This annually festival will be starting again this year on June 16 - July 14, 2007. Traditional artists and musicians from all over the island and sometimes from abroad (japan, australia, korea) were also participate in the 29th of Bali arts festival.

The first Bali Art & Festival was start in 1979 and inspiration from Prof. Dr Ida Bagus Mantra, former Governor of Bali. The idea is to preserve and accommodate the art and Balinese culture. And every year after that this festival is the place to perform their best, and to let everybody realize that some of their art already rare and has to preserve.

For more information please visit the official website: baliculturefestival.com
Content is in English and Indonesian language.

The opening day will be the same as year’s past, parade of traditional Balinese in traditional custom and centered in the Renon district of Denpasar starts from 3.00pm.

Get ready with your camera!

Gilimanuk is located in the west of Bali, a place that connecting Bali and Java, terminus for ferries that shuttle back and forth across the strait. To cross that narrow straits only takes about 30 minutes to cross, even though sometimes in a bad weather strong current may slow down the speed.

This harbor will get the peak on the Lebaran, holiday for the Muslim, where the high traffic from Bali to Java, this what we called “Mudik Lebaran”. A good place to stay is call Hotel Sari with hot water rooms, TV, and also restaurant with simple dishes.

Gilimanuk’s nearest to go to:

• Menjangan island
• West Bali National Park
• Negara (capital town of Jembrana)

And further away from to the north is Lovina and Banjar Hot Spring.

Negara is the capital town of Jembrana Regency, a prosperous little town, not a bad place for a break after a surf in Medewi, or watch the famous bull races held nearby around August - October.

The town is almost 10 km from the nearest beach, flat, with almost 80% of the people lives as a farmer. At the north are the mountains, there are some villages located just at the foot of the mountain, lives from coconuts, cocoa, cloves, etc. Looks like their life reminds untouchable by tourism industry.

This town also has several small hotels, say like Hotel Ana, clean and good value - (0365) 41063, Hotel Wirapada (0365) 41161 at the center of the town with cheapest room and some other with air-con. This hotels is only a few minutes walks to the Traditional Market (the biggest one in town) where people use to got their daily food and house ware). This hotels also has restaurant at the front (Depot Natalia) serve Indonesian food in a clean surrounding. Other hotels is near the bridge of the old Ijogading River, called Hotel Ijogading (0365) 41023, this hotel has decent rooms.

Getting to Negara is easy as most of the Bemos and Mini Buses from Denpasar (Ubung Terminal) to Gilimanuk will drop you in Negara. In the west of Bali you can visit the West Bali National Park, the natural habitat of Bali Starling or Jalak Bali, Bali’s only endemic bird, very rare, only a few hundred left in the world. The chances to spotting this bird in their natural habitat is extremely low, you may have to Visit The Bali Bird Park in Ubud.