Bali News

🤞 Bali says it'll fix its traffic by 2028

📰 Governor Wayan Koster laid out Bali's infrastructure push to ease chronic congestion by 2028.

🚆 Rail link
KAI is studying rail options between Canggu and the airport after congestion there hit nearly 15 km, signing an MoU with Bali's government in September 2026. A separate ART line (Kuta–Canggu) is set to break ground in 2027.

🛣️ Gilimanuk–Mengwi toll road
This 97 km toll road broke ground in 2022, targeting 2028. It lost national strategic-project status but Koster confirmed in March 2025 it's still on, with the route under review.

🚚 Rerouting freight north
Koster proposed four new logistics ports to pull cargo trucks off the Gilimanuk crossing, which he calls one of the biggest congestion drivers.

📆 Koster's own deadline: 2028, "worst case 2029."

@BaliNews

🥔 One of Europe's most respected festival brands

📍 Potato Head Beach Club, Seminyak
📅 Saturday, 26 September
🕒 From sundown til late

🇳🇱 Amsterdam's legendary Dekmantel is making its Southeast Asian debut and landing in Bali.

👍 Expect a full day-to-night takeover across Potato Head Beach Club and Klymax: daytime listening sessions, live Q&As and a "Desa Dialogue" discussion, moving into a night of house, techno and electronica.

🎧 Lineup: Avalon Emerson, Dekmantel Soundsystem, Soichi Terada (Live), Ogazón, Fafi Abdel Nour, Danny Satria (Live), Archie, Bagvs, Dita, Kaazi, Kiwed, Sattle

@BaliNews

📰 On September 23, Ngurah Rai Airport will hold a scheduled emergency services drill

🚒 Passengers may see rescuers rushing about with fire extinguishers, along with mock "injured" people on stretchers.

🤝 Staff will be tested across several emergency scenarios at once, with special focus on coordination between different services and communications.

✈️ The airport will continue operating as usual throughout – all flights on schedule. Passengers are asked not to be alarmed by what they see and to follow staff instructions.

@BaliNews

🔥 Siat Geni

📅 26 September, evening onwards
📍 Desa Adat Tuban, Kuta, Badung, Bali

🐲 Not a tourist show, but a sacred Balinese ritual of purification. Once a year, on the full moon of the fourth Balinese month, young men from two village groups battle with burning coconut husks, sparks flying through the night to the sound of gamelan. The fire honors Kala Geni Rudra, guardian of Pura Dalem Kahyangan, and is believed to burn away bad luck, disease, and negative spirits, cleansing the village and restoring harmony.

@BaliNews

🎋 Siat TipatI Bantal

📅 September 26
📍 Desa Adat Kapal, Mengwi, Badung

📰 One of Bali's most unusual traditions is a ritual "battle" with rice cakes tipat and bantal.

ℹ️ An ancient ceremony held annually at Pura Desa Kapal, believed to date back to 1339 AD. Villagers split into two groups and throw hundreds of rice cakes at each other tipat (rhombus-shaped, symbolizing feminine/earth energy) vs bantal (cylindrical, symbolizing masculine/sky energy). The "war" is done with joy, not hostility, and is meant to bring fertility, a good harvest, and prosperity to the village.

🚗 Note: the road nearby is often closed/diverted during the event. Arrive early and dress respectfully, this is a religious ceremony, not a tourist show.

@BaliNews

☀️ Bali's rainy season is starting later than usual this year

📆 September and October will stay dry across the island. For most of Bali, the wet season won't arrive until December. El Niño is behind the delay as it's cutting rainfall across Indonesia this year, with Bali among the regions most affected. No sudden shift is expected; rain will build up gradually.

🚒 The prolonged drought has already sparked new fires, hitting Buleleng hardest, where water shortages are also worst. Residents and tourists are asked not to light fires outdoors, burn trash, or leave incense unattended.

@BaliNews

✈️ Bali International Airshow 2026

📅 September 24-27
📍 Ngurah Rai Airport area (Badung)
🔗 Tickets and the full schedule on the official site

🛩 A major international aviation exhibition in Southeast Asia: civilian and military aircraft, aviation technology, global industry representatives, international delegations, and flying demonstrations. Expect static aircraft displays, aerial shows, and industry conferences. The event draws tens of thousands of visitors and aviation professionals.

⚠️ 🚗 Heading through the area? Plan extra travel time — road congestion is expected around the airport on all four days.

@BaliNews

🎨 Art & Bali 2026 – Nuanu Creative City

📍One of the season's biggest art festivals is here – a celebration of contemporary art, design, and culture set across the 44-hectare Nuanu Creative City.

📰 This year's theme: Bridging Dichotomies ak connecting art & design, tradition & technology, local & global. Expect a curated marketplace with 20+ galleries and collectives, large-scale installations, performances, artist talks, and the flagship exhibition "What the Body Remembers" — curated by Bandana Tewari & Brina Paska, running through November 29 at Labyrinth Art Gallery.

📅 September 11-13, 2026

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🚒 Another fire hits Bali second blaze in hours

🔥 A landfill on Sunset Road in Legian caught fire late Monday night (Aug 31), just hours after a restaurant fire tore through nearby Seminyak.

ℹ️ The blaze broke out around 11pm, sending thick smoke and flames across the area. Firefighters got the main fire under control, but crews were still on site Tuesday dealing with smouldering debris. No injuries reported but a local community group says ~200 residents were affected, with some families losing everything.

