Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February, listed in Indonesia's 2027 holiday decree as Imlek 2578, with collective leave on Friday 5 February. In Bali the celebrations are at Chinese temples in Kuta, Benoa and Denpasar, in lion dance shows in malls and resorts, and on Cap Go Meh, the 15th day, which is Saturday 20 February. The 2027 programmes had not been announced by 2 November 2026, so this guide uses the 2026 and earlier events to show what to expect.
By Alex Moskvin, Founder of SB Excursions · Published 3 November 2026 · Updated 3 November 2026
Tour on this route: Private Car with Driver in Bali — From $59 per car, flexible daily use.
When is Chinese New Year 2027 in Bali?
Saturday 6 February 2027, listed in Indonesia's 2027 holiday decree as Imlek 2578, with collective leave on Friday 5 February, so there is a three-day weekend from 5 to 7 February. The festival ends with Cap Go Meh on the 15th day, Saturday 20 February.
This guide also answers:
- Is Chinese New Year a public holiday in Indonesia?
- Where can tourists see Chinese New Year celebrations in Bali?
- Can tourists go into a Chinese temple in Bali during Imlek?
Top picks from this guide
#1
Chinese temples: prayers and red lanterns
Bali's Chinese community prays at its temples (*vihara* and *klenteng*) from the night before New Year's Day. The Bali Sun named Dharmayana in Kuta, which dates to 1876, Sing Bie Bio in Denpasar and Ling Gwan Kiong in Singaraja for 2026. ANTARA reported more than 1,500 worshippers at Satya Darma in Benoa in 2025. The festival schedule for 2027 had not been announced by 2 November 2026.
#2
Lion dances in malls and resorts
In 2026 Hey Bali listed free barongsai, dragon and wushu shows at Living World and Level 21 in Denpasar, Mal Bali Galeria, Beachwalk, Discovery Mall and Icon Bali Mall, from 1 to 25 February, with the most shows on New Year's Day, 17 February. Nusa Dua staged lion dances with Kecak on 14 and 15 February. Confirm 2027 times with each mall in late January.
#3
Chinese visitors and the holiday peak
Many visitors from China travel around the festival: BPS Bali counted 157,242 in the first quarter of 2026, then 32,497 in March, 58.79% fewer than in February after the New Year month ended. Imlek 2027 is earlier than Imlek 2026, which was 17 February, so we expect the peak around 5-7 February. An airport transfer is from $15 per car.
#4
A driver for the temple trail
The temples and the shows are in different parts of the south, so a day that links them needs a car. Our guide to Grab, Gojek or a private driver compares the costs, and a private car with driver is from $59 per car for the day, so you can pray or watch in Kuta in the morning, cross to Denpasar for a lion dance in the evening, and come back at the end of the night.
When is Chinese New Year 2027, and is it a holiday in Bali?
Chinese New Year, called Imlek in Indonesia, is on Saturday 6 February 2027. The joint decree of three ministers on 2027 holidays, signed on 15 September 2026, lists it as *Tahun Baru Imlek 2578 Kongzili* and adds collective leave on Friday 5 February. Indonesia therefore has a three-day weekend from 5 to 7 February. Prayers start on New Year's Eve, the evening of 5 February.
It is a national holiday, not a Balinese one: government offices close, tourist businesses keep running, and Bali's streets are not closed as they are for Nyepi. Cap Go Meh, the 15th day and the close of the celebrations, falls on Saturday 20 February 2027 by our count. Our Bali in February guide covers the weather and the rest of the month, and if your trip runs into March, Nyepi falls on Monday 8 March 2027.
Where can you see Chinese New Year celebrations in Bali?
Bali's Chinese community has several temples, and the events cluster around New Year's Day and the weekends on either side. These are the places we could verify from news reports, with the year of the report. Programmes change every year, so treat them as a guide to what to expect in 2027.
