December 2026 is the month the quiet season ends: the first week is still calm, then Bali's school break starts on 21 December and runs to 2 January, and Thursday 24 and Friday 25 December are days off. Last year the airport's busiest arrival day was 28 December, with 83,512 passengers. The dated events are Hindu holy days, among them Tumpek Wariga on 19 December and the full moon on 23 December. The Denpasar Festival and the Pandawa Beach Festival have no confirmed dates yet. Expect rain, slow roads and full hotels.
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.
What is on in Bali in December 2026?
We found no confirmed large festival. The dated items are Tumpek Wariga on 19 December, the school break from 21 December to 2 January, the full moon on 23 December, collective leave on 24 December, Christmas on 25 December and temple cleaning before Galungan from 29 December. The Denpasar Festival, which ran 20-23 December in 2025, and the Pandawa Beach Festival, listed for 25 December, have no confirmed dates.
This guide also answers:
- When are the school holidays in Bali in December 2026?
- What are the busiest days at Bali airport in December?
- Are 24 and 25 December 2026 public holidays in Bali?
Top picks from this guide
#1
Tumpek Wariga and the run-up to Galungan
Saturday 19 December is Tumpek Wariga, also called Tumpek Uduh, a day for honouring plants and nature. It falls 25 days before Galungan on 13 January 2027, and families ask the plants for the fruit, flowers and leaves that Galungan offerings need, according to Bali Post. On 29 December Anggar Kasih Julungwangi marks the start of temple cleaning before Galungan. Both are quiet village ceremonies, not events with tickets.
#2
Denpasar Festival
The city's year-end festival has no 2026 date yet; the official calendar lists it for December. The 18th festival ran from 20 to 23 December 2025, drew more than 75,000 visitors and recorded sales of Rp 6.25 billion by its stalls, according to Bali Post. Denpasar closed Jalan Gajah Mada and nearby streets for it, so we suggest going on foot or by app bike in the evening rather than driving into the centre.
#3
Year-end shows in Nusa Dua and Penglipuran
Two programmes ran last year and may return. In Nusa Dua the resort company ITDC staged its Nataru experience, with Santa, a Barong dance and a kecak performance; kecak tickets cost IDR 150,000 in 2025. Penglipuran village held a Barong Macan parade on 27 December and Tetantrian Macan Gading performances from 28 December to 1 January. Neither had announced a 2026 programme by 3 November.
#4
A car and driver for the holiday weeks
Between about 20 December and 5 January the road to the airport puts a flight plan at risk: a year earlier a toll-road jam left passengers walking to the terminal. A private car with driver is from $59 per car for a flexible day of up to 10 hours. For 24-28 December and 1-3 January ask early, because drivers book out. Booking with us needs no prepayment, so holding a date costs nothing.
What is on in Bali in December 2026?
A holiday month more than an event month. The fixed points are the national and school calendars: Bali's school semester break runs from Monday 21 December 2026 to Saturday 2 January 2027, Thursday 24 December is collective leave and Friday 25 December is Christmas, and Friday 1 January 2027 is a public holiday. Australian summer school holidays start between 11 and 19 December. On top of that come a few Hindu holy days and a handful of festivals, most of them without a confirmed date.
We cover Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Christmas in Bali 2026 and 31 December in New Year's Eve in Bali, so this page stays with the month as a whole. For long-run rain figures see Bali in December. The month after is in what's on in Bali in January 2027.
Which dates in December 2026 matter?
Holy days and national days are fixed. Festival dates come from event lists and can move, and the table says which is which.
| Date | What | What it means for a visitor | How firm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 9 December | Tilem Kenam, the dark moon | Many families pray at temples | Fixed: Balinese calendar |
| 11-19 December | Australian summer school holidays start, state by state | More Australian families from mid-month | Tourism Australia |
| Saturday 19 December | Tumpek Wariga, also called Tumpek Uduh | A day honouring plants, 25 days before Galungan | Fixed: Balinese calendar |
| Monday 21 December | Bali school semester break starts and ends on Saturday 2 January | Local families travel and attractions fill up | Provincial education decree |
| Tuesday 22 December | VAT-free window for domestic economy flights starts and lasts to 10 January | Domestic fares without VAT for Indonesian visitors | Government stimulus reported by ANTARA |
| Not announced | Denpasar Festival; the 2025 edition ran 20-23 December | Food, crafts and road closures in central Denpasar | Listed for December, no date |
| Wednesday 23 December | Purnama Kepitu, the full moon | Many families pray at temples | Fixed: Balinese calendar |
| Thursday 24 December | Collective leave | Start of a four-day weekend for many Indonesians | Fixed: joint ministerial decree |
| Friday 25 December | Christmas, public holiday; Pandawa Beach Festival listed | Government offices close; restaurants, tourist businesses and tours keep running | Holiday fixed; festival date from the Bali Post list, not confirmed |
| Tuesday 29 December | Anggar Kasih Julungwangi | Start of temple cleaning before Galungan | Fixed: Balinese calendar |
| Thursday 31 December | New Year's Eve | Fireworks and road closures are decided late in the month | See our New Year's Eve guide |
Holy days: Kalender Bali Digital. Holidays: joint ministerial decrees on 2026 and 2027 holidays. School break: Bali provincial education calendar 2026/2027. Festival lists: Bali events calendar reported by ANTARA, dates from Bali Post as republished by bali.live. Retrieved 2-3 November 2026.
