Tourists looking for a taste of authentic Bali culture in the heart of Kuta are in luck. The Kuta Traditional Village is once again showcasing the best of local culture and talent through the Kuta Culture Weekend event series.
As a coastal vacation resort, at first glance, Bali’s Kuta doesn’t always look like a hive of traditional cultural activity, especially when compared to destinations like Ubud, for example. But scratch beneath the surface and there are plenty of ways to connect with Balinese culture in Kuta, and local leaders are working to make it even easier.
The new Kuta Culture Weekend event series will be hosted on the last Sunday of every month at the Majelangu outdoor stage, in the Segara Temple within Kuta Traditional Village. The first of the new run of the Kuta Culture Weekend event series was held on the 31st August and received plenty of positive feedback from tourists and the community.
The Coordinator of the Kuta Traditional Village Arts Team, Dr. I Gusti Made Darma Putra, familiarly known as Gung Ade Dalang, explained that this festival is a reimagining of the popular one-day festival that was regularly held every week at the end of 2024. The festival had to be postponed due to months of bad weather, during which time the team had come together to find a more sustainable and impactful way to host the event.
Putra told reporters, “We used to hold it weekly, but there were many obstacles. Finally, we evaluated it and now it’s only held once a month. So, finally, we released it this month with some additional evaluations and a new tagline, ‘Kuta Culture Weekend.’”
The Kuta Culture Weekend event series in 2025 and beyond is expected to showcase more than just dance and traditional Balinese gamelan orchestra music, but also expand in scope of to include fine arts and literature. It is already known that tourists and travellers in Bali have a love of the Indonesian literary arts, as shown by the overwhelming success of the annual Ubud Writers and Readers Festival.
In the inaugural event this weekend, Kuta artists were given a stage to showcase their work and interact directly with the audience. The Segara Manik Kuta Studio opened the event, while the fine arts and literature communities added to the atmosphere of the afternoon before sunset on Kuta Beach.
Putra told reporters, “There’s a mask-making exhibition by four local artists, and a palm-leaf script writing practice by children from the Kuta Traditional Village in collaboration with Balinese language instructors. So, it’s not just about performing arts, but a comprehensive cultural activity.”
He shared his delight that the event was an opportunity for organic cross-cultural exchange. Putra told reporters, “Some tourists even commissioned works directly from the artists. This shows that spaces like this can open up new opportunities, not just for entertainment but also for cultural exchange.”
Currently, this is a free-to-attend, unticketed event, though the team has explored whether turning the event into a ticketed affair would enable them to do more. Putra explained, “This is also an evaluation we are trying to formulate to ensure that arts and culture remain a tourism sector in Kuta. That’s why Jro Bendesa, through the arts team, is presenting cultural activities.”
Putra confirmed that he and his teams are working with local hotels and other accommodation providers in the Kuta area to share information directly with tourists about each month’s event, and the lineup of performers and activities will change slightly every time.
Tourists traveling to Bali and who will be in Kuta for the last Sunday of every month should check in with their accommodation provider to learn more, or drop by Kuta’s Segara Temple.
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