| Place | Area | What was reported |
|---|---|---|
| Vihara Dharmayana | Kuta and Legian | 2023: open from 00:00 to 24:00 on New Year's Day, with a community prayer, cultural dances and a lion dance in the evening; visitors welcome (The Bali Sun). 2026: dates to 1876 and hosts large celebrations (The Bali Sun) |
| Vihara Satya Darma | Benoa | 2025: more than 1,500 worshippers from Denpasar and Badung, open from 06:00 to 24:00, no special attractions, dozens of foreign visitors (ANTARA) |
| Tri Dharma Cao Fuk Miao | Jalan Cargo, Denpasar | 2023: a Cap Go Meh procession with barongsai and a dragon, starting at 16:00, the first after three years of pause (ANTARA) |
| Sing Bie Bio | Denpasar | 2026: its caretaker led the group prayer at the Harmony Festival (The Bali Sun) |
| Harmony Festival | Jalan Kartini and Jalan Gajah Mada, Denpasar | 2026: 21 and 22 February, with a parade, group prayer, barongsai, Barong Naga and wushu (The Bali Sun) |
| Ling Gwan Kiong | Singaraja | 2026: a recently renovated temple named by The Bali Sun, with no events listed |
Sources: ANTARA Bali (5 February 2023 and 29 January 2025) and The Bali Sun (18 January 2023, 7 and 16 February 2026). No 2027 schedule was published on 2 November 2026.
How should visitors behave at a Chinese temple?
Come as a guest. In 2023 the Dharmayana temple said that tourists and the public may watch the ceremonies, that visitors must dress modestly and would be lent a sarong if needed, that people who are sick should stay home, and that women who are menstruating and people in mourning should not enter the sacred areas, according to The Bali Sun. The Bali Sun's advice for 2026 was to observe respectfully and join in only if invited.
Expect queues. At Satya Darma in 2025 worshippers queued to pray inside and outside because the temple could not hold everyone at once. Ask before you photograph people who are praying. At performances, giving a red envelope (*angpao*) is common and Hey Bali said that the gesture matters more than the amount.
Where can you watch barongsai in Bali?
The easiest lion dances are free shows in malls. Hey Bali published the 2026 list on 12 February 2026, five days before New Year's Day. The performances below are examples from that list; the 2027 times had not been published by 2 November 2026, so confirm them with the mall in late January. Outdoor stages can be affected by rain, and February is a wet month.
| Venue | 2026 programme, as listed by Hey Bali | Shows on New Year's Day |
|---|---|---|
| Living World, Denpasar | Barongsai in the common areas daily from 10 to 23 February at 14:00 and 18:00; table barongsai and dragon at 18:00 on several evenings | Yes, 17 February |
| Level 21 Mall, Denpasar | Barongsai on 13 and 14 February at 17:00 | Barongsai and dragon, 17:00 |
| Beachwalk, Kuta | Wushu demonstrations on 17 February at 16:00 and 21 February at 17:30 | Yes, 16:00 |
| Discovery Mall, Kuta | Dragon dance and wushu on Tuesday 17 February | Yes, 17:00 |
| Icon Bali Mall | Fluorescent dragon show on Monday 16 February at 19:00 | Barongsai and dragon, 14:00 |
Source: Hey Bali, 12 February 2026. Every performance in that list was free.
Beyond the malls, The Bali Sun reported in 2026 that Nusa Dua put on lion dances and Kecak under the title *Lions & Fire* on 14 and 15 February, that Penglipuran Village staged Barong dances during the week, and that Nuanu Creative City ran events from 14 to 17 February with international tickets from IDR 150,000.
How busy is Bali at Chinese New Year, and what does it do to prices?
Chinese and Indonesian holidaymakers both travel. BPS Bali counted 157,242 arrivals from China in the first quarter of 2026, 20.22% more than a year earlier, and 32,497 in March 2026, 58.79% fewer than in February; the report put the March fall down to the end of the New Year effect. In 2025 The Bali Sun reported that Garuda Indonesia Group, which includes Citilink, expected at least 1.2 million passengers across its network over the Imlek period, about 54,000 a day and some 25% more than the previous period, and that the Bali airport manager expected travel to be a little lower than at Christmas and New Year.
We did not find China's own 2027 holiday schedule, so the length of the Chinese holiday is not confirmed. Our reading, not a forecast: because Imlek 2027 is on 6 February, the busiest days will be around 5-7 February, and we expect the Cap Go Meh weekend on 20 February to be calmer. We found no published hotel-rate index by month, so book rooms, drivers and boats early for the Imlek weekend; February is also one of the wettest months, with 289.8 mm of rain on the long-run normals.
Which tours work on the Imlek weekend?
