Bali Arts Festival to kick-off with cultural street parade in Denpasar this Saturday
Bali’s annual cultural extravaganza is right around the corner, and with “Bayu Pramana” as its theme, the 41st installment of the Bali Arts Festival will be celebrating wind as a source of life through dynamic works of performing and visual arts.
The Bali Arts Festival was first held in 1979, making it one of Indonesia’s longest-running art festivals. The Bali Provincial Government said the month-long program for the festival this year will be synced with the adopted theme.
According to Badung Regent I Nyoman Giri Prasta, “Bayu Pramana” highlights the power of wind as a valuable resource in daily life. He hopes that the arts and cultural works featured at the festival will serve as a reminder of this value.
“The Bali Arts Festival is a platform to preserve and celebrate ritual, religion, tradition, arts and culture in Bali,” Giri said in a statement issued by the Badung Regency Government.
The Bali Arts Festival is slated to run from June 15 to July 13, and will feature a variety of Balinese arts and culture, alongside art and handicraft exhibition, workshops, seminars, competitions and culinary events featuring authentic Balinese cuisine.
Halo #SobatWisata jangan lewatkan perhelatan tahunan Pesta Kesenian Bali (PKB) ke-41 tahun 2019 akan digelar dari tanggal 15 Juni hingga 13 Juli 2019 di Taman Budaya (arts centre) Bali, Denpasar.#PestaKesenianBali2019#PesonaIndonesia#WonderfulIndonesiapic.twitter.com/oY6ALSshik
— KEMENPAR RI (@Kemenpar_RI) June 10, 2019
“From this year onwards, the theme and actual program will be synchronized. The theme will no longer be a mere sweetener, and the performances just the same from year to year,” Bali Governor I Wayan Koster said during a press conference, as reported by state news agency Antara.
In addition, President Joko Widodo is scheduled to launch the festival on June 15.
The Bali Arts Festival will open with a big parade around Denpasar’s iconic Bajra Sandhi monument, which honors the struggles of the Balinese people throughout history. The festival’s programming will primarily be held at Taman Werdhi Budaya Arts Center.
In line with the island’s recent ban on plastic bags, this year’s festival has committed to refrain from using plastic decorations, taking a more eco-friend approach instead.
“For this year’s Bali Arts Festival, we have to use natural materials to decorate, from young coconut leaves, bamboo, and a variety of flowers,” head of Bali’s cultural agency, I Wayan Adnyana, told Tribun-Bali.
For more info on the festival’s events and schedule, you can check this page from Ubud Community.
