By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Nyepi, the day of silence, follows at six the next morningMonday 8 March 2027
- Where
- Village halls and crossroads islandwide
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- March
- Dates
- Move each year with the lunar calendar
The parade happens on the eve of Nyepi and is called Pengerupukan. Most villages move off after dark, roughly between six and eight in the evening, once the offerings at the crossroads are finished. Roads close without much warning as the effigies come through.
On the eve of Nyepi every neighbourhood in Bali carries out a monstrous effigy it has spent months building, parades it through the streets to a wall of gamelan and shouting, and then burns it. The parade is the famous part and it is worth seeing. The part almost no visitor knows about is that the effigies are built in open sided village halls, in public, for the two months beforehand, and you can walk past and watch it happen any evening for nothing. If your trip lands anywhere in the weeks before Nyepi you can see the whole process rather than only the finale.
What Ogoh Ogoh actually is
An ogoh ogoh is a demon figure built of bamboo, wire and papier mache, standing anywhere from head height to four or five metres, and made to be destroyed. Each banjar, the neighbourhood ward that organises most of Balinese communal life, builds its own, and the young men of the ward carry it. The figures represent the negative forces the island is about to send packing, and they are deliberately grotesque: bulging eyes, fangs, claws, entrails. Craft has escalated over the years into genuine sculpture, with articulated limbs, hydraulics and sound systems, and the larger towns run judged competitions with real prize money. After the parade the effigy is burned, and the point of the whole exercise is that a thing which took two months to make lasts one night.
Where to watch Ogoh Ogoh
- A village parade rather than a civic one. The neighbourhood versions are the ones to choose. You will be standing among families rather than tour groups, the bearers will be people who live on that street, and the effigy will get close enough to see the joins. Anywhere outside the main tourist strips will have one.
- Denpasar for scale. The capital runs the biggest judged competition, with the largest and most technically ambitious figures converging on the main crossroads. It is crowded and slow moving, and it is the place to go if you want to see what the form is capable of at the top end.
- Ubud for the compromise. Central enough to reach easily, and busy, but the surrounding villages each bring their own, so several pass through in an evening. Get into position early and stay put rather than trying to follow one.
- The bale banjar, in the weeks before. The real recommendation. Village halls are open at the sides and lit at night, the work happens after the working day, and nobody minds an onlooker. Ask before photographing people and you will usually be waved in for a closer look.
- Anywhere with an exit. Once the parade passes, the crowd moves with it and the lanes fill. Note where you came in. This matters more than usual because everything stops at midnight and getting back becomes difficult very quickly.
Tickets and what it costs
Nothing is ticketed and nothing is for sale. This is a religious and communal event that happens to be spectacular, not a show put on for visitors, and there is no paid seating anywhere on the island. The competitions in the larger towns have grandstands, but those are for judges, officials and the competing banjar. Everyone else stands at the roadside. The only cost of the evening is getting yourself there and back, and the transport is the part that needs the budget, because drivers charge what the night is worth and the roads close as the parade forms.
Official information and booking: bali.com/bali/travel-guide/culture/nyepi-balinese-new-year
Getting there
Go early and plan to walk the last part. Roads close progressively through the evening as effigies assemble at crossroads, and a driver who agreed to collect you will often be unable to reach you. Ride hailing becomes unreliable well before the parade starts and stops entirely at midnight, when the island begins its shutdown for Nyepi. The workable pattern is to be dropped off in daylight, watch, and walk back to accommodation within reach. Anyone staying more than a short walk from the parade route should plan on staying out until it is over rather than hoping to leave halfway.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Turning up only for the parade
The building is free, uncrowded, months long and arguably more interesting than the finale. If you are on the island at any point in the two months before Nyepi, walk past a village hall in the evening. Almost nobody tells visitors this is open to them.
Booking a driver to collect you afterwards
Roads close, ride hailing dries up, and everything stops dead at midnight because Nyepi begins. Arrange transport in one direction and walk the other, or stay somewhere within walking distance of where you plan to watch.
Standing in the middle of the road for a photograph
The effigies are heavy, carried by people who cannot see well past them, and deliberately spun and lurched at the crossroads. Bearers have limited control. Stand at the side, and give the corners a wide berth.
Expecting a fixed start time
There is not one. Villages move off when their offerings are finished, which is broadly after dark and in practice anywhere across a couple of hours. Arrive early, accept some waiting, and treat any published time as an estimate.
Assuming every effigy gets burned on the spot
Many are, but competition pieces are increasingly kept, and some villages burn only a token. If the burning is the part you came for, ask locally which banjar still does it rather than assuming the one in front of you will.
Other Bali events
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is an ogoh ogoh?
A demon effigy built by a neighbourhood ward from bamboo, wire and papier mache, carried through the streets on the eve of Nyepi and then burned. It represents the negative forces being driven off before the new year begins. They range from about head height to four or five metres, and the larger ones need dozens of bearers.
Can I watch them being made?
Yes, and it is free. They are built in bale banjar, the open sided village halls, over roughly the two months beforehand, mostly in the evenings after work. Nobody charges and nobody minds you looking. Ask before you photograph anyone, dress as you would for a temple, and you will often be invited in for a closer look.
Where is the best place to see the parade?
Denpasar for the largest and most technically ambitious figures, since the capital runs the biggest judged competition. A village outside the tourist strips for atmosphere, where you will be among families rather than tour groups. Ubud sits in between and several parades pass through in one evening.
Is it safe to bring children?
Generally yes, and Balinese families bring their own. The figures are frightening by design and the noise is considerable, so it depends on the child. Keep well back at crossroads, where the effigies are deliberately spun and lurched, and be ready for a long wait before anything moves.
What time does it start?
After dark, once each village has finished its offerings, which in practice means somewhere between roughly six and eight in the evening. There is no islandwide start time and no schedule to consult. Get into position early rather than trying to time an arrival.
How do I get home afterwards?
On foot, ideally. Roads close as the parades form, ride hailing becomes unreliable through the evening, and everything stops entirely at midnight when Nyepi begins. Watch somewhere you can walk back from, or accept that you are out until the parade finishes.
Sources
- Bali.com, Nyepi and the Balinese new year
- Indonesian public holiday calendar
- LoveBali, the official visitor levy portal
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2028. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.