When are the busiest days in Bali in December?
Last year's numbers show the shape. From 15 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 Ngurah Rai Airport handled 1,483,000 passengers in 21 days, 41% of them domestic, about 70,600 a day against 66,000 on an ordinary day. The busiest arrival day was Sunday 28 December 2025 with 83,512 passengers, and the busiest return day was Friday 2 January 2026 with 77,367, according to ANTARA. Domestic passengers fell 4.8% on the year before and international passengers rose 3.2%.
The hotel association PHRI Badung put the 2025 peaks at 20-27 December for Christmas and 27 December to 5 January for New Year. It projected average occupancy in Badung of 78% at Christmas and about 97% at New Year, up from 70% in the first week of December, and ITDC projected 83% for the Nusa Dua resorts. The 2026 calendar is almost the same, with the school break from 21 December to 2 January, so we expect the same pattern. That is our reading of last year's figures, not an official forecast.
How much do flights, rooms and tours cost in December?
We found no official hotel rate list, and rates change daily, so use occupancy as the guide. When PHRI expects about 97% of Badung rooms to be taken at New Year, last-minute rooms in the busy areas will be scarce. Book rooms first and tours second.
Flights have one fixed piece of news. The Ministry of Transport said on 26 October 2026 that the government will pay the VAT on domestic economy-class tickets for flights from 22 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, with Rp 722 billion set aside, and that tickets could be bought from 20 October. It covers domestic flights only, so it helps Indonesian visitors and international guests who add an internal leg, not long-haul fares.
For our own prices, a private car with driver is from $59 per car, rafting on the Ayung from $25 and the Mount Batur jeep with hot springs from $55. Tell us the exact dates when you ask.
What will traffic be like in Bali in December 2026?
Slow around the airport, on the Bukit and in the central tourist areas, and we found no 2026 traffic plan for Bali by 3 November. The national traffic police held their Christmas and New Year coordination meeting on 2 November 2026, and the joint decree on road and freight rules for the period was still to be finished, according to ANTARA.
Last year is the best guide. For 2025/26 Bali set up Christmas and New Year command posts at the airport, the main bus terminals and the ports, including Benoa and Sanur, and closed all U-turns on the Ngurah Rai Bypass until the New Year, so drivers had to turn at the next traffic light, according to The Bali Sun. A year earlier a jam on the Mandara toll road left passengers walking to the terminal with their luggage. For the Denpasar Festival in 2025 the city closed Jalan Gajah Mada from the Jalan Kresna junction to Catur Muka, and parts of Jalan Veteran and Jalan Kaliasem.
Our advice is the one we give for New Year's Eve: leave much earlier than the map says, ask your hotel which pickup points app cars use, and for an international flight between 20 December and 5 January book a driver who knows the back routes. Our Grab, Gojek and private driver guide compares the options.
Will it rain in Bali in December 2026?
Yes, in bursts. 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. On 2 November the regional weather office put several regencies on heavy-rain alert and warned of waves of 2 m or more south of Bali. The sea is what to keep loose: fast boats to Nusa Penida and the Gilis are the first trips to move, and our rainy-season guide explains what runs and what we reschedule.
Last year's holiday had the same problem. After floods in September 2025 that The Bali Sun called the worst in more than 70 years, the chair of the hotel association asked accommodation providers to add indoor activities for the holiday season.
