Bali Spirit Festival (BSF) is set to return for its 16th edition from May 7 to 11, 2025, in Ubud, Bali. This annual event, which has become a global icon of spirituality and mindfulness, carries the theme “Follow Your Spirit”—an invitation for individuals to reconnect with themselves through yoga, music, art, and healing.
Over the course of five days, the festival will feature more than 150 workshops and 50 performances at The Yoga Barn, Ubud.
Daytime activities include yoga, meditation, dance, music, and healing sessions, while the evenings will be filled with live performances by both local and international artists. BSF brings together thousands of participants from around the world to promote conscious, healthy, and nature-connected lifestyles.
According to Tribunbali, Co-founder I Made Gunarta explained that the festival is deeply rooted in the Balinese Hindu philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, which emphasizes harmony between humans, the divine, and nature. Since its inception, BSF has aimed not only to entertain, but also to serve as a space for spiritual and social transformation.
International participation continues to grow, especially from China and India. In 2024, 5.9% of attendees were from China, prompting the organizers to prepare translators due to the language barrier.
Attendee trends also show extended stays in Bali, with 84% staying at least two weeks and 20% staying for a month or more. Over half of the participants also travel to other Indonesian islands after the festival.
BSF also has a positive impact on Bali’s creative economy and the environment. The festival is plastic-free, encouraging the use of refillable bottles with water stations provided, and it exclusively offers healthy food—no fast food allowed.
Beyond the main events, BSF 2025 features several key outreach programs:
- Dharma Fair, an eco-friendly market with local crafts and products from 50 MSMEs,
- AYO! Talk About HIV & AIDS, reproductive health education for youth,
- Bali ReGreen Project, a bamboo planting initiative in degraded lands,
- Wellness Conference, a forum for wellness tourism professionals and experts,
- Bali Conference, a collaboration between ISI Denpasar students and international artists.
Spiritual leader Master Ketut Arsana, who has practiced yoga since 1997, shared that Bali is the last spiritual haven prepared for the era of Kaliyuga, when humanity loses its sense of self.
He emphasized that yoga is the path to rediscovering one’s true nature and the source of life. A single dedicated yogi, he said, can spread positive spiritual energy to hundreds of others.
Bali Spirit Festival 2025 not only reignites collective inspiration in a post-pandemic world, but also reinforces Ubud’s role as a hub of inclusive and sustainable spiritual transformation. By blending local wisdom with global culture, the festival continues to unite the world through conscious living.
Sources: TribunBali, RRI, BaliTribune
Feat Image : via Ministry of Tourism