Experience Bali’s Galungan Festival

Travel in November 2025 and experience Bali's colourful hindu festival full of colour and celebrations. A great way to appreciate local culture.

The Hindi Galungan Festival is one of the most important religious festivals in Bali, where good is celebrated over evil, and when people remember their deceased ancestors with many rituals and offerings. It is a time for families to get together, share and remember.

The festival lasts for 10 days and occurs every 210 days. The last festival was in April 2025 and the next one is in November 2025. On the last day the spirits return to heaven. During the festival, Bali and its temples become colourful and joyous with many public street parades, dances and celebrations. It really is a celebration of the people, both past and present. Families create their own roadside shines to their lost ones, such as a banten made of palm leaves some food and beautiful flowers. The many temples in Bali are alive with music, dancing and prayer.

A visit during the Galungan Festival will give you a real understanding and experience of the lives of local hindus, who made up about 85% of the population. It is possible for you to join in with some of the parades and celebrations if you wished, although of course you must respect the sensitivity of the festival in what you wear and any photos you might want to take.

Paulo Veloso experienced the festival in April 2025 and reports that “travelling to Bali during the Galungan Festival will enrich your heart with happiness and a better understanding the local life in Bali”.