For as long as anyone can recall, Ogoh-ogoh parades in Bali have been synonymous with the eve of Nyepi – the day of absolute silence that marks the transition from one year to the next on the Balinese calendar.
Ogoh-ogoh are giant paper–mâché floats created by community banjars to be paraded on the shoulders of young men through the streets of the Island of Bali in Mardi Gras fashion on the night before New Year’s Day – the day of absolute silence “Nyepi.”
Fiercely competitive, Ogoh-ogoh are prepared during the weeks leading up to Nyepi by the young men of villages across the Island of Bali to be carried on the shoulders of their creators in a riotous celebration that typically concludes with the large floats being abandoned on the side of the road and set afire before the oftentimes inebriated parade participants return home to spend the coming day in meditative silence.
No Ogoh-ogoh Parade in 2025?
In the past, the Provincial Administrator of Bali has provided financial support to Banjars to help defray the construction cost and generous cash awards to the groups judged to have constructed the best floats. However, in 2025, this tradition will again be suspended, with the Provincial Government deciding not to sponsor the Ogoh-ogoh festivities leading up to the Nyepi Holiday of 2025.
As reported by BaliPost.com, the Head of the Provincial Cultural Department in Bali, I Gede Arya Sugiartha, has confirmed that the Provincial Government will again suspend Ogoh-ogoh competitions on a provincial level, continuing the suspension introduced in 2024. Last year, in 2024, the reason for suspending the Ogoh-ogoh festivities was the need to ensure a smooth National Presidential Election. This year, in 2025, the reason for the decision to suspend provincial sponsorship of the parades organized by the Province is based on an evaluation that determined that any ogoh-ogoh activities can best be conducted and organized at the regency and municipal levels.
Meanwhile, the Province asserts that its focus and resources should be reserved for other cultural activities, such as the Bali Arts Festival and the Bali Jani Arts Festival.
Sugiartha, who once served as the Rector of the Denpasar Fine Arts Academy (ISI), dismissed the notion that the end of Provincial funding will result in no Ogoh-ogoh taking place in 2025. The now-dismissed budget for the event was only Rp. 3 billion. Sugiartha commented: “It is not a matter of budgeting, but is actually due to the results of formal evaluations that determined the Ogoh-ogoh competitions are best handled on the regency and metropolitan level.”
Following the announcement, all eyes are now on the Regents and Mayor to discern if Ogoh-ogoh parades will take place in 2025, financed and sponsored by their administrations.
Nyepi in 2025 will commence at 5:59 am on Saturday, 29 March 2025, and end at 6:00 on Sunday, 30 March 2025. Accordingly, pre-Nyepi Ogoh-ogoh parades would begin at sunset on Friday, 28 March 2025
Ogoh-Ogoh Parades are traditionally a highlight of Bali’s Hindu New Year Celebrations held on the eve of “Nyepi” – Bali’s day of absolute silence.
The actual date for Nyepi changes each year on the Gregorian Calendar, falling once every year on the Balinese Saka Calendar.
Deserted Streets in Bali on Nyepi
A code of absolute silence is imposed from 6:00 am on Saturday, 29 March 2025, until 6:00 am the following morning. A day of silence, fasting, and thoughtful meditation, the devout observe Catur Brata Penyepian – a doctrine comprised of 4 absolute tenets, namely:
Amati Geni: No fire or light, including no electricity
Amati Karya: No working
Amati Lelunganan: No travelling
Amati Lelanguan: No revelry/self-entertainment
During the 24 hours of Nyepi, Bali’s roads resemble a ghost town devoid of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Homes are darkened with windows blackened or covered with little or no sound emanating from structures that seem to be otherwise abandoned. Local vigilante officers (pecalang) patrol streets, ensuring the rules of behavior on Nyepi are obeyed.
Ogoh-Ogoh are giant papier–mâché floats created by local banjars to be paraded on the shoulders of young men through the streets of the Island of Bali in Mardi Gras fashion on the night before New Year’s Day – the day of absolute silence “Nyepi.”
Related Links
2024 Ogoh Ogoh Parades To Be Cancelled?
The Do’s and Don’ts of Nyepi Day in Bali
Nyepi: A Millennium & More of Bali Silence
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