Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2025

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Festival Dates: 29 October – 2 November

Festival Dates: 29 October – 2 November

Festival Dates: 29 October – 2 November

Festival Dates: 29 October – 2 November

Festival Dates: 29 October – 2 November

Festival Dates: 29 October – 2 November

Festival Dates: 29 October – 2 November

Festival Dates: 29 October – 2 November

Festival Dates: 29 October – 2 November

These literary luminaries and brilliant minds join us this October!

Festival

All Speakers

Discover our festival’s main programme. From searing rhetoric to masterly poetry, from the breathtakingly personal to the urgently political, this programme truly has it all.

Main Program

Julia Baird: Bright Shining

01 November 2025

Valley Stage

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Main Program

Pico Iyer: Aflame

02 November 2025

Valley Stage

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Main Program

Jenny Erpenbeck: Kairos

02 November 2025

Alang-Alang Stage

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Main Program

Peter Greste: The Correspondent

01 November 2025

Indus Restaurant

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Main Program

Gina Chick: We Are the Stars

02 November 2025

Valley Stage

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Main Program

Sam Dalrymple: Shattered Lands

30 October 2025

Alang-Alang Stage

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Main Program

Banu Mushtaq: Heart Lamp

01 November 2025

Alang-Alang Stage

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Main Program

Ratih Kumala: Koloni

01 November 2025

Alang-Alang Stage

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Special Events

30 October 2025 | 18:00 - 19:30

Short Stories, Long Nights

COMO Uma Ubud

Miles Merrill presents a luxurious night of wine-pairing, artisan cheese and poetry at Kemiri, COMO Uma Ubud’s frangipani-fringed restaurant. Short Stories, our featured wine, is fresh from the Barossa Valley and newly crafted by the legendary...

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Special Events

01 November 2025 | 12:00 - 14:00

Dim Sum Diaries

Casa Luna

Join us downstairs in Casa Luna’s jungle-view dining room, for a one-of-a-kind Dim Sum feast from Bali’s own, Panda Kitchen. Amid the charm of trolleys, steaming bamboo baskets, dumplings, noodles and bao, Ning Ken and Zhou Bo will serve up...

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Special Events

31 October 2025 | 15:30 - 17:00

The Art of Tea

Dragon Tea Temple

Step into the Dragon Tea Temple for an afternoon steeped in tradition, sipping organic tea and savouring small bites. This isn’t just about refreshment; it’s a cherished ritual. Antoinette Lattouf champions human rights and independent media,...

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Special Events

30 October 2025 | 11:00 - 13:00

Stories That Matter

Begawan Biji Restaurant

Meet Craig Leeson, an award-winning filmmaker, environmental activist, and journalist with a mission. He is the director of A Plastic Ocean, a documentary that pulls back the curtain on plastic pollution and its devastation of marine...

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Special Events

30 October 2025 | 18:00 - 21:00

Festival Fundraiser Dinner

Rumah Melati Estate

The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival is hosting a dinner party you’ll never forget. Think candlelight, one impossibly long table, and conversations that carry you from Booker Prize winners to environmental activists, poets, memoirists and...

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Special Events

01 November 2025 | 11:00 - 13:00

Brunch with Pico Iyer

DI SINI DI SANA by Rachman & Sons

Join Pico Iyer, world-renowned speaker and author, for an exclusive and intimate dinner made up of delectable bites and intimate conversation. The Di Sini Di Sana dining room is a stunning and metaphorically astute reflection of Iyer’s deep...

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Special Events

30 October 2025 | 18:30 - 20:00

Music and the Spoken Word: Dana Dajani, Annabel Laura and Bottlesmoker

Soulshine Bali

Make the most of your evening with music and spoken word poetry overlooking breathtaking views of Ubud’s lush jungle and rice fields at the scenic Soulshine. Spoken word performer Dana Dajani’s powerful voice and Annabel’s songs and music combine...

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Special Events

29 October 2025 | 18:00 - 22:00

Festival Opening Gala and Dinner

Puri Agung Ubud

Join our magical beginning to the region's most fearless Festival. On the grounds of the Ubud Royal Palace, our Festival Opening Gala pulses with life, a night of spectacle showcasing everything the Festival does best: bold ideas and...

