Christmas Eve is Thursday 24 December 2026, a day of collective leave, and Christmas Day is Friday 25 December, a public holiday, so many Indonesians have a four-day weekend from 24 to 27 December. Catholic parishes in Kuta and Denpasar hold several Masses on Christmas Day, and last year Kuta had one in English at 18:00. Resort Christmas Eve dinners are listed from IDR 750,000++ per person. Government offices close, while restaurants, tourist businesses and tours keep running. Hotels in Badung were full from 24 December last year, so book early.
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 Christmas Day in Bali in 2026?
Friday 25 December 2026 is the Christmas public holiday, and Thursday 24 December, Christmas Eve, is collective leave. Many Indonesians have a four-day weekend from 24 to 27 December, and Bali's school break runs from 21 December 2026 to 2 January 2027.
This guide also answers:
- Is there an English Christmas Mass in Bali?
- How much does Christmas dinner cost at a Bali resort?
- Is Bali busy at Christmas?
Top picks from this guide
#1
Christmas Mass in Bali's churches
St Francis Xavier in Kuta held four Masses on Christmas Day 2025, at 07:00, 10:00, 15:00 and 18:00, and the 18:00 Mass was entirely in English, according to NusaBali. More than 3,000 people came, many visitors from Australia and the Netherlands. Denpasar Cathedral had about 13,000 worshippers for 8,000 seats. The 2026 times are usually posted in December, so ask the parish which Mass is in which language.
#2
Christmas Eve dinners at the big resorts
The Apurva Kempinski Bali in Nusa Dua lists a Christmas Eve buffet at its Pala Restaurant on 24 December from 18:00 for IDR 1,250,000++ per person, and a Christmas Eve set dinner at its beachfront Reef Beach Club for IDR 750,000++. Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach lists a Christmas Eve buffet at IDR 1,199,000 per person. Book early and ask whether tax and service charge are included.
#3
Christmas Day by the sea
Several seaside venues serve on 25 December. Reef Beach Club in Nusa Dua has a Christmas BBQ lunch from 12:00 to 15:30 for IDR 1,150,000++, and Makase at Hotel Indigo Seminyak has a buffet brunch for IDR 1,199,000 with doors open at 12:30. Rain is the risk in December, so ask what happens if it pours and whether your table can move indoors.
#4
Sunrise on Christmas morning
While most visitors sleep, the sunrise tours to Mount Batur run as on any other morning. The jeep tour is from $45, and the pickup is in the small hours, so it suits Christmas Day better than Christmas Eve. December cloud can hide the sunrise, so book before 20 December and keep a second morning free. Booking needs no prepayment.
When are Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Bali in 2026?
Christmas Day is Friday 25 December 2026, a public holiday, and Thursday 24 December is collective leave, under the joint ministerial decree on 2026 holidays. With the weekend, many Indonesians have four days off, from 24 to 27 December, and Bali's school semester break runs from 21 December to 2 January. Hindu Bali does not stop for Christmas, and the island keeps working around it. We cover the rest of the month in what's on in Bali in December 2026 and 31 December in New Year's Eve in Bali, so this page stays with 24 to 26 December.
| Date | What it is | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 21 December | Bali school semester break starts | Local families begin to travel; the break lasts until 2 January |
| Thursday 24 December | Christmas Eve, collective leave | Evening Masses and resort dinners; hotels in Badung were full from this day last year |
| Friday 25 December | Christmas Day, public holiday | Several Masses in the large parishes we found reported; government offices closed |
| Saturday 26 December | Second day of Christmas | A normal weekend day; Kuta's parish held a Mass at 09:30 on this date in 2025 |
| Sunday 27 December | Last day of the four-day weekend | Return traffic for domestic visitors |
| Monday 28 December | First working day | In 2025 the airport's busiest arrival day was 28 December, with 83,512 passengers |
Holidays: joint ministerial decree on 2026 holidays. School break: Bali provincial education calendar 2026/2027. Airport figure: ANTARA, 6 January 2026. Retrieved 2-3 November 2026.
Where can you go to church in Bali at Christmas?
Bali is mostly Hindu, but its Catholic and Protestant churches hold full Christmas programmes. We name only churches we found described in the press. No 2026 schedule had been published by 3 November, so the times below are from Christmas 2025. Parishes usually post the new ones in December; ask which Mass is in which language.
St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Kuta held four Masses on Christmas Day 2025: 07:00 with the Bishop of Denpasar, 10:00, 15:00 and 18:00. The 18:00 Mass was in English, with choir, readings and rites entirely in English, to serve international worshippers and long-stay visitors, according to NusaBali. More than 3,000 people came, against about 2,500 in 2024, and many of the visitors were from Australia and the Netherlands. A Second Day of Christmas Mass followed at 09:30 on 26 December. Police, the army, Brimob, village pecalang and church volunteers handled security.
