese stage, odd musical performances, “kreasi baru” (new creations) from the dance schools of Denpasar, as well as contemporary choreography and dance companies from other islands and from abroad.

The Bali Arts Festival is the Denpasar cultural event of the year, perhaps it would no be too far fetched to suggest that it is the cultural event of Indonesia. The festival is thus a unique opportunity to see local village culture both “live” and at first hand. Tourists are warmly welcomed.“

A Kalimantan Dayak in traditional costume.

Conclusion

If you are a photography enthusiast or love taking photos of people and cultures, this is one event in Bali that you should not miss. Ensure you follow the protocol here and respect the people. I hope you enjoyed the photos and you can view more of these pictures on my Malaysia Asia Facebook Page I also hope that you can make it for the next Bali Arts Festival.