Bali’s music scene is as alive and well as it’s ever been, with big international names and cool up-and-coming acts across a variety of genres—EDM, rock, jazz, indie, whatever you like—flocking to the island.
Six international, national, and local festivals of note will hit Bali in the coming months. Whether you live in Bali or you want to plan a memorable holiday to the island around a fun festival experience, check out our guide to what’s in store.
Here we give you the skinny: venues, dates, headliners, ticket prices, and what to expect.
Sunny Side Up Festival
A boutique festival set at one of Bali’s best known beach clubs in Petitenget, Sunny Side Up has got to be the trendiest, most ‘hip’ of the upcoming festivals. It’s going to be two days of partying right off the beach, from afternoon til late, with a variety of big and up-and-coming live acts and DJs—not to mention access to award-winning (and ofc expensive) cocktails at the venue.
It’s not all drunk Aussies, we promise, but be prepared to overhear some interesting, earth-shattering statements like we did last year and scan our highlights of the 2016 edition for a better idea of what Sunny Side Up’s all about!
Headliners: Big Sean, Phoenix, Autograf, Snakehips, Charlie XCX
When: August 11 & 12
Where: Potato Head Beach Club, Seminyak
Tickets: Range of packages available with GA and VIP, one-day and two day passes. Rp 900k – Rp 1.8 million
Hit this festival if… You don’t just keep up with the Joneses, you’re ahead of them.
Ubud Village Jazz Festival
Since its inaugural event in 2013, jazz devotees, creatives, intellectuals, and artists have been coming together to jive for the Ubud Village Jazz Festival. It should come as no surprise that this festival is hosted not on the beach, but in the Balinese cultural heart of Ubud. One of the main points of the festival is community, bringing people together from around the special Bali jungle town and beyond. Another key element is education. The festival facilitates a workshop with local and national educators to brainstorm how to keep young people engaged with jazz—think La La Land, but less pretentious.
“We are dedicated to staying a jazz-only event. All the big and famous festivals have included other genres, including pop. So do small festivals. That’s why we gotta be different,” the festival’s founder, Yuri Mahatma, previously told Coconuts Bali.
Headliners: Benny Brown, Glenn Buschman Jazz Academy, Gerald Clayton Trio, Ricad Hutapea, Yuri Mahatma
When: August 11 & 12
Where: ARMA, Ubud
Tickets: Rp 440k for day pass, Rp 660k for two-day pass
Hit this festival if… Jazz is your genre and understated sophistication is your game.
Pacha Festival Bali
Ibiza is coming to Bali! Well, sort of. Pacha, best known for its popping club in Ibiza, is bringing its Amsterdam EDM party to the sands of Seminyak. While the Amsterdam party was attended by 20,000, Pacha’s first foray into Bali will certainly be adjusted down to scale, attendance-wise, but promoters insist will be just as lively a dance floor.
The Bali party—which will run afternoon til late—will feature two stages, the festival said in a statement sent to Coconuts Bali. The main stage will be poolside, overlooking the beach, while a smaller, second stage will be set up at the hotel’s rooftop terrace.
Headliners: Steve Agnello, Fedde Le Grand, Roger Sanchez, Leroy Styles
When: August 18
Where: Anantara Seminyak Bali Resort
Tickets: GA Rp 565k – Rp 840k, VIP Rp 1,665,000 to Rp 12,575,000
Hit this festival if… You want to experience an Ibiza-style party. But in Bali.
Bestival
UK’s multi-award-winning festival, Bestival is going global and making its entry to Asia with an event in Bali this year. A two-day festival will be held at the outdoor GWK park in the limestone hills of Jimbaran. Mike Cuban—yes the one on Shark Tank—will be hosting the main stage, which should make for some entertainment in and of itself. Besides putting on a show of what’s self-described as “eclectic music from around the globe,” Bestival will also offer food markets and art installations.
“Well I can’t think of a better place in the world to do a new festival than Bali – a beautiful country, incredible culture, great music and don’t even get me started on the surf, history, nature and people… We are honored to be bringing Bestival to Bali and promise to deliver a sublime festival experience reflecting being on the Island Of Gods from funk pioneer George Clinton and hip hop royalty De La Soul to indie heroes alt-J and Purity Ring it’s gonna be the best,” Bestival curator Rob da Bank said in a statement shared with Coconuts Bali. All sounds good, but let’s hope he realizes that while incredible, Bali isn’t a country of its own!
Headliners: Alt-J, Rudimental (DJ set), De La Soul, George Clinton Funkadelic Ring
When: September 30 to October 1
Where: Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park, Jimbaran
Tickets: Pre-sale USD200, VIP USD500 + fees
Hit this festival if… You want a mix of genres and to be among the first to get the Bestival Bali experience.
Soundrenaline
Self-proclaimed as Indonesia’s biggest music festival, Soundrenaline is returning to GWK for another weekend packed with performances from across the archipelago.
Unlike other festivals hosted in Bali that specialize in targeting big international acts, the appeal of Soundrenaline—at least in the past—is that it boasts a pretty comprehensive line-up of local bands, some of Indonesia’s best groups across a variety of genres. And most of the crowd is actually made up of Indonesian people, rather than the herds of foreign tourists you’ll find at most other festivals. It’s a pretty special gathering. That said, there’s always at least one or two big international acts headlining the thing. In recent years, that’s been Simple Plan, Bloc Party, and Wolfmother.
Check out our review of last year’s Soundrenaline for a full rundown of the festival, from the music and the venue to the event’s organization.
Headliners: Stay tuned as more artists get confirmed since it’s kind of early in the game, but some posted so far on the Soundrenaline website include JET, Sheila on 7, Tulus, Elephant Kind, Lolot
When: September 9 & 10
Where: Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park, Jimbaran
Tickets: Rp 250k for day pass, Rp 300k for two-day pass, Pre-sale: Rp 200k for day pass, Rp 250k for two-day pass
Hit this festival if… Either you’re a big fan of Jet or you want to get to know today’s coolest Indonesian artists at a striking, outdoor venue.
Ultra Beach Bali
The world’s premiere EDM festival that has events all around the globe, is coming back to Bali for another edition that’s likely to only be bigger and better. Like Sunny Side Up, the Miami-conceived festival will be hosted at Seminyak’s popular Potato Head Beach Club, for two full days of music and party.
Headliners: Hardwell, Kygo, Zedd
When: September 14 and 15
Where: Potato Head Beach Club, Seminyak
Tickets: Rp 2.5 million for GA two-day pass, Rp 4 million for VIP two-day pass
Hit this festival if… You’ve got to experience a world-class EDM festival at one of Bali’s swankiest beach clubs. Or in other words, if “go big or go home” is your preferred music festival mantra.