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Special Events

31 October 2025 | 16:00 - 20:00

Discover the Magic of Fireflies Village with Bella Li

Rumah Konservasi Kunang-Kunang

Step into a realm of enchantment with Wayan Wardika as your guide on a captivating Fireflies Tour through Taro Village in Ubud, where twilight unveils the serene beauty of lush rice paddies and the shimmering dance of fireflies. Wayan, a local...

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Special Events

30 October 2025 | 16:00 - 20:00

Discover the Magic of Fireflies Village with Agustinus Wibowo

Rumah Konservasi Kunang-Kunang

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Special Events

01 November 2025 | 18:00 - 20:00

MTN Market: Banu Mushtaq and Jenny Erpenbeck in Conversation

Casa Luna

Banu Mushtaq, an Indian writer, women’s rights activist, lawyer, and winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize for Heart Lamp, joins Jenny Erpenbeck, an acclaimed German author and winner of the 2024 International Booker Prize for her...

Special Events

02 November 2025 | 15:00 - 17:00

Forest Therapy

Jingga Restaurant at Bumi Kinar

The forest is a treasure trove of benefits waiting to be uncovered. Nina Karnikowski, who tackles social and environmental challenges, pairs up with Brigid Delaney, whose no-nonsense approach to wellness cuts through the noise. They’re joined by...

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Special Events

01 November 2025 | 10:00 - 11:30

5Rhythms Dance Meditation with Gina Chick

Soulshine Bali

5Rhythms dance meditation is a conscious movement practice that offers a map for our deep wisdom to surface by following the innate intelligence of the body. Within each of us lies a guiding principle, a wild instinctive voice that knows who we...

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Special Events

31 October 2025 | 18:00 - 19:00

Masks of Bali: Between Heaven and Hell

Indus Restaurant

Join a journey into the origins, history and living legacy of Balinese mask dance, an ancient performance art spanning over a thousand years. Masks of Bali, authored by acclaimed mask dancer and scholar Prof. I Made Bandem and Indonesian...

Special Events

01 November 2025 | 17:30 - 19:00

In the Eye of Oppression: Media, Taliban and Afghan Women

Amandari

Saad Mohseni takes us deep into Afghanistan, where the oppressive shadow of Taliban rule looms large over the lives of women and youth. As a media heavyweight and Co-founder of Moby News, Mohseni offers a front-row seat to the relentless struggle...

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Special Events

31 October 2025 | 16:30 - 19:30

History Duet: Cosmos and Kingdom

Honeymoon Garden

Step into a history lesson like no other at Honeymoon Garden. Under the watchful gaze of Shiva and Ganesha, you'll gather for an afternoon that promises to inspire. Over the course of three hours, led by some of the world’s finest historians and...

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Special Events

30 October 2025 | 16:00 - 17:30

Porter 02: Living Dangerously

Indus Restaurant

Porter is a magazine by Peron House that gathers off-the-beaten-path narratives for discerning travellers, creatives, and makers. No. 01 — Coming of Age collects stories of personal journeys and growth...

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Special Events

02 November 2025 | 10:00 - 11:30

The Maestro: Antonio Blanco

The Blanco Renaissance Museum

More than just a painter, Antonio Blanco was an eccentric force who dove passionately into the enchanting chaos of Ubud. He painted layers of beauty—each brushstroke a love letter to Bali’s cultural richness and the beautiful women who inspired...

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Special Events

31 October 2025 | 19:00 - 21:30

What Do We Do Now

Uma Cucina

Enter the elegant environs of Uma Cucina, into a gathering of some of the Festivals most impressive writers. Banu Mushtaq, Deepa Bhasti, Thomas Mayo, Dana Dajani, Iyas Lawrence, and Juli Sastrawan will lay their truths bare with Steph Harmon -...

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Special Events

30 October 2025 | 10:00 - 12:00

Pitch to Penguin

Di Sini Di Sana by Rachman & Sons

Do you have a manuscript or book idea you’re itching to get out there? Join leading publishers Penguin Random House and share your ten-minute pitch for instant feedback on your idea, with the opportunity to secure your dream book deal. Whether you...