In Denpasar, the Holy Spirit Cathedral had about 13,000 worshippers on Christmas Day 2025, more than the 8,000 seats prepared, and an average of 6,000 at each Mass since the Christmas Eve Mass, according to Detik; the governor attended. GPIB Maranatha, a Protestant church in Denpasar, held three services, and the pecalang of Banjar Abasan have helped with traffic outside for ten years, according to ANTARA. Police also guard churches: Operation Lilin Agung 2025 ran from 20 December to 2 January with 1,783 police officers and 1,208 staff from other agencies at 44,226 points, among them churches, shopping centres, transport hubs and tourist sites.
Which hotels serve Christmas dinner in Bali, and what does it cost?
Two hotel groups had published their 2026 Christmas menus on their own websites by 3 November. The prices below are per person unless stated, and the dollar figures are approximate, at Rp 18,150 to the dollar, the Bank Mandiri selling rate shown by NusaBali on 2 November 2026. A price marked ++ excludes tax and service charge, which are added on top, so ask for the final total. Check before you book, because hotels change menus and prices.
| Venue | Meal and time | Price per person | About in US dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pala Restaurant, The Apurva Kempinski Bali, Nusa Dua | Christmas Eve buffet, 24 December, 18:00-22:30 | IDR 1,250,000++; IDR 2,200,000++ with free-flow selected alcoholic drinks; children 6-12 IDR 625,000++ | $69; $121 with drinks |
| Koral, same hotel | Christmas Eve dinner, 24 December, 17:30-22:30 | IDR 1,950,000++; IDR 2,950,000++ with wine pairing | $107; $163 with wine |
| Reef Beach Club, same hotel | Christmas Eve set dinner, 24 December, 18:00-23:00 | IDR 750,000++ | $41 |
| Reef Beach Club, same hotel | Christmas BBQ lunch, 25 December, 12:00-15:30 | IDR 1,150,000++; IDR 1,950,000++ with selected alcoholic drinks; children 6-12 IDR 575,000++ | $63; $107 with drinks |
| Makase, Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach | Christmas Eve buffet dinner, 24 December, doors open at 18:00 | IDR 1,199,000 | $66 |
| Makase, same hotel | Christmas Day buffet brunch, 25 December, doors open at 12:30 | IDR 1,199,000 | $66 |
| Sugarsand by The Beach, same hotel | Christmas dinner, multi-course sharing menu, 25 December, doors open at 18:00 | IDR 1,350,000 | $74 |
Prices and times as listed on the hotels' own festive pages, retrieved 3 November 2026. Dollar amounts are our conversion and change with the exchange rate.
How busy is Bali at Christmas, and what is the traffic like?
Christmas itself is busiest for domestic holidaymakers, and the international wave peaks after it. On 23 December 2025 the Badung hotel association PHRI said rooms in Badung were fully booked from 24 December to about the first week of 2026, mostly by domestic guests, while many foreign visitors were expected to be at home for Christmas, as in a normal year. Private cars and tourist buses with plates from outside Bali already filled the roads in Kuta that day, and the Ketapang to Gilimanuk crossing carried 40,987 vehicles and 143,533 passengers in the days from ten to four days before Christmas, the passenger count 0.4% above a year earlier.
The airport shows the same shape. From 15 to 23 December 2025 it averaged 67,112 passengers and 423 flights a day, and the busiest arrival day of the season was 28 December, three days after Christmas, with 83,512 passengers, according to ANTARA.
For 2025/26 Bali set up Christmas and New Year command posts at the airport, the main bus terminals and the ports, and closed all U-turns on the Ngurah Rai Bypass until the New Year, according to The Bali Sun. A year earlier a jam on the Mandara toll road left passengers walking to the terminal. We found no 2026 plan for Bali by 3 November. For a flight between 24 and 28 December, leave far earlier than the map says and book the transfer in advance: our airport transfer is from $15 per car depending on the hotel area, a private car with driver from $59 per car covers a whole day, and our Grab, Gojek or private driver guide compares the options.
What is open on Christmas Day in Bali?
Government offices close. Government services also stop during collective leave: the Denpasar immigration office closed on 25 and 26 December 2025 and reopened on 29 December, according to The Bali Sun, so file a visa or stay-permit extension on a working day well before it expires; our visa guide explains the options. The joint decree on 2026 holidays tells services that serve the public directly, among them hospitals, telecoms, electricity, water, fire services, security, banks and transport, to rotate their staff on holidays.
Restaurants, hotels, tourist businesses and tours keep running, and many hotels serve special Christmas menus that need a booking, as in the table above. Our tours and drivers work through the Christmas days. Ask for the date you want as early as you can, because drivers book out in the holiday weeks.
Will it rain at Christmas in Bali?
