January 2027 has two public holidays, Friday 1 January and Tuesday 5 January, and the Galungan cycle: Galungan on Wednesday 13 January and Kuningan on Saturday 23 January. Bali's school holiday ends on 2 January, Australian school holidays last until 26 January to 3 February, and January is in the middle of the rainy season. Galungan is not a national holiday, but roads slow near temples and some temples close to visitors. We found no large festival confirmed for the month.
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 January 2027?
Two public holidays, 1 January and 5 January, and the Galungan cycle: Siwaratri on 6 January, Penampahan Galungan on 12 January, Galungan on 13 January, the full moon on 22 January and Kuningan on 23 January. Bali's school holiday ends on 2 January. We found no large festival or concert confirmed for the month.
This guide also answers:
- When is Galungan in January 2027?
- Is Galungan a public holiday in Bali?
- Are 1 January and 5 January 2027 public holidays?
Top picks from this guide
#1
Galungan and the penjor streets
Tuesday 12 January, Penampahan Galungan, is the day the Balinese calendar sets for putting up penjor, the tall curved bamboo poles, and Galungan itself is on Wednesday 13 January. Penglipuran, the village known for its penjor street, put up none in June 2026, so decorations in any one village are never guaranteed. Our Galungan and Kuningan guide explains the whole sequence and which temples close.
#2
Ngelawang Barong troupes
Children carry a Barong from door to door with gamelan music to drive away bad spirits at Galungan and Kuningan, and households give money or offerings, according to Bali Post. In June 2026 five troupes performed in turns at Alas Kedaton on the day after Galungan, and more were planned for Kuningan. Foreign adults paid Rp 30,000 to enter. We found no 2027 schedule.
#3
Kuningan and Mekotek in Munggu
Kuningan, Saturday 23 January, closes the Galungan cycle, and the Balinese calendar says its ceremonies run only until noon. In Munggu the Mekotek tradition is held on every Kuningan, every 210 days: on 29 November 2025 people from 12 banjar carried long wooden poles in procession, and climbing the pole pyramid is now banned after injuries, according to Bali Post. The 2027 programme was not announced.
#4
Rafting at wet-season flow
January is deep in the rainy season, and the weather decides much of what runs. Rafting on the Ayung is from $25 and you finish wet in any weather, so a shower changes little. After heavy storms the operator decides on the morning whether the river is safe. Our Bali in January guide has the rain figures.
What is on in Bali in January 2027?
The Galungan cycle, two public holidays and the end of the school holidays; no large festival is confirmed. The joint ministerial decree signed on 15 September 2026 makes Friday 1 January (New Year) and Tuesday 5 January (Isra Mikraj) public holidays. Bali's school semester break ends on Saturday 2 January and the second semester starts on Monday 4 January. Galungan is on Wednesday 13 January and Kuningan on Saturday 23 January. Siwaratri, a night of fasting and vigil for Shiva, is on Wednesday 6 January. The month before is in what's on in Bali in December 2026, and 1 January itself is in New Year's Eve in Bali.
Neither Galungan nor Kuningan is on the national holiday list. Bali Post reported on 24 September 2026 that the two festivals became Indonesian intangible cultural heritage in 2025, that the province hopes for national holiday status like Nyepi, that the recognition does not change their status and that no formal proposal has been made. We do not repeat the full explanation here: our Galungan and Kuningan guide covers how the cycle works, and our Bali in January page covers the weather and the tours. The whole year is in our Bali events calendar for 2027.
Which dates in January 2027 matter?
Public holidays are fixed by decree and holy days by the Balinese calendar. Festival programmes are not published yet.
| Date | What | What it means for a visitor | How firm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 1 January | New Year, public holiday | Government offices close; restaurants, tourist businesses and tours keep running | Fixed: joint ministerial decree |
| Saturday 2 January | Bali school semester break ends | Local family travel eases; the second semester starts on Monday 4 January | Provincial education calendar |
| Tuesday 5 January | Isra Mikraj, public holiday | Government offices, including immigration, close | Fixed: joint ministerial decree |
| Wednesday 6 January | Siwaratri | A religious night of fasting, silence and vigil, not a tourist event | Fixed: Balinese calendar |
| Thursday 7 and Friday 8 January | Sugihan Jawa and Sugihan Bali; dark moon on the 7th | Purification rites before Galungan | Fixed: Balinese calendar |
| Tuesday 12 January | Penampahan Galungan | Penjor go up along the village roads | Fixed: Balinese calendar |
| Wednesday 13 January | Galungan | Families at temples; check that a specific temple is open before you drive to it | Fixed: Balinese calendar |
| Thursday 14 January | Manis Galungan, the day after | Ngelawang troupes at visitor sites, as in June 2026 | Day fixed; programmes not published |
| Friday 22 January | Penampahan Kuningan and the full moon | Preparation day before Kuningan, and the full moon | Fixed: Balinese calendar |
| Saturday 23 January | Kuningan | Prayers end by noon; Mekotek is expected in Munggu | Day fixed; Mekotek not announced |
| 26 January to 3 February | Australian summer school holidays end, state by state | Fewer Australian families after the 26th | Tourism Australia |
Holy days: Kalender Bali Digital. Holidays: joint ministerial decree on 2027 holidays, signed 15 September 2026. School calendar: Bali provincial education calendar 2026/2027. Retrieved 2-3 November 2026.
Do tours and attractions run on Galungan and Kuningan?