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Special Events

31 October 2025 | 18:15 - 20:15

The 100th Printing of Laut Bercerita

Alang-Alang Stage

Join us for a special celebration of one of Indonesia’s most influential literary works. Leila S. Chudori’s Laut Bercerita, published in 2017, which recounts the abduction of activists in 1998 and the families’ search for their loved...

Special Events

30 October 2025 | 06:00 - 08:00

Birdwatching Tour with Darryl Jones on Thursday

Meeting point in front of ApotekKU Campuhan Ubud

Join Darryl Jones in an early morning bird-walking tour across the Tjampuhan Ridge, Ubud’s most breathtaking iconic walk. The trail starts at the confluence of the Wos Rivers next to Ubud’s ancient temple, Pura Gunung Lebah. Witness more than...

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Special Events

31 October 2025 | 06:00 - 08:00

Birdwatching Tour with Darryl Jones on Friday

Meeting point in front of ApotekKU Campuhan Ubud

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Special Events

01 November 2025 | 06:00 - 08:00

Birdwatching Tour with Darryl Jones on Saturday

Meeting point in front of ApotekKU Campuhan Ubud

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Special Events

30 October 2025 | 17:30 - 19:00

The Recurrent Mystical

Plataran Ubud Hotel & Spa

William Dalrymple, historian of legends, myths, and magic; Titah Aw, writer of ghosts and local wisdom; Ingrid Rojas Contreras, an author of the otherworldly. Our speakers are modern magicians who unearth the supernatural in the everyday. Under a...

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Special Events

31 October 2025 | 18:00 - 19:30

Navigating the World

COMO Uma Ubud

At the crossroads of culture and exploration, where off-the-beaten-path adventures meet the ideals of sustainable travel, our writers dive deep into the depths of identity, belonging, memory and nostalgia. As twilight descends over the picturesque...

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Special Events

31 October 2025 | 12:30 - 14:30

Heirlooms: Literary Long Table Lunch

Herb Library Ubud

Join us at the charming open-air Herb Library for a long-table lunch that marries inventive, health-conscious cuisine with a deep dive into Heirlooms – What We Inherit. It's where we wrestle with the clash between material value and...

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Masterclasses

01 November 2025 | 14:00 - 16:00

The Bestseller Blueprint: Author Marketing Essentials

Samsara Ubud

What does it really take to turn a book into a bestseller? In this practical and insightful masterclass, Chaitanya Srivastava, Senior Publicist at Penguin Random House Southeast Asia, Culture Writer, and book influencer, pulls back the...

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Masterclasses

01 November 2025 | 10:00 - 12:00

An Introduction to Screenwriting with Ratih Kumala

Di Sini Di Sana by Rachman & Sons

In this special masterclass, Indonesian literary superstar Ratih Kumala will offer an essential introduction for writers looking to explore the world of screenwriting. Kumala brings a wealth of experience in television and film writing, following...

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Masterclasses

31 October 2025 | 14:00 - 16:00

Print, Protest, Punk: A Masterclass with Gilang Propagila

The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud, Bali

Join environmental campaigner and Founder of DIS PRINT KULTUR, Gilang Propagila, for a masterclass that explores the intersection of art, activism, and hardcore punk. Drawing on his work with grassroots movements like Bali Tolak Reklamasi and his...

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Masterclasses

31 October 2025 | 14:00 - 15:00

Master Your Podcast with Makna Talks

Alila Ubud

Master your hosting and podcasting skills in this practical session, led by Iyas Lawrence, Founder and host of Makna Talks. Learn to ask sharper questions, engage your guests, and tell compelling stories while discovering how to connect...

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Masterclasses

30 October 2025 | 10:00 - 12:00

Rediscovering the Joy of Conscious Reading through Lectio Divina

Plataran Ubud Hotel & Spa

Across the globe, people are reading less for pleasure. The rise of digital media and the constant pull of social platforms have shifted habits, leaving many disengaged from deep, attentive reading. Once a refuge and a source of joy, reading is...

