By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Where
- Taman Baca and venues across Ubud
- Tickets
- Ticketed
- Time of year
- October
- Dates
- Around the same dates every year
From the festival: Wednesday 20 to Sunday 24 October 2027, at Taman Baca in Ubud. The programme and prices come later. For scale, the 2026 festival ran 21 to 25 October, its main programme at Taman Baca from Thursday to Sunday, with an international four-day pass at IDR 7,800,000 and a one-day pass at IDR 2,400,000.
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An international literary festival held every October in Ubud: more than a hundred events over five days, with writers, journalists and thinkers from Indonesia and abroad. The main programme runs on stages at Taman Baca, on Jalan Raya Sanggingan just north-west of the town centre, and needs a one-day or four-day pass. Special events, workshops and lunches are ticketed separately, and the week fills Ubud’s hotels.
What Ubud Writers Festival actually is
The festival began as a healing project after the first Bali bombings, when Janet DeNeefe, who came to Bali from Melbourne, and her Balinese husband Ketut Suardana set out to help rebuild both the island’s spirit and its economy. It is still run by their non-profit foundation, and it has since brought Nick Cave, Hanya Yanagihara, Colson Whitehead, Amitav Ghosh and Richard Flanagan to the town.
The core is the main programme of author conversations and panels, on several stages at Taman Baca from morning to early evening. Around it run Indonesian dance and performance, film screenings and live music after dark, book launches, workshops, a children’s and youth programme, and guided walks through Ubud’s markets, temples and rice fields.
It is a bilingual festival, not an English one with translation. Many of the speakers are Indonesian, and some sessions are held in Indonesian; each listing says which.
Where it happens
- Taman Baca, the hub. The main programme and the after-dark screenings and music are all here, on Jalan Raya Sanggingan, the road that runs north-west out of Ubud past the Campuhan bridge. A day or four-day pass gets you in; it does not cover the special events.
- Casa Luna and Indus, the founders’ restaurants. The Festival Club sessions have been held at Bar Luna, inside Casa Luna in central Ubud, and the festival gathers in the evenings at the Writers Bar at Indus.
- Special events around Ubud and beyond. Literary lunches, dinners, workshops and the occasional session as far afield as Sanur take place at partner hotels and venues, each with its own ticket and its own address. Check where each one is before you book anything between them.
Tickets and what it costs
There are two passes. A four-day pass covers the main programme and the after-dark programme on every day at Taman Baca; a one-day pass covers the same on the day you choose. Indonesians, KITAS and KITAP holders, ASEAN citizens and students pay less, and Indonesian school students go free, each with proof on the day. Everything else, from special events to workshops and cultural sessions, needs its own ticket.
In recent years the book launches have been free with registration. Two dearer options, the Friends Circle and the Patron Circle, add a lounge, reserved seats and evenings with the writers. You can pay in rupiah, Australian dollars or US dollars; tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, and you need photo ID to exchange yours for a pass.
Official information and booking: www.ubudwritersfestival.com
Getting there
Ubud is inland, and the drive up from the airport or the south coast can take two hours in traffic, so a beach base and a daily commute will eat the festival. Stay in Ubud. Sanggingan, Campuhan and Penestanan put Taman Baca within walking distance; from central Ubud it is under two kilometres, across the Campuhan bridge.
Ubud’s rooms are the thing to book first. The festival is the one week in October when the town fills and rates firm up, and the full programme is announced well after the dates. Bring something for a highland shower in the late afternoon too.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Waiting for the programme before booking a room
The line-up comes out long after the dates, by which time the rooms near Taman Baca are going. Book a cancellable room as soon as the dates are fixed and decide on passes later.
Expecting a pass to cover everything
The passes cover the main programme and the evening screenings and music at Taman Baca. The lunches, dinners, workshops and special events, which are often what people remember, each need their own ticket.
Assuming every session is in English
Some are held in Indonesian. The listing for each session says which language, so check before you plan a day around one.
Commuting from the coast
Seminyak or Canggu to Ubud can take two hours each way. That is a morning lost before the first session, and the same again after the last.
Other Bali events
Frequently asked questions
How much is a pass for the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival?
The festival publishes each year’s prices on its tickets page. International visitors pay the most; Indonesians, KITAS and KITAP holders, ASEAN citizens and students pay less, and Indonesian school students go free.
Is any of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival free?
A little. In recent years the book launches have been free with registration. The main programme needs a one-day or four-day pass, and special events and workshops are ticketed on their own.
Where is the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival held?
The main programme is at Taman Baca on Jalan Raya Sanggingan, just north-west of central Ubud. Evening sessions and special events use restaurants, hotels and other venues around the town.
Are the sessions in English?
Most of the international sessions are, but some are held in Indonesian. Each session’s listing on the festival site says which language it is in.
Where should I stay for the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival?
In Ubud itself, and as early as you can. Sanggingan, Campuhan and Penestanan are within walking distance of Taman Baca, and the festival week is the busiest of October for Ubud’s hotels.
Sources
- Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, the next festival’s dates
- Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, passes and prices
- Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, about the festival and its founders
- Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, the programme
- Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, ticket terms
- Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, an earlier daily schedule
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.