Tours run. Individual temples and the roads are the variable. In June 2026 Bali Post reported that Kintamani visits rose to an average of 1,200 a day in the days before Galungan, then fell to about 800 on Galungan day itself because local people were busy with ceremonies, and that daytime traffic jammed on the Kintamani tourist road towards Kedisan. Penglipuran had 2,700 visitors on Galungan day against about 2,000 on a normal day, and 70,103 over the whole Galungan to Kuningan period, of whom 58,801 were domestic and 11,302 foreign. The busiest day there was Kuningan, 27 June, with 4,268.
For January 2027 that means busier roads to Kintamani, Bedugul and Penglipuran around 13 and 23 January and more domestic visitors at the viewpoints. Go early, check that a specific temple is open before you drive to it, and treat the afternoon as the slow time. A private car with driver from $59 per car lets the plan change at breakfast, and the Ubud route at $65 per car plus $22 per person in tickets works well with a driver who knows the back lanes when a procession closes a road.
On 1 and 5 January government offices are closed, immigration offices included. The Denpasar immigration office closed over Christmas 2025 and announced it in advance, according to The Bali Sun, so file a visa extension on a working day, well before it expires.
What are Siwaratri, ngelawang and Mekotek?
Siwaratri, on the night of 6 January, is the night of honouring Shiva. A Hindu academic told Bali Post in 2025 that it is a night of reflection, kept on the darkest night of the seventh Balinese month, with fasting, silence and staying awake. It is a religious observance, so do not plan an outing around it.
Ngelawang is the Barong tradition described above. It is a moving performance and nobody publishes a route, so you meet it by chance in a village or at a site that hosts it. Mekotek is held only in Munggu, on Kuningan, and is a procession with wooden poles rather than a show. Both are worth a short stop if you are nearby on the right day, and neither is worth a long drive on the chance that it happens.
Is January the rainy season in Bali?
Yes, and it is the middle of it. 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. Our Bali in January page has the long-run rain figures and the earlier BMKG outlook for the month. Plan sea trips with a spare day, keep the river and the interior for the core of the trip, and read the daily weather warning before a drive into the hills. Our rainy-season guide explains what we run and what we move.
Where these facts come from
- Sekretariat Negara: joint decree on 2027 holidays — 1 and 5 January 2027, signed 15 September 2026, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Kalender Bali Digital: holy days of January 2027 — Siwaratri, Sugihan, Penampahan, Galungan, Kuningan, full and dark moon, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Bali Post, 24 September 2026: Galungan and Kuningan as heritage, Bali hopes for a national holiday — status of the two festivals, retrieved 3 November 2026
- Bali Post, 18 June 2026: Kintamani and Penglipuran during the Galungan holiday — visitor numbers and the Kintamani traffic jam, retrieved 3 November 2026
- Bali Post, 28 June 2026: Penglipuran received 70,000 visitors from Galungan to Kuningan — totals, peak day, no penjor, retrieved 3 November 2026
- Bali Post, 18 June 2026: ngelawang at Alas Kedaton — troupes, ticket prices, schedule for Kuningan, retrieved 3 November 2026
- Bali Post, 28 April 2025: five facts about ngelawang — what the tradition is, retrieved 3 November 2026
- Bali Post, 30 November 2025: Mekotek in Munggu — held every 210 days on Kuningan, the new ban on climbing the poles, retrieved 3 November 2026
- Bali Post, 23 January 2025: meaning of Siwaratri — fasting, silence and vigil, retrieved 3 November 2026
- The Bali Sun, 24 December 2025: immigration offices closed over Christmas and New Year — office closure notice, retrieved 2 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 to 2 January, second semester from 4 January, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Tourism Australia: Australian school holidays — summer holidays 2026-2027 by state, retrieved 2 November 2026
- Tour prices from SB Excursions tour pages, November 2026
FAQ
What is on in Bali in January 2027?
Two public holidays, 1 January and 5 January, and the Galungan cycle: Siwaratri on 6 January, Penampahan Galungan on 12 January, Galungan on 13 January, the full moon on 22 January and Kuningan on 23 January. Bali's school holiday ends on 2 January. We found no large festival or concert confirmed for the month.
When is Galungan in January 2027?
Wednesday 13 January 2027, with Penampahan Galungan on Tuesday 12 January, when penjor go up, and Manis Galungan on Thursday 14 January. Kuningan, which closes the cycle, is on Saturday 23 January. The next Galungan after that is on 11 August 2027.
Is Galungan a public holiday in Bali?
Not a national one. The 2027 joint decree lists no Galungan or Kuningan day. Bali Post reported on 24 September 2026 that the festivals became national intangible cultural heritage in 2025 and that the province hopes for national holiday status, but no formal proposal had been made. Tours and tourist businesses keep running.
Are 1 January and 5 January 2027 public holidays?
Yes. Friday 1 January 2027 is New Year and Tuesday 5 January 2027 is Isra Mikraj, under the joint ministerial decree signed on 15 September 2026. Government offices close, including immigration offices, while restaurants, tourist businesses and tours keep running.
When do the school holidays end in Bali in January 2027?
Bali's semester break ends on Saturday 2 January and school restarts on Monday 4 January. Australian summer school holidays end on 26 January in the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria, on 31 January in Western Australia, on 1 February in the ACT and on 3 February in New South Wales and Tasmania.
What is Mekotek and when is the next one?
A procession in Munggu village, Mengwi, with long wooden poles, held every 210 days on Kuningan. The last one was on Saturday 29 November 2025, and the next should fall on Kuningan, Saturday 23 January 2027, although the village had not announced it. Climbing the pole pyramid is now banned after injuries.
Will it rain in Bali in January 2027?
Yes, it is the middle of the rainy season. BMKG's Bali climatology station expects the rains across Bali from November 2026, with the peak in February 2027 and rain until April. Mornings are the best time for outdoor plans, and sea trips need a spare day.
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