2012 Calendar of Events
There are many ceremonies and events celebrated in Bali, throughout the year. In addition to major celebrations, there are numerous local village temple festivals. The list to the right highlights some of Bali’s most important holidays and events.
JANUARY
07 - Tumpek Wariga / Tumpek Uduh : a special day when Balinese Hindu give thanks to the plants
08 – Full moon
22 - Ciwaratri Day : a holy day to worship God Shiva
23 – New moon
23 – Imlek : Chinese New Year
26-27 – Sugihan : the starting of the Galungan & Kuningan festival
31 – Penampahan Galungan preparation day including put traditional ornaments for the ceremony and cooking
FEBRUARY
01-02- Galungan : the Balinese gods descend to earth during Galungan, a major festival of the Pawukon calendar each March, celebrating the good Dharma over the evil Adharma
02-05 - Temple festival at Batukaru mountain temple with trance on the 5th
07- Full moon
11 – Kuningan : spanning ten days and signifying the end of the holiday. Yellow rice is offered and temples are beautified to bid farewell to the ancestors
11 – Temple festival at Mas
19 – Ngarebong temple festival at Petilan Kesiman
21 – New moon
22 – Temple festival at Puncaksari mountain temple
MARCH
07 – Full moon
17 – Tumpek Krulut : a special day when Balinese Hindu give thanks to the gamelan instruments
22 – New moon
19-21 Melasti : precedes Nyepi and is the loud part of the two-day event, where well-dressed villagers offer flowers and fruit and holy men sacrifice pigs
22 – Pengerupukan Day (Ogoh-ogoh procession) : a day before Nyepi Day (the Day of Silence)
23 : Nyepi Day (Bali New Year – Caka 1934) : the quiet day after Melasti welcomes the beginning of the lunar year with a complete silence. Bali’s international airport is closed on Nyepi
28 – 1 Apr : Bali Spirit Festival : annual festival of yoga, dance, and music, held in Ubud
24 - Ngembak Geni Day
APRIL
06 – Full moon
06-13 apprx – Temple festival at the Mother Temple, Besakih
20 - New moon
21 – Tumpek Uye / Tumpek Kandang : a special day when Balinese Hindu give thanks to the animals
MAY
02 – Temple festival at Tambowaras mountain temple
05 – Full moon
06 – Waisak
20 - New moon
26 - Tumpek Wayang : a special day when Balinese Hindu give thanks to the shadow puppets
JUNE
04 – Full moon
16 – Saraswati Day : a day when Balinese Hindu worship the Goddes of Knowledge and Wisdom, Sarasvati
17 – Banyu Pinaruh
19 – New moon
20 – Pagerwesi : a day when Balinese Hindu prays to the God to protect themselves from evil
30 – Tumpek Landep : a special day when Balinese Hindu give thanks to the metal weapons
12 – 12 Jul : Annual Bali Arts Festival – runs between June and July : a range of festive cultural performance and art exhibitions, participants coming from all regencies around Bali, also from outside the island Kite Festival – a fun event seeing lots of kite flying throughout the day, and a real boon for tourists who want to get a unique glimpse of another side of Bali
JULY
03 – Full moon
18 - New moon
Negara Bull Races – bulls are washed and decorated with garlands, coupled to chariots and then raced in an enthralling event. The bull races are staged between July and October
AUGUST
02 - Full moon
04 – Tumpek Wariga / Tumpek Uduh : a special day when Balinese Hindu give thanks to the plants
17 – Indonesia Independence Day
17 – New moon
23-24 – Sugihan the starting of the Galungan & Kuningan festival
28 Galungan preparation day including put traditional ornaments for the ceremony and cooking
29-30 – Galungan : a day when Balinese Hindu commemorates the winning of Dharma
30-31 - Temple festival at Batukaru mountain temple
31 – Full moon
Nusa Dua Festival – a week-long event in Bali’s popular Nusa Dua resort is a must-see, featuring many Balinese treats including singing, dancing and culinary experience
SEPTEMBER
01-02 - Temple festival at Batukaru mountain temple with trance on the 2nd
08 – Kuningan spanning ten days and signifying the end of the holiday. Yellow rice is offered and temples are beautified to bid farewell to the ancestors
08 – Temple festival at Mas
15- New moon
16 – Ngarebong temple festival at Petilan Kesiman
19 – Temple festival at Puncaksari mountain temple
30 – Full moon
30- Temple festival at Tirta Empul temple at Tampaksiring
OCTOBER
5-9 : Ubud Writers and Readers Festival – goes off for five days every year in October and sees dozens of writers from several countries gather, culminating in one of the best events of its type in the country
13 – Tumpek Krulut : a special day when Balinese Hindu give thanks to the gamelan instruments
15 – New moon
29 – Full moon
NOVEMBER
13 – New moon
17 – Tumpek Uye / Tumpek Kandang : a special day when Balinese Hindu give thanks to the animals
19-23 : Sanur Village Festival : an annual community event in Sanur, featuring environmental –awareness activities, yoga, sports, cultural performance, and food bazaar.
28 – Full moon
28 – Temple festival at Tambowaras mountain temple
Bali International Jazz Festival – a major event on the island, and in Indonesia as a whole, with performers from all over the world playing out to crowds over a period of three days
DECEMBER
13 – New moon
22 – Tumpek Wayang : a special day when Balinese Hindu give thanks to the shadow puppets
27 - Full moon
27 – Temple festival at Tjampuhan temple at Pacut village
