The Merdeka holiday week; not exactly off the hook

It’s hard to say what is happening with this Merdeka holiday week. It was totally pumping in Bali right thru July, everybody was wearing a smile and the good times were back. Or so it seemed. But since the start of August, more or less the 1st, it seemed to drop off a cliff. I am not sure this is the case everywhere, but the number of people seen about the places I often appears to have declined big time in the last couple of weeks. So what is causing this you may ask? Inflation? One reason could be the cost of flights nowadays.

I was horrified to see the price of travel right now. Around IDR 60 million for a return flight to Europe. 4000 grand returns from NZ. I heard these stories from friends over the past days and checked for myself online and it’s absolutely true. I just checked Airasia Perth DPS, IDR 12 million return. Last time I got a flight to Perth it cost 2.5 mill return. No wonder no one is traveling.

Maybe that’s not 100% the case (there are still a bunch of you tourists out there and not everyone is broke) but I think a lot of potential visitors to Bali would be thinking twice about going anywhere right now with prices like that.

For all the people who did manage to get here, good on you, we are glad you made it and hope you enjoy your time on the island. For you, it’s probably a great time to be here. The good news is they tell me September is looking a lot busier as flight prices should begin to come down.

And what’s on right now around this lovely town? Let’s check.

Today, festivals start on Berawa Beach and down near Batubelig Beach. Loads of music and entertainment to be had at both. the Berawa Beach Festival is being held near the wantilan banjar parking area access to Berawa Beach. That’s being put on to celebrate the reemergence of tourism on the island. As if the local residents didn’t have enough to contend with down there with Atlas Beach Club blasting out the music until late each night. Apparently last night it was packed there for their grand opening with thousands of people in attendance. Meanwhile, Kudeta’s White Party last night was like always, full of the old Balinese crew, with many of them making their annual pilgrimage. Mari Beach Mewali Festival opens at Batubelig Beach today and features loads of multi-cultural festivities, music and food. Both festivals go thru to Sunday 21 August.

Friday 19 Aug sees a lot of nightlife action. French DJ producer Francois K headlines the show at Ulu Cliff House. K Club Ubud kicks off their major festival and Grand Opening, with headliners David Mayer and Undercatt amongst a raft of support DJs and entertainment. They also have a special lighting set up to behold in a beautiful Ubud setting. Amazing. Jenja is back in action with the Shady Pig boys announcing that Hip Hop is on Fridays and the Underground is back on Saturdays. Good to see the Seminyak venue back in action again. Marlo will bang out a set at Savaya on Friday night too.

Ulu Cliff House launches their new hip hop night on Saturday this week. Sneaky Sound System is back to Mrs Sippy for their final Saturday night gig and of course the festivals continue on, namely K Club Ubud, Mari Beach Club and on the beach in Berawa.

If you want something more relaxed, just head to any beach and get a cold beer from the local beach warung at sunset, always a nice option.

Check thebeatbali.com for all the event details. No wait, you are already here, just click Events at the top of the page!