Returning for its 39th annual month-long run, the Bali Arts Festival will take place in downtown Denpasar from June 10, 2017. The festival, centered primarily at the Bali Arts Center, showcases the full constellation of stellar artistic endeavors from Bali and beyond.
The confirmed festival itinerary includes daily performances, handicraft exhibitions and many other related cultural and commercial activities. There will be village dances such as the Ngusaba Guling ritual from Timbrah Village in Karangasem, which is expected to feature hundreds of roast suckling pigs on display for the culinary enjoyment of festivalgoers.
A.A. Gede Agung Yuniartha, Head of Provincial Tourism has stated that the islanders are “preparing a big surprise for those who come to Bali,†promising a wide array of cultural performances and traditional rituals that can only be witnessed in Bali.
Balinese arts define the island and its unique culture. Nowhere else on earth can one find such a vast and vibrant array of celebrations, traditions and artistic endeavors, all bustling together against a serenely beautiful tropical backdrop. In honour of their proud cultural heritage, the Balinese created the Bali Arts Festival in 1965 to instill the island’s growing tourist population with a reverence for their traditions.
Dance is the very essence of the island. Balinese choreography encapsulates a whole range of classical stories – from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, to Sutasoma and Panji – traditions have been swept up and spun into spellbinding Sendratari Ballets.
Many artists and musicians are expected from far-flung corners of the archipelago, adding their unique cultural flavour and flourishes of tradition to the creative melting pot of the festival. International dance companies and Indonesia’s finest contemporary choreographers will share the stage with practitioners from Bali.
The Bali Arts Festival will start on Saturday, June 10, 2017, with a massive parade in Renon, Denpasar Bali. President Joko Widodo is expected to preside over the opening ceremony marking the start of the festival.