@BaliNews

🏝 This weekend in Bali ak two sides of the island

Quiet devotion on Saturday, adrenaline on Sunday.

🔗 Sat, Sept 5 – Tumpek Kandang
A quietly beautiful ceremony that plays out across every village and family compound on the island. Balinese Hindus bathe their livestock, dress them with offerings, and give thanks to the animals that sustain daily life. No stage, no tickets – just an authentic slice of local spiritual life if you happen to be nearby.

🔗 Sun, Sept 6 – Makepung Bull Race
Head to West Bali's Jembrana circuits (7:30am–6pm) for the buffalo races. Decorated buffalo pairs sprint down the track pulling wooden chariots, jockeys balanced behind them – loud, colorful, and completely local.

@BaliNews #events

🔥 Chez Gado Gado restaurant burns down in Seminyak

📰 Popular Seminyak restaurant Chez Gado Gado was almost completely destroyed by fire on Sunday evening, August 30. Police say a candle flame ignited balloons decorating a covered terrace during a birthday celebration. Guests heard a pop, and flames shot up into the alang-alang (dry grass) thatched roof.

• A security guard tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher but couldn't stop it in time – the dry roofing caught instantly and fire spread across most of the ~45x40m building.

• Firefighters arrived 10 minutes after the call; 10 trucks from 5 posts used about 115,000 liters of water to bring the blaze under control in 2 hours 40 minutes. No one was injured.

• Damage is estimated at ~4 billion rupiah (~$225,000). Police are investigating the cause. Note: balloons are supposed to be filled with helium (non-flammable), but hydrogen — which is flammable — is often used instead in Indonesia since it's cheaper.

🚒 This is the second fire tied to thatched roofing in the Seminyak/Canggu area this month, after 10 beach bars burned at Perancak Beach in Canggu.

@BaliNews

☀️ Bali just broke ground on a 300 MW solar plant with battery storage

📰 Construction has started on the Gilimanuk solar plant in west Bali: 300 MWp paired with a 1,000 MWh battery storage system (BESS), across roughly 320 hectares.

📆 Targeted for commercial operation by 2028, it's expected to generate up to 470 GWh a year and cut diesel fuel use by about 151,000 kiloliters annually.

ℹ️ It's just the first cluster of a bigger plan: 1 GWp of solar capacity for the island total with the goal of phasing out diesel generation on Bali entirely. Part of Indonesia's newly launched 100 GWp national solar program.

@BaliNews

🏖️ Zumana beach club opens in Kuta

📰 Savaya's team launched Zumana on Jalan Kartika Plaza which is a standalone venue, separate from their Uluwatu club. 3,250 sqm space by Rockwell Group, with a 10m sculpture by Daniel Popper, open-air stage, pool, daybeds and dance floor.

📆 Soft opening started Aug 19; official launch is Sept 25-26.

🎧 Sept 25: The Martinez Brothers | Sept 26: Satori
📌 21+, ID + smart casual dress code, tickets via Megatix, no outside food/drinks/drones/tripods

🏆 By the way, Savaya just ranked #5 in the world and #1 in Asia (3rd year running) in DJ Mag's Top 100 Clubs 2026.

@BaliNews

🎭 Tanah Lot Art & Food Festival

📍 Tanah Lot, Tabanan
⏰ Sunday (tomorrow) is the final day

🐲 A celebration of Balinese culture set against the backdrop of one of the island's most iconic temples. Traditional performances, art, sacred ceremonies, and the authentic flavors of the Tabanan region.

🎫 There's no separate festival ticket as standard entry to Tanah Lot covers it.

@BaliNews

🎶 AXEAN Festival 2026

📅 August 29-30, 2026
📍 Jimbaran Hub, Bali
🎫 From 150,000 IDR

💿 Two full days of live music from emerging and independent artists across Southeast Asia – the kind of sounds you won't stumble on in Bali's usual tourist spots. The lineup mixes Indonesian talent with acts from across the region and beyond, plus a K-music showcase and industry programming on the side.

@BaliNews

📰 Deadly earthquake hit Indonesia

📍 A magnitude-7.7 quake struck off Flores island on Saturday, epicenter 42 miles north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province, at a depth of about 6 miles.
⚠️ A tsunami warning was issued urging coastal residents to move to higher ground, then lifted after no major sea-level changes were detected.

📊 Current toll:
• At least 53 killed, ~5,000 displaced
• 130+ injured, toll expected to rise
• 1,300+ homes damaged
• Nearly 1,000 aftershocks recorded

🚧 Rescuers have yet to reach Nagekeo, the area closest to the epicenter, due to landslide-blocked roads and communication disruptions.

@BaliNews

🎉 Bali turns 68 today

🎂 On August 14, 1958, Bali officially became a separate province of Indonesia. Today, the island celebrates its 68th anniversary.

📰 To mark the occasion, local authorities held the Ngaturang Pekeling ceremony at the island's main temple complex, Pura Agung Besakih. Prayers were offered for Bali's safety, prosperity, and continued growth in the years ahead.

🧘‍♂️ Governor Wayan Koster emphasized that Bali must keep moving forward without losing the balance between sekala and niskala — the material and spiritual worlds. New roads, buildings, and economic growth matter, he said, but so do nature, culture, tradition, and the island's identity.

🙏 Happy Birthday, Bali!

@BaliNews