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Masterclasses

01 November 2025 | 15:30 - 16:30

Sound Bath with Bottlesmoker and Manuela Sauter

Soulshine Bali

Step into a one-of-a-kind BioSonic Soundbath where the natural vibrations of plants harmonise with the rich tones of traditional sound healing instruments, singing bowls, crystal bowls, and more. Presented by Bottlesmoker and Manuela Sauter, this...

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Masterclasses

02 November 2025 | 14:00 - 16:30

Scent and The Written Word

Powder Room by R4D

Many writers become entranced by the immersive experience it is to unlock a memory through scent. A powerful sensory tool, scents can trigger details of a memory, location, food, or person that often remain elusive to photographs or souvenirs. In...

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Masterclasses

30 October 2025 | 10:00 - 12:00

Nature and Travel Writing with Nina Karnikowski

MetlandVenya Ubud

Has the natural divine often felt out of reach to articulate? Join Nina Karnikowski in this unique masterclass as she focusses on the connection between oneself and the natural world. Nina's travel writing aims to encourage responsible travel to...

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Masterclasses

01 November 2025 | 10:00 - 12:00

Reclaiming Our Stories: A Writing Workshop on Desire

The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud

This intimate writing workshop creates a safe, supportive space for women to explore the complex landscape of sexuality, sensuality, and desire through creative expression. Whether you're navigating changing relationships, rediscovering your body...

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Masterclasses

31 October 2025 | 10:00 - 12:00

The Poetics of Border Ethnography

Adiwana Suweta

Accurate and nuanced representations of migrant and refugee experiences are our greatest force in the face of prejudice. Petra Molnar has travelled across borders, documenting migrant and refugee stories. In this Masterclass, she explores with...

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Masterclasses

30 October 2025 | 10:00 - 12:00

Learning from Emerging Voices

Leona Suweta by Nakula

Join an intimate session with the Festival’s 2022 Emerging Writer, AIR Literature Västra Götaland resident, and Chevening Scholar at the University of Edinburgh, Awi Chin, alongside ten fellow Emerging Writers from the Festival’s 2025 cohort....

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Masterclasses

31 October 2025 | 10:00 - 12:00

The Power of Storytelling in Personal Branding

SenS Hotel & Spa + Conference Ubud Town Centre

Led by Indonesian science journalist Harry Surjadi, this masterclass will show you how storytelling can be a powerful tool to express who you are, build trust and create meaningful connections. By shaping and sharing your story, you will gain the...

Masterclasses

01 November 2025 | 15:00 - 16:30

Practising Ethnography in Indonesia

SereS Springs Resort & Spa Singakerta, Ubud

Join this interactive masterclass to explore how traditional ethnographic training in Indonesia has often excluded those without cultural or financial privilege, with gender norms and social rules deciding who is considered a 'serious'...

Cultural Workshops

30 October 2025 | 06:00 - 09:00

Culinary Jalan-Jalan

Casa Luna

Ubud wakes early. Before tourists flood the streets, the real Bali hums to life in smoky warungs, in backstreets, in the hands of those who have spent decades perfecting their craft. This walking tour is about legacy, not reinvention. It starts...

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Cultural Workshops

02 November 2025 | 10:00 - 12:00

Brushes of Tradition: Tantri Sketch-Painting

Puri Kantor Legacy

Discover Tantri Sketch-Painting, a traditional sketching and painting style from Keliki, a village north of Ubud. In this two-hour session, you will explore the intricate art form while immersed in the inspiring setting of Puri Kantor. Nestled in...

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Cultural Workshops

02 November 2025 | 08:00 - 09:30

Ubud Royal Legacy Walking Tour

Plaza Tjok Gde Agung Sukawati, Ubud Art Market

In the shadow of colonial expansion across the Pacific, Tjokorda Gde Agung and Tjokorda Gde Raka Sukawati opened Ubud's palace doors to Western artists and intellectuals throughout the 1920s and 30s. From their small village in Bali's foothills,...

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Cultural Workshops

01 November 2025 | 14:30 - 16:00

Introduction to Balinese Dance with Kerta Art

Kerta Art Perfomance Club

This introductory workshop, led by master Ubudian dancer Kerta Art, introduces participants to the foundations of Balinese dance. Focusing on posture, gesture, and rhythm, the session explores how body awareness shapes movement and expression....

