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Ubud Writers & Readers Fest Returns October 29–November 2

Ubud Writers & Readers Fest


Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF), one of Southeast Asia’s largest annual literary festivals, will return on October 29 – November 2, 2025.

In its 22nd edition, the UWRF stage will feature over 250 speakers from 20 countries. In addition, more than 70 writers, artists, activists, academics, and Balinese cultural figures will enliven the festival.

I Ketut Suardana, founder of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, stated that this year they are encouraging regional writers to organize similar festivals.

“We have satellite festivals aimed at encouraging regional writers to hold events like UWRF,” said Ketut Suardana in Denpasar on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

“I Am the Universe”

This year’s UWRF theme is ‘Aham Brahmasmi: I Am the Universe,’ derived from a Sanskrit concept in the ancient Hindu wisdom of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, which emphasizes the unity between humans and the universe.

The concept reminds us that human creative potential is inherently balanced with cosmic power. Amid technological advances that offer both solutions and threats, the festival invites us to cultivate awareness that intelligence must always be grounded in our relationships with others and with nature.

One of the literary figures appearing at UWRF 2025 is Jero Penyarikan Duuran Batur I Ketut Eriada Ariana, a writer and lecturer in Old Javanese literature.

Jero Ariana noted that rituals in Bali are deeply intertwined with nature. In the context of today’s Balinese cosmology, many have forgotten the connection between upstream and downstream.

“We need to reassess how we understand Bali’s current state, which seems to run on autopilot, even though the meaning of closeness to nature is deeply tied to social and cultural dynamics,” said Jero Ariana during press conference in Sanur, Wednesday (October 15, 2025).

This year, UWRF is preparing hundreds of free events. One of them is Climate Day at Bumi Kinar, featuring various panels discussing how local wisdom can guide efforts to safeguard Bali’s future. Visitors can also enjoy the Festival Club, film screenings, theater performances, poetry readings, and more than 35 new book launches.



Sources: AntaraNews, Elshinta
Feat Image: UWRF

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