Expect some. BMKG's Bali climatology station expects the rainy season across Bali from November 2026, with the peak in February 2027 and rain until April, as ANTARA reported on 28 October, and on 2 November the regional weather office put several regencies on heavy-rain alert. Put outdoor plans in the morning, keep a spare day for any boat trip, and see Bali in December and our rainy-season guide for what runs and what we move.
Where these facts come from
- Sekretariat Negara: joint decree on 2026 holidays — 24 December collective leave, 25 December Christmas, staffing of public services on holidays, retrieved 2 November 2026
- NusaBali, 25 December 2025: Christmas Mass in Kuta, English service — four Masses, English Mass at 18:00, attendance, security; the same page's rate board gave the dollar rate used above, retrieved 3 November 2026
- Detik Bali, 25 December 2025: Christmas Mass at Denpasar Cathedral — 13,000 worshippers, 8,000 seats, retrieved 3 November 2026
- ANTARA Bali, 25 December 2025: a Denpasar church works with pecalang — GPIB Maranatha, three services, retrieved 3 November 2026
- ANTARA Bali, 24 December 2025: Bali police chief on the holiday season — Operation Lilin Agung 2025, airport figures for 15-23 December, retrieved 3 November 2026
- ANTARA Bali, 23 December 2025: PHRI on full hotel bookings — rooms full from 24 December, Ketapang to Gilimanuk crossing, retrieved 3 November 2026
- ANTARA Bali, 6 January 2026: passengers at Ngurah Rai during Christmas and New Year — busiest arrival day 28 December 2025, retrieved 2 November 2026
- The Bali Sun, 12 December 2025: Bali police commit to reducing traffic jams — U-turns on the Ngurah Rai Bypass closed until New Year, retrieved 2 November 2026
- The Bali Sun, 22 December 2025: Bali prepares for 1.5 million arrivals — command posts, the Mandara toll road jam a year earlier, retrieved 2 November 2026
- The Bali Sun, 24 December 2025: immigration offices closed over Christmas and New Year — Denpasar immigration office closure notice, retrieved 2 November 2026
- The Apurva Kempinski Bali: Pala Restaurant festive menu — 2026 Christmas Eve buffet and Christmas Day brunch, times and prices, retrieved 3 November 2026
- The Apurva Kempinski Bali: Koral festive menu — 2026 Christmas Eve lunch and dinner, times and prices, retrieved 3 November 2026
- The Apurva Kempinski Bali: Reef Beach Club festive menu — 2026 Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas BBQ lunch, times and prices, retrieved 3 November 2026
- Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach: Seminyak Festive — 2026 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menus, times and prices, retrieved 3 November 2026
- ANTARA Bali, 28 October 2026: early warning of moderate to heavy rain — rainy season from November 2026, peak in February 2027, until April, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Bali provincial education calendar 2026/2027, reproduced by Komunitas Belajar — semester break 21 December 2026 to 2 January 2027, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Tour prices from SB Excursions tour pages, November 2026
FAQ
When is Christmas Day in Bali in 2026?
Friday 25 December 2026 is the Christmas public holiday, and Thursday 24 December, Christmas Eve, is collective leave. Many Indonesians have a four-day weekend from 24 to 27 December, and Bali's school break runs from 21 December 2026 to 2 January 2027.
Is there an English Christmas Mass in Bali?
Last year St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Kuta held one at 18:00 on Christmas Day 2025, with the whole liturgy in English, alongside Indonesian Masses at 07:00, 10:00 and 15:00. The 2026 times had not been published by 3 November, so ask the parish in December.
How much does Christmas dinner cost at a Bali resort?
The 2026 Christmas Eve prices we found run from IDR 750,000++ per person for a beachfront set dinner in Nusa Dua to IDR 1,950,000++ for a dinner at an aquarium restaurant, with buffets at IDR 1,199,000 to IDR 1,250,000 per person. Children aged 6-12 pay IDR 625,000++ at one buffet. A price marked ++ excludes tax and service charge.
Is Bali busy at Christmas?
Yes. Badung hotels were fully booked from 24 December to early January last year, mostly by domestic guests, and the airport's busiest arrival day of the season was 28 December 2025, with 83,512 passengers. Christmas Day itself is busiest for domestic travellers; the international wave builds after it.
What is open on Christmas Day in Bali?
Restaurants, hotels, tourist businesses and tours keep running. Government offices close, including the immigration office: the Denpasar office was closed on 25 and 26 December 2025. Hospitals, telecoms, electricity, water, banks and transport rotate their staff on holidays.
Do tours run on Christmas Day in Bali?
Ours do: tours and drivers work through the Christmas days. The Mount Batur sunrise jeep tour is from $45 and a private car with driver from $59 per car. Drivers book out in the holiday weeks, so ask early; booking with us needs no prepayment.
Will it rain at Christmas in Bali?
Probably at times. BMKG's Bali climatology station expects the rainy season across Bali from November 2026, with the peak in February 2027 and rain until April. Keep outdoor plans for the morning and give any boat trip a spare day.
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