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Cultural Workshops

31 October 2025 | 11:00 - 13:00

Hands-On Tempe Culinary Experience

Tempego Experience Ubud

Discover Indonesia’s beloved culinary heritage with TempeMan, where tradition meets creativity and innovation. This immersive experience begins with a taste of nasi sambel tumpang served alongside unique tempe creations, followed by a guided tour...

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Cultural Workshops

02 November 2025 | 10:00 - 11:30

Shadow Theatre: Journey to the Mother Tree

Yellow Coco Nest

Do you know which tree in your neighbourhood is the Mother Tree? It is the tallest and oldest, witnessing changes over many years and communicating through its roots and soil with other living beings nearby. In this session, Susan Allen shares the...

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Cultural Workshops

01 November 2025 | 09:30 - 12:00

Culinary Jalan-Jalan to Sukawati’s Hidden Gem

Sukawati Regency

Discover the heart of Bali through Sukawati, a village where food is woven into daily life rather than performance. Begin in the bustling market, alive with color and spice, before tasting kerupuk tahu and learning the craft of tofu-making, a...

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Cultural Workshops

02 November 2025 | 10:00 - 15:00

Roots, Leaves, Fire: A Feast from the Forest

Warung D’Teba

Join Chef Krisna of Warung DiTeba for a journey into the wild abundance of Sayan, where food, fire, and story come together on the river’s edge. As you walk the land, you will learn how generations of Balinese have foraged leaves, roots, and...

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Cultural Workshops

01 November 2025 | 15:00 - 18:00

Brush with Myth: Exploring the Barong through Painting

Bumi Kinar Ubud

Discover the rich symbolism of the Barong, a guardian figure in Balinese mythology, through a hands-on painting workshop with talented creative artist Bagus Ari Maruta. Bagus, a third-generation painter from a family of artists rooted in Bali’s...

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Cultural Workshops

02 November 2025 | 11:00 - 13:00

The Language of Balinese Offerings

Nirvana Pension

With intricately woven leaves and a charming assortment of petals, you’ve likely admired the Balinese Hindu offerings adorning homes, streets, and temples. Now, uncover the reasons behind these rituals and explore the unique opportunity to delve...

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Cultural Workshops

31 October 2025 | 14:30 - 16:00

Exploring Indigo Tie Dye with Threads of Life

Threads of Life Natural Dye Studio

Join a hands-on workshop in the art of natural indigo dyeing. Begin with an introduction to Threads of Life and its natural dye studio, followed by a walk through the dye plant garden to learn about Indonesia’s traditional dyes. With step-by-step...

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Cultural Workshops

31 October 2025 | 08:00 - 09:00

Bahasa Indonesia Breakfast

Dharma Kula Ubud

Start your Festival day with an enriching breakfast as the Cinta Bahasa team introduces you to the basics of Bahasa Indonesia. Explore essential greetings, cultural etiquette, and useful Indonesian phrases to enhance your Ubud experience. Join us...

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Cultural Workshops

01 November 2025 | 08:00 - 09:00

Bahasa Bali Breakfast

Dharma Kula Ubud

Kick off your festival day with a tasty Breakfast & Learn session, led by one of Cinta Bahasa’s top teachers! Enjoy a delicious breakfast while picking up essential Balinese phrases and cultural insights from an expert who makes...

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After Dark Performances

30 October 2025 | 18:30 - 20:00

Empire: Rooting for the Antihero on Thursday

Honeymoon Garden

Empire reimagines the journey of an all-boys Austrian football team on their naively hedonistic adventure through the Dutch East Indies in 1934. For these young travellers, the Indies appeared as an illusive playground with lush parties,...

After Dark Performances

01 November 2025 | 19:00 - 20:30

The Wayang Women: Wewe Gombel

Honeymoon Garden

The Wayang Women is a multinational all-female troupe reimagining the traditional Kelantanese art of Wayang Kulit, which was once performed almost exclusively by men. The performance brings female ghost figures from Southeast Asian folk tales to...

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Film Program

01 November 2025 | 18:15 - 19:45

The Last Glaciers

Alang-Alang Stage

The Last Glaciers tells the story of climate change through the visual impact of one of the planet’s most important and yet critically threatened resources – glaciers. A trip to the Alps in 2017 shocked award-winning filmmaker Craig...

