The Nusa Penida Festival (NPF), Bali’s largest tourism promotion event, will take place in October 2023 on Nusa Penida Island in Klungkung Regency. The Nusa Penida Festival returns after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Nusa Penida Festival will be held for three days, from the 5th to the 7th of October, 2023, according to the Klungkung Tourism Department (Dispar). This festival will take place in Nusa Penida, Klungkung, at the Sampalan Public Square.
On the first day of the Nusa Penida Festival, a pakelem ritual will be performed at Batununggul Beach. This ritual is accompanied by a sacred dance, the Pendet Pasepan Dance, performed by 500 Sampalan Village women. Aside from that, an exhibition for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) was opened, as well as Balinese dance performances, fashion shows, bondres, and music.
Beach cleaning activities, coral reef planting, hatchling release, colossal janger and Kecak (Jangecak) art performances, as well as entertainment and actors, will take place on the second day of the event. A traditional boat race and various musical and cultural entertainment will be held on the third or final day.
Ni Made Sulistiawati, Head of the Klungkung Tourism Department, stated that this Nusa Penida tourism promotion event will continue to have a theme related to the revival of post-pandemic tourism and how Nusa Penida tourist visits resume in April 2023. “The activity starts with a pakelem ceremony, a prayer delivered in the hope that the event will go smoothly, and thanksgiving for developments in Nusa Penida tourism after emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sulistiawati explained on Saturday, the 9th of September, 2023.
The ngaturang pakelem was accompanied by 500 dancers from the Dalem Setra Batununggul Traditional Village. Residents from outside the Dalem Setra Batununggul Traditional Village are not permitted to perform this dance.
“Musical entertainment, beach cleaning, sailboat competitions, and Zumba gymnastics are also part of the NPF. The Klungkung APBD has prepared a budget of IDR 700 million “Sulistiawati stated.
The upcoming events will almost certainly draw tourists to Nusa Penida. Since, in addition to direct promotions from the Klungkung Tourism Department, travel agents are encouraged to take advantage of this year’s events.
Since 2014, the Nusa Penida Festival has been held during peak tourist season (high season). The Nusa Penida Festival is held in rotation on each of the three Nusa Penida islands (Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan).
Check out the other news from Social Expat for more updates about everything in Indonesia.
