Bali’s Civil Police Service, known as Satpol PP, has confirmed that they are waiting on formal orders to temporarily close Finns Beach Club.
The world-famous venue is facing the threat of temporary closure notices after failing to present full and complete business permits to the authorities while under existing supervision orders.
The Head of Bali Satpol PP, Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi, told reporters on Thursday 13th February, “We will first discuss with the integrated team to get a formulation of what the follow-up action will be.”
He added, “This is a new recommendation verbally delivered and agreed upon by the Commission I of the Bali Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) which was delivered earlier, of course we will report it first.”
Finns Beach Club came under the supervision of authorities in Bali after it was investigated for religious blasphemy after conducting a fireworks display while a local Balinese community was conducting a religious ceremony on Berawa Beach, just steps from the venue itself.
During the investigation, Bali authorities found that the foreign-owned business had been committing a series of serious permit and licensing violations. The company was given 60 days to get its papers in order and in many cases has failed to do so.
The company has noted that it is the AMDAL, or environmental impact assessment that is causing delays due to its lengthy processes. However, since the AMDAL has not been represented to the authorities in over 90-day the Bali House of Representatives is moving to implement temporary closure notices.
Dharmadi confirmed that Satpol PP has been asking Finns Beach Club for evidence of its environmental impact assessment since October and admitted that completing this paperwork takes a long time.
He noted “We respect the process, it can’t be completed in a month because the AMDAL is a fairly long case. At the beginning they developed [the beach club] from small, to become big like now, the AMDAL should adjust.”
Dharmadi revealed that rather than immediately implementing the request from the Bali Regional People’s Representative Council, he will wait to be given the go-ahead by the joint authorities, including the Acting Governor of Bali, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, once further consultations have been made by the tourism office, the environment and forestry office, the licensing office, the trade office, and the Indigenous people’s advancement office.
He noted that Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI), the leading Hindu association in Indonesia, will only be asked for their considerations in the process and will not have direct input in the same way as agencies listed in the integrated team above.
The story has hit the headlines this week as Finns Beach Club is one of Bali’s most famous and in-demand entertainment venues. The business employed over 2,000 people, whose income now hangs in the balance.
This is not the first big venue in Bali to be given temporary closure notices in the last few months. PARQ Ubud, a lifestyle and residential complex in Ubud was issued with temporary closure notices in November 2024 and was formally and irrevocably closed down on the 20th of January 2025, with the business’s founder Andre Frey arrested on 24th January in connection with the ‘illegal transfer of land functions.’
One reason PARQ Ubud was closed down was the development of protected landscapes and the company’s inability to produce paperwork suggesting sufficient environmental protective measures had been put in place or showing that the land usage permits had been transferred.
Back in 2022, Finn’s neighbor Atlas Beach Club was investigated over a similar issue. Though the venue was allowed to keep operating while permits were completed, the company’s founders were also caught in a religious blasphemy case in another of their business operations.
For now, Finns Beach Club and Finns Recreation Club remain open and fully operational.
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