Not nightly
The date follows purnama and the community calendar
There is no daily show schedule. The evening is offered on selected full moons only when temple and banjar commitments allow.
Temple blessing · live gamelan · Topeng Tua · community dinner
One full-moon night,hosted by the people of Bakbakan, Gianyar.
From 5 PM, gather at Pura Dalem Ageng Bakbakan for a community buffet, live gamelan and dance. The evening closes with prayer, offerings and guidance from the mangku.
5:00–8:00 PMthe regular full-moon evening≈30 guestsclose enough to feel part of itBakbakan, Gianyarnorth of Gianyar town
Young dancers of Bakbakan, GianyarThe courtyard performance begins with local dance
See how the night unfoldsFIELD RECORDING
Hear the courtyardBakbakan, Gianyar · full-moon gamelan · 00:12THE INVITATION
“Not Bali performed at a distance, but an evening shared at close range.”
This evening is for people who have spent time in Bali and still look for the moments that are difficult to arrange: being welcomed into a community temple, hearing a village gamelan at arm’s length, and meeting the people behind the music, dance and meal.
WHY THIS EVENING
Its difference is not a longer programme. It is a different relationship.
Bali has many excellent dance performances and dinner shows. This evening is smaller and less polished by design: people from three participating banjar receive a limited group in the places where they worship, rehearse, cook and gather.
Not from theatre seats
Blessing, music, dance and dinner share one courtyard
Guests move through the temple and courtyard rather than watching every element from a distance. Topeng Tua may be only a few steps away.
Not an outsourced cast
The people hosting are the people doing the work
Neighbours play gamelan, local young dancers perform, families cook, and the temple’s mangku guides the blessing.
EXPLORE THE FULL STORY
Go deeper without making the homepage longer.
Meet the village and hosts, follow the complete evening, or check every practical detail on a focused page.
The villageIn Bakbakan, Gianyar, the full moon still belongs to village life.
North of Gianyar town, Bakbakan is a living village community. There is no cultural park here: the temple, gamelan, dances and shared meal all belong to the life of the people who live around them.
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The eveningThe regular evening begins at 5 PM.
Buffet, gamelan, dance, prayer and offerings follow one another through the temple courtyard. The earlier purification programme is a separate special activity; this is the standard full-moon evening.
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Plan your visitThe moon sets the date. The community sets the evening.
The evening is offered only when the full-moon calendar and community commitments allow. Message the hosts to confirm the next date and whether a place is available.
Open this chapter →THE EVENING AT A GLANCE
The regular evening begins at 5 PM.
Buffet, gamelan, dance, prayer and offerings follow one another through the temple courtyard. The earlier purification programme is a separate special activity; this is the standard full-moon evening.
015:00 PM
Arrive at the temple
025:30 PM
The buffet opens
036:00–7:00 PM
The dance programme begins
047:00–8:00 PM
Prayer and offerings with the mangku
EARLY PARTICIPANT NOTES
What remained after the evening ended.
Henry, Carrie and Ash joined an early edition of the full-moon evening. These first notes hold three different parts of the experience: proximity, welcome and the feeling of being received by a community rather than processed through an attraction.
What stayed with me was how close everything felt. We were not watching from theatre seats: the gamelan, temple, dancers and families all belonged to the same place. When Topeng Tua stepped into the audience, the evening felt spontaneous rather than staged.
HenryEditorial drafts based on their real attendance. Exact wording is awaiting each participant’s confirmation.
The blessing gave the evening a sense of context before the performance began. Having temple clothing prepared for us removed the uncertainty of what to wear, and the small group made it easy to follow local guidance respectfully.
CarrieEditorial drafts based on their real attendance. Exact wording is awaiting each participant’s confirmation.
After living in Bali, I am less interested in polished dinner shows and more interested in how local communities actually gather. This evening mattered because Bakbakan, Gianyar shared its own temple, musicians, dancers and food without turning the village into a spectacle.
AshEditorial drafts based on their real attendance. Exact wording is awaiting each participant’s confirmation.
PREPARE YOUR ENQUIRY
Tell the host what your evening needs.
Prepare the essential details here, then copy the request and send it to Dewa on Instagram. Nothing is submitted or stored by this website yet.