Festival Club

31 October 2025 | 19:15 - 20:15

Yang Memberi Kita Nama

Indus Restaurant

The work of Singaporean poet Alvin Pang, translated by Aan Mansyur, invites us to explore identity and the powerful role of names in shaping who we are. Through lyrical and reflective poetry, this collection uncovers layers of memory, longing, and...

Festival Club

01 November 2025 | 17:15 - 18:15

Understanding Jokowi

Bar Luna at Casa Luna

What kind of legacy does Joko Widodo leave after a decade in power, and how will it shape Indonesia’s future? In this conversation, cultural critic and long-time observer Jean Couteau unpacks Jokowi’s ambitious drive for industrialisation,...

Festival Club

30 October 2025 | 17:45 - 18:45

The President of the State of East Indonesia

Rumah Kayu

This session features a reading and discussion of two books on Tjokorda Gde Rake Sukawati, the Ubud nobleman and former President of the State of East Indonesia (NIT), celebrated as a cultural diplomat of Bali. Participants will explore his...

Festival Club

31 October 2025 | 19:00 - 20:00

Bringing Indonesia’s Stories to the World

Rumah Kayu

How can Indonesian literature reach a wider global audience? The answer lies not only in sending books overseas, but in building an ecosystem — festivals, digital platforms, curators, critics, and networks that give national storytellers a stage....

After Dark Performances

31 October 2025 | 20:00 - 21:30

Empire: Rooting for the Antihero on Friday

Honeymoon Garden

Film Program

01 November 2025 | 17:00 - 18:00

Return of the Fireflies

Paradiso Ubud

In the heart of bustling Bali, Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde and a team of local Balinese have spent three years tending a dream: a Firefly Garden where light returns to the night. This intimate love story between people and nature captures...

Climate Day

02 November 2025 | 17:15 - 18:15

Echoes for the Earth: Voices of Changemakers

Bumi Kinar Ubud

This event spotlights a powerful collection of short talks by community change-makers. From community healers to climate innovators, these change-makers share their personal stories and the actions they have seen as a result. These expert speakers...

Festival Club

31 October 2025 | 16:00 - 17:00

To Love The Pen: Our Literary Journeys

Bar Luna at Casa Luna

Writers become writers through different paths: book deals, academia, self-publishing. Yet they often find and delight in prose and poetry for the same reasons. Authors know, despite it all, there is universality in the love of narrative—a...

Festival Club

02 November 2025 | 17:30 - 18:30

Omar Musa: Fierceland

Bar Luna at Casa Luna

Join Bornean-Australian artist, rapper, poet, and author Omar Musa as he shares his newly released and long-awaited second novel. Fierceland is a post-capitalist family saga set against Malaysian Borneo’s deforestation. The ghosts of...

Festival Club

31 October 2025 | 17:15 - 18:15

Mark Heyward: The Quality of Light

Bar Luna at Casa Luna

Mark Heyward has called Indonesia home for over 30 years. Born in 1957 in small-town Tasmania, Australia, his travels and accredited expertise have informed multiple novels, travel guides, and the only licensed SPK International School in Lombok....

Festival Club

01 November 2025 | 16:00 - 17:00

Kate Sawyer: Family Literature

Bar Luna at Casa Luna

Constructing sizzling family dynamics in fiction is a difficult task, but often with a dazzling pay-off. How can authors protect the identity of those who inspire their craft? Can they maintain motivation to write into what they know best? How do...

Book Launches

02 November 2025 | 17:45 - 18:45

Climate Action 101 by Wisma Habibie

Indus Restaurant

Climate Action 101: Indonesia’s Guide for Newbies is more than an introduction to climate change, it’s a call to action. Aiming to democratise climate education, this guide empowers Indonesia’s youth to engage with a crisis already...

Festival Club

30 October 2025 | 10:00 - 11:30

Mengenalkan Ekologi dan Kekayaan Lokal pada Anak-Anak lewat seri Mata

Taman Dedari

Okky Madasari’s Mata series takes readers on thrilling journeys across Indonesia through the eyes of Matara, a curious and brave young girl. These adventure stories spark imagination and open windows into the country’s diverse landscapes...