Where these facts come from
- ANTARA Bali, 6 January 2026: passengers at Ngurah Rai during Christmas and New Year — 1,483,000 passengers, peak days 28 December and 2 January, retrieved 2 November 2026
- ANTARA Bali, 20 December 2025: PHRI on the Christmas and New Year peak — peak periods and occupancy projections, retrieved 2 November 2026
- ANTARA Bali, 27 October 2026: VAT stimulus for year-end flights — Rp 722 billion, flights from 22 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, retrieved 2 November 2026
- ANTARA, 2 November 2026: national Christmas and New Year coordination meeting — traffic police, joint decree still to be finished, 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
- ANTARA Bali, 2 November 2026: BBMKG heavy-rain alert — alert and waves of 2 m or more, 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 at the airport, bus terminals and ports, the Mandara toll road jam a year earlier, retrieved 2 November 2026
- The Bali Sun, 22 December 2025: Christmas spirit in Nusa Dua — ITDC programme, kecak ticket price, retrieved 2 November 2026
- The Bali Sun, 11 December 2025: Penglipuran Village at Christmas — Barong Macan parade and performances, retrieved 2 November 2026
- The Bali Sun, 11 December 2025: indoor activities for the rainy season — September 2025 floods, hotel association call, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Bali Post, 29 December 2025: Denpasar Festival 2025 — 20-23 December, visitors and sales, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Bali Post, 19 December 2025: traffic changes for Denfest 2025 — street closures in central Denpasar, retrieved 3 November 2026
- Bali Post, 23 May 2026: Tumpek Wariga in Denpasar — meaning of the day and the link to Galungan, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Kalender Bali Digital: holy days of December 2026 — dark moon, Tumpek Wariga, full moon, Anggar Kasih Julungwangi, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Sekretariat Negara: joint decree on 2026 holidays — 24 and 25 December, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Sekretariat Negara: joint decree on 2027 holidays — 1 January 2027, 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
- Tourism Australia: Australian school holidays — summer holidays 2026-2027 by state, retrieved 2 November 2026
- ANTARA, 13 January 2026: Bali's 2026 events calendar — the December list, retrieved 2 November 2026
- bali.live, 15 January 2026: Bali's 2026 events calendar, from Bali Post — 25 December date for the Pandawa Beach Festival, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Tour prices from SB Excursions tour pages, November 2026
FAQ
What is on in Bali in December 2026?
We found no confirmed large festival. The dated items are Tumpek Wariga on 19 December, the school break from 21 December to 2 January, the full moon on 23 December, collective leave on 24 December, Christmas on 25 December and temple cleaning before Galungan from 29 December. The Denpasar Festival, which ran 20-23 December in 2025, and the Pandawa Beach Festival, listed for 25 December, have no confirmed dates.
When are the school holidays in Bali in December 2026?
Bali's school semester break runs from Monday 21 December 2026 to Saturday 2 January 2027, under the provincial education calendar. Australian summer school holidays start between 11 December in the Northern Territory and 19 December in Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT, and last until 26 January to 3 February 2027.
What are the busiest days at Bali airport in December?
In 2025 the busiest arrival day was Sunday 28 December, with 83,512 passengers, and the busiest return day was Friday 2 January 2026, with 77,367. Over the 21 days from 15 December to 4 January the airport handled 1,483,000 passengers, about 70,600 a day against 66,000 normally. The 2026 pattern should be similar, but no official forecast existed by 3 November.
Are 24 and 25 December 2026 public holidays in Bali?
Friday 25 December is the Christmas public holiday, and Thursday 24 December is collective leave under the 2026 joint decree, so many Indonesians have a four-day weekend from 24 to 27 December. Friday 1 January 2027 is the next public holiday. Government offices close, while restaurants, tourist businesses and tours keep running.
Will traffic be bad in Bali in December?
Yes, around the airport, on the Bukit and in the central tourist areas, mainly from 20 December to 5 January. In 2025 police set up command posts at the airport, bus terminals and ports and closed all U-turns on the Ngurah Rai Bypass; 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.
Are domestic flights cheaper in Bali in December 2026?
The government will pay the VAT on domestic economy-class tickets for flights from 22 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, with Rp 722 billion set aside, and tickets could be bought from 20 October. It applies to domestic flights only, not to international fares.
When is the Denpasar Festival in 2026?
No date had been announced by 3 November 2026; the official calendar lists it for December. The 18th festival ran from 20 to 23 December 2025 in central Denpasar, with more than 75,000 visitors, and the city closed several streets around Catur Muka.
Recommended Bali tours for this guide
Private Car with Driver in Bali
This is one of the most useful products in Bali because so many plans become easier once transport is flexible. It is perfect for custom sightseeing, shopping days, family pacing, and travelers who already know roughly where they want to go.
- Duration
- Flexible daily use
- Area
- All major Bali regions
- Format
- Private transport service
- Best for
- Travelers who want total route flexibility
From $59 per car No prepayment
View tour
Bali White Water Rafting, Ayung River
White water rafting is one of Bali's easiest adventure products to fit into a trip because it feels active without being overly technical. It is especially strong for guests who want something memorable that still works for mixed groups.
- Duration
- 4-6 hours
- Area
- Bali river routes
- Format
- Adventure activity
- Best for
- Families, couples, and active groups
From $25 No prepayment
View tour
Mount Batur Sunrise Jeep & Hot Spring
This combo adds the one thing most volcano mornings skip: a warm-water finish before the drive back. It suits couples and small groups who want the complete Batur sequence — sunrise viewpoint, lava fields, and hot spring — in a single pre-dawn outing with no summit hike.
- Duration
- 6-8 hours
- Area
- Kintamani and Mount Batur
- Format
- Private or small group jeep trip
- Best for
- Sunrise seekers who want to end with a soak
From $55 No prepayment
View tour