A private car with driver, from $59 per car for the day, suits the temple and show route. If you want a day away from the festival, February is a good month for rafting: the Ayung is at high water and rafting is from $25. Our rainy-season guide and Bali in February guide list what else works in the rain, and our 2027 public holidays guide lists every long weekend.
Where these facts come from
- Sekretariat Negara: joint decree on 2027 holidays, signed 15 September 2026 — Imlek 2578 on 6 February, collective leave on 5 February, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Hey Bali, 12 February 2026: where to watch barongsai in Bali for Imlek 2026 — free mall shows, dates and times, angpao, retrieved 2 November 2026
- The Bali Sun, 16 February 2026: Chinese New Year celebrations in Bali — Nusa Dua, Penglipuran, the Harmony Festival in Denpasar and Sing Bie Bio, retrieved 2 November 2026
- The Bali Sun, 7 February 2026: Chinese New Year celebrations open for all tourists — Dharmayana in Kuta, Ling Gwan Kiong in Singaraja, Nuanu events and ticket prices, retrieved 2 November 2026
- The Bali Sun, 18 January 2023: celebrate Chinese New Year at Dharmayana Kuta — hours, ceremonies, dress and entry rules, retrieved 2 November 2026
- The Bali Sun, 28 January 2025: Bali and Yogyakarta in top demand for Chinese New Year — Garuda passenger figures and the airport manager's comment, retrieved 2 November 2026
- ANTARA Bali, 29 January 2025: more than 1,500 worshippers at Vihara Satya Darma Benoa — hours, queues, no special attractions, foreign visitors, retrieved 2 November 2026
- ANTARA Bali, 5 February 2023: barongsai and dragon procession for Cap Go Meh in Denpasar — Tri Dharma Cao Fuk Miao on Jalan Cargo, 16:00 start, retrieved 2 November 2026
- ANTARA via BCA Sekuritas, 5 May 2026: foreign arrivals in the first quarter of 2026 — arrivals from China in the first quarter and in March 2026, citing BPS Bali, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Tokyo Climate Center, JMA: monthly normals for Denpasar/Ngurah Rai — February rain of 289.8 mm, base period 1991-2020, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Cap Go Meh on 20 February 2027 is our count of the 15th day from 6 February; tour prices from SB Excursions tour pages, November 2026
FAQ
When is Chinese New Year 2027 in Bali?
Saturday 6 February 2027, listed in Indonesia's 2027 holiday decree as Imlek 2578, with collective leave on Friday 5 February, so there is a three-day weekend from 5 to 7 February. The festival ends with Cap Go Meh on the 15th day, Saturday 20 February.
Is Chinese New Year a public holiday in Indonesia?
Yes. Imlek is a national holiday on Saturday 6 February 2027, and Friday 5 February is collective leave. Government offices close, while tourist businesses, restaurants and tours keep running.
Where can tourists see Chinese New Year celebrations in Bali?
At Chinese temples such as Dharmayana in Kuta, Satya Darma in Benoa and Sing Bie Bio in Denpasar, at free lion dance shows in malls in Denpasar and Kuta, and at festivals such as Denpasar's Harmony Festival. Those are the 2026 and earlier events; the 2027 programmes had not been announced by 2 November 2026.
Can tourists go into a Chinese temple in Bali during Imlek?
At Dharmayana in Kuta in 2023, tourists and the public were welcome to watch. Dress modestly, expect to be lent a sarong if needed, follow the temple's rules for the sacred areas, and ask before photographing people who are praying.
Where can I watch a lion dance (barongsai) in Bali?
In 2026 free barongsai and dragon shows were listed in malls from 1 to 25 February, including Living World and Level 21 in Denpasar and Beachwalk, Discovery Mall and Icon Bali Mall in Kuta, with the most shows on New Year's Day. Confirm the 2027 times with each mall in late January.
What is Cap Go Meh, and when is it in 2027?
Cap Go Meh is the 15th and last day of the New Year festival. By our count it falls on Saturday 20 February 2027. In 2023 Denpasar held a barongsai and dragon procession from the Tri Dharma Cao Fuk Miao temple on Jalan Cargo at 16:00; whether it is held in 2027 had not been announced.
Is Bali crowded at Chinese New Year?
It is busier around the holiday weekend. BPS Bali counted 157,242 arrivals from China in the first quarter of 2026, and the March figure of 32,497 was 58.79% below February. We expect 5-7 February 2027 to be the busiest days; book drivers, boats and rooms early.
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