Festival Club

01 November 2025 | 19:15 - 20:15

Paya Nie: Women’s Lives in the Midst of Conflict

Indus Restaurant

What becomes of women when armed conflict erupts? Paya Nie, winner of 3rd Prize at the 2023 Jakarta Arts Council Novel Competition, tells of four Acehnese women: Ubiet, Mawa Aisyah, Cuda Aminah and Kak Limah. They search for binyeut, the...

After Dark Performances

29 October 2025 | 20:00 - 20:30

Maliang Liang

Plaza Tjok Gde Agung Sukawati

This performance invites you to experience the pure joy evoked by Maliang Liang, where children at play are so absorbed they lose all sense of time. In today’s world, it becomes a reflection of how we, too, are swept away by pleasure, progress,...

Film Program

01 November 2025 | 16:00 - 17:00

Ngambe' Teladan

Paradiso Ubud

Join us for a documentary film exploring the ancestral heritage that thrives in the daily life of the Iban Indigenous community in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. Inspired by nature, plants, animals, and ancestral spirits, this heritage...

Film Program

02 November 2025 | 15:00 - 17:30

ROOTS

Paradiso Ubud

Ninety-eight years after the free-spirited, highly talented painter and musician Walter Spies first visited Bali, his spirit returns to the island. But with Spies came tourism and modernity. Michael Schindhelm’s poetic docu-fiction tells a...

Film Program

30 October 2025 | 19:00 - 21:00

Samsara

Alang-Alang Stage

Join us for the film screening of Samsara, set in Bali in 1932, where Darta (Ario Bayu), a poor man rejected by his beloved’s wealthy parents, makes a fateful pact with the Monkey King (Gus Bang Sada). Rooted in Indonesian mysticism, this...

Festival Club

30 October 2025 | 18:45 - 19:45

If Objects Could Speak: Storytelling with SAKA Museum

Indus Restaurant

At SAKA Museum, artefacts and artworks are not silent witnesses but catalysts for reflection and storytelling. This session guides participants to view objects as creative prompts, linking heritage with imagination and history with new narratives....

Film Program

31 October 2025 | 16:00 - 18:00

Gayatri: The Majapahit Trilogy (Episode 1)

Step into the grandeur of Majapahit with GAYATRI, the first in a three-part historical opera by Indonesian artist mhyajo, inspired by Mpu Prapanca’s Nagarakretagama, recognised by UNESCO as a Memory of the World. The film follows Princess...

Film Program

31 October 2025 | 20:30 - 22:30

The Last Accord: War, Apocalypse, and Peace in Aceh

Alang-Alang Stage

This documentary film traces one of Southeast Asia’s longest conflicts and the remarkable peace that followed. For nearly three decades, the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) were locked in violent struggle until the 2005...

Film Program

01 November 2025 | 20:00 - 21:00

Wiku Tapini

Alang-Alang Stage

Step into the world of the Wiku Tapini, women entrusted with one of Bali’s most sacred and demanding roles. This documentary unveils the lives of those devoted to preparing banten, the intricate offerings central to grand ceremonies such...

Film Program

30 October 2025 | 21:15 - 22:30

Koesno: Jati Diri Soekarno

Alang-Alang Stage

Nominated for Best Short Documentary at the 2022 Indonesian Film Festival (FFI), Koesno: Jati Diri Soekarno is a docudrama that revisits the youth of Soekarno, the first President of Indonesia and a central figure in the country’s...

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Film Program

01 November 2025 | 21:00 - 22:00

One More Cup of Coffee for Ambe'

Alang-Alang Stage

The Torajan people of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, are deeply rooted in a culture where death is not an end but an extension of life. This ethnographic film explores approaches to death among adherents of the Aluk to Dolo belief system who have...

After Dark Performances

01 November 2025 | 19:30 - 22:30

2025 Festival Poetry Slam

Valley Stage

The annual Poetry Slam is one of the festival’s most sizzling events. From global poets to local sensations, who will captivate the crowd? In this event, we unite writers from around the world to slam, spin, and interweave their original words in...

