The world-famous Bali Arts Festival returns on June
12th after a two-year absence. The festival runs until July 10th, 2022, and
free events are held on a daily basis throughout Bali.
The major festival grounds are located in Denpasar at
the Bali Cultural Park and Art Centre, commonly known as the Werdhi Buddha
Culture Centre. Some events are taking place in cultural hotspots such as Ubud.
Exhibitions will be hosted at the Bali Museum, which is a 6-minute drive from
the Bali Cultural Park.
The festival's opening parade will begin at 2 p.m. on
June 12, 2022, at the renowned Bajra Sandhi Monument and will go until 4.30
p.m. Everyone is welcome, and no tickets are required. Visitors are recommended
to arrive early in order to ensure a good viewing area for the parade.
The Bajra Sandhi Monument is a 20-minute walk from the
Cultural Centre through Lapangan Puputan Renon Park. Visitors may easily jump
from one venue to the next, ensuring they don't miss out on anything the event
has to offer.
The event organizers have stated that a large screen
would be set up outside the Werdhi Buddha Culture Centre to allow visitors to
preserve social distance while enjoying the show in the unique environment created
by the center.
Wayan Ria Arsika SS, the Head of the Bali Cultural
Park, told local journalists that with three days to go, event arrangements
have reached 90 percent. 'We are ready, including for the rehearsal on June
11th,' he stated. The final 10% is spent on decorating and ornamenting the
Cultural Park to make it even more beautiful.'
President Joko Widodo, who was in Bali just two weeks
ago for the UN's 7th Global Platform For Disaster Risk Reduction Conference, is
expected to start the festival. Anyone attending festival events will be
required to scan a QR Code using the Indonesian track and trace software
PeduliLindungi. Attendees will also be required to produce proof of
vaccination.
Prior to the pandemic, the Bali Arts Festival
typically drew 2 million visitors throughout the course of the month-long
festival. The festival's theme for 2022 is 'Danu Kerthi Huluing Amreta,' which
translates as a celebration of the splendor of water as a source of life.
Culture aficionados from all over the world would organize
their trips to experience one of Asia's most magnificent cultural festivities
months in advance. It seems unlikely that the festival will achieve
pre-epidemic levels of attendance this year, but organizers are confident that
the event will serve as a celebration of Balinese culture, tradition, and the
end of the pandemic.
The Bali Arts Celebration debuted during Bali's
Galungan festival, which began on June 8th. One of the most important events of
the year, the 10-day Balinese Hindu celebration commemorated the triumph of
dharma over adarma. The celebration takes place every 210 days, according to
the customary local calendar.
The Bali Arts Festival features a spectacular
assortment of traditional cultural dancing, rituals, theatre performances,
seminars, and music. As the Arts Festival admits with Galungan, tourists to
Bali may not even need to attend an event to witness the festivities and
performances.
There are several parades staged in Balinese villages
and suburbs throughout Galungan. The Ngelawang Parade has children marching
through their rural streets wearing a homemade legendary status known as a
'barong.' This ceremony is done to ward off ill luck, and it is customary to
offer the youngsters a little amount of money as a donation in order to invoke
abundance and assist them in paying for materials.
The Werdhi Buddha Culture Centre is organizing a
Batuan Painting exhibition. The exhibition features some of Bali's most
artistic village's best paintings. There will also be classes where individuals
may learn how to paint in the Batuan style. Exhibitions of traditional clothes,
local films, and craft contests will also be held at the venue.