After Dark Performances

02 November 2025 | 18:30 - 19:00

Aguru Waktra: Reimagining Lontar Budha Kecapi

The Blanco Renaissance Museum

Aguru Waktra is a movement-based theatre work inspired by the Lontar Budha Kecapi. It reimagines the story of Kalimosada and Kalimosadi, devoted disciples of Budha Kecapi, a hermit and healer. Through their journey, the performance...

After Dark Performances

30 October 2025 | 20:00 - 22:00

Women Poetry Slam

Indus Restaurant

Our Women’s Poetry Slam returns with the theme Where Are Women in the Universe? in response to this year’s Festival theme, I Am the Universe. This powerful event invites poets to explore their own universe and relationship to...

After Dark Performances

02 November 2025 | 17:30 - 18:00

Brides Should Not Sew Their Own Wedding Dresses

Festival Hub at Taman Baca

Join a visual-performative work by Indonesian artist Agnes Christina, unfolding across seven sheets of translucent drafting paper painted with poster colour, each paired with poetic text. The steps of dressmaking, including measuring, cutting,...

Festival Club

30 October 2025 | 19:00 - 20:00

Remembering Cok Sawitri

Rumah Kayu

Cokorda Sawitri, affectionately known as Cok Sawitri, was an Balinese artist who channelled her activism through both writing and performance. This session celebrates her life and legacy, as friends, colleagues, relatives, and loved ones honour...

After Dark Performances

30 October 2025 | 10:00 - 19:00

Puisi on the Spot

Festival Hub at Taman Baca

Every story has a truth that poetry can reveal. At Puisi on the Spot, we listen, and in real time transform your words into a poem, one you can hold, take home, and keep as yours alone. It’s poetry created in the moment: personal, immediate, and...

Climate Day

02 November 2025 | 16:00 - 17:00

Reclaiming Architecture as Sacred Code

Bumi Kinar Ubud

Join us for a journey of revival and reinterpretation of cosmology in architectural practices. In places such as Bali, where ancient codes often clash with technology, sacred land knowledge is frequently diluted in modern projects. Join moderator...

Climate Day

02 November 2025 | 14:45 - 15:45

Nothing is Waste

Bumi Kinar Ubud

There is a crisis in waste management in Bali. It is affecting every avenue of human, natural, and economic progress. Subsequent pollution from poor waste management is constantly impacting food chain functions and human health, and emphasises an...

Climate Day

02 November 2025 | 13:30 - 14:30

Regenerative Action from the Ground Up

Bumi Kinar Ubud

Community-based management is a concept aiming to encourage community agency, support local economies, alleviate poverty, and grow sustainably. This session explores how local landowners like Wayan are working to rebuild the landscapes of their...

Climate Day

02 November 2025 | 12:15 - 13:15

Land of Plenty: Holidays, Industries and Floods

Bumi Kinar Ubud

Modern societal shifts in land use from agricultural industries to secondary industries have led to substantial land degradation, reduced water retention, and habitat loss through deforestation, urbanisation, and industrial expansion. This has...

Climate Day

02 November 2025 | 11:00 - 12:00

Water Rituals

Bumi Kinar Ubud

Water is both a resource and a remedy for all living beings, and for centuries human beings have served as its guardians. From the age-old practice of praying to the sacred lake of Batur, to modern techniques of conservation and preservation, we...

Climate Day

02 November 2025 | 10:15 - 10:45

Climate Day Keynote: Craig Leeson

Bumi Kinar Ubud

Join us for a fascinating conversation with Craig Leeson: Australian award-winning filmmaker, environmental activist, television presenter, public speaker, and journalist, with a mission. His environmental documentaries A Plastic Ocean...

Art Exhibition

16 September 2025 | 08:00 - 18:00

Kamasan Visual Study Project #1: Gerak Garis Kamasan

Purga Artspace

The Racuns and Gurat Art Project present a space of exploration where the line in Kamasan painting becomes a source of inspiration for contemporary visual art. This exploration arises from the awareness that tradition is not stagnant, but alive,...

This is a rare kind of celebration, not of the past alone, but of connection. To something older. Deeper. Wiser. And far more real than anything your phone screen could ever show you.

Janet DeNeefe, Festival Founder and Director