Which Holidays Are Celebrated in Bali?

Most tourists barely notice the calendar when on holiday in Bali. However, if you’re a business owner or someone simply waiting for your visa to be processed, the story might be quite different. Bali’s public holidays often cause visa processing delays, and if you own a business, your employees might frequently ask for time off. These seemingly countless holidays come from the fact that Indonesia’s national calendar already covers every major religion in the country, and Bali then layers its own Hindu ceremonial calendar on top. In this article, we’ll explore what that means for your business, admin or visa timeline.

Bali’s holiday calendar combines Indonesia’s national holidays with unique Balinese traditions.

For our readers who are short on time: Indonesia has 17 national public holidays plus 8 official collective leave (cuti bersama) days for 2026, which makes 25 days off in total. Bali then adds its own Hindu religious calendar on top, including Nyepi, Galungan and Kuningan, so the island generally deals with many more closures than the rest of the country. Banks, notaries and immigration offices close on these dates but restaurants and tourist services generally don't. If you're applying for a visa, always check with your visa agent whether your processing might collide with public holidays, as it’s one of the biggest reasons for delayed visas. 

Are Public Holidays the Same Across Indonesia? 

Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim country, so Eid al-Fitr (Idul Fitri) is the single biggest holiday nationally. During that week, many offices and businesses close for a week or more as staff travel home to see family. However, because people in Indonesia practice many different faiths, Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas are observed too, alongside Vesak for the country's Buddhist community.

Compared to the rest of the country’s religious makeup, Bali is an exception. Here around 86% of Balinese people practise Balinese Hinduism, and only a small share of the island's population is Muslim. Balinese Hinduism has plenty of holidays of its own, such as Nyepi, Galungan, Kuningan, Saraswati, Pagerwesi and Siwaratri, which are not celebrated elsewhere in Indonesia. 

Public Holiday vs. Collective Leave

Public Holidays are official holidays, while Collective Leave is generally optional for private companies and depends on company policy.

Not all holidays are the same, as there are public holidays and collective leave days. If you’re an employer, it’s important to know the difference. 

A Public Holiday (Libur Nasional) is mandatory for all sectors, businesses and government offices and doesn't come out of an employee's annual leave quota. This means that if you need someone to work during one, you’ll need to pay them for overtime according to Indonesia’s public holiday pay rules. 

Collective Leave (Cuti Bersama) works differently. It's mandatory for civil servants, but when it comes to private employees, it's optional and depends on your internal company policy. If your company does observe it, those days are often deducted from an employees' standard annual leave quota, unlike public holidays.

In practice, this means the 17 public holidays are non-negotiable, and every business has to follow them. The other 8 collective leave days are really a company decision, and should be spelled out clearly in your employment contracts to keep everything fair. 

The Most Popular Holidays in Bali 

Some holidays last for just a day, others for several. Here are the most popular ones: 

• Chinese New Year - 17 February : Bali has a sizable Chinese-Indonesian community, so CNY is also celebrated here.

• Eid al-Fitr - 20–24 March : This is Indonesia’s biggest national holiday and consists of 2 public holidays and 3 collective leave days. During this time, many staff take extra days to travel home, so closures are often much longer than official dates. 

• Nyepi (Day of Silence) - 19 March : A day where everything stops across Bali. The airport closes for 24 hours and no lights or activities outside are allowed. 

• Galungan & Kuningan - 17 & 27 June : The biggest purely Balinese holidays happen twice during the 210-day Pawukon calendar. Temples, offices and many local businesses close or run reduced hours.

• Christmas  - 24 & 25 December : Christmas Eve is a collective leave day (24 Dec) and Christmas Day is a public holiday (25 Dec). The island sees a major tourism peak and some government closures during this time. 

Nyepi and Eid al-Fitr coincided in March 2026, causing around a week of closures and reduced operations across Bali. Christmas on 24–25 December is the next major holiday period to keep in mind.

This year, Nyepi and Eid al-Fitr fell within days of each other this March, so Bali saw a run of closures and reduced operations for around a week. That’s why it's worth checking the calendar closely rather than just counting individual dates.

Many of 2026’s major holidays have already passed, but the Christmas period (on the 24–25th of December), which is worth keeping in mind if you've got admin or travel plans in the coming months.

Does Immigration Close on Public Holidays? 

This doesn't affect visa-on-arrival or airport entry, which run on their own separate schedule and work as normal when you land. What it does affect is anything requiring an in-person appointment or processing at a local immigration office, such as biometrics, extensions and KITAS applications. 

What This Means If You're Applying for a Visa

Public holidays don't hit every part of the economy. Tourist businesses often keep running during most holidays, while administrative services might shut down completely. This is of course excluding Nyepi, a day on which nobody is allowed to leave their residence. If you have an in-person appointment or processing at a local immigration office, be aware that holidays can hold things up. For example, if a cluster of public holidays happens inside your processing window, your documents simply won't move during that period and you could be waiting for an additional week. 

Planning ahead can help keep your visa, business and administrative processes running smoothly.

Make sure that you check in advance and submit your documents with extra time. Note that Jakarta’s calendar looks different from Bali’s, because more holidays are celebrated here. For example, while it might be Kuningan in Bali, it’s still a normal working day in Jakarta. That means Bali’s immigration office could be closed while Jakarta’s stays open. 

Need Help?

If you’re not sure about how long you’ll need to process your visa, or own a business and need advice on looking after your employees, you don’t have to do it alone. We are Bali Solve, a business consulting and visa agency in Pererenan, Canggu. We can help you to process your visa or run your business much more smoothly, and make sure that holidays don’t catch you by surprise. Simply reach out to us via Whatsapp or pay us a visit so one of our friendly experts can help you today. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do public holidays in Bali affect tourists?
A: Not really, as restaurants, hotels, tours and other tourist-facing services generally operate as normal. The exception is Nyepi, when the entire island, including the airport, shuts down for 24 hours, so it's worth planning around if you're travelling in or out of Bali in March.

Q: Why is Nyepi different from other holidays?
A: Nyepi is a full Day of Silence that’s observed everywhere on the island, not just by Hindus. No flights land or depart, streets are empty, and lights and noise are kept to a minimum out of respect for the tradition. It's unlike any other holiday on the calendar in terms of scale.

Q: Does Bali immigration close during public holidays?
A: Yes, as Bali immigration follows the local Balinese holiday calendar, which includes some dates that aren't observed elsewhere in Indonesia. Always check the calendar, or ask your visa team, before booking an appointment near a holiday.

Q: How do I avoid visa delays around public holidays?
A: Ask your visa team for the current processing timeline and whether any public holidays fall inside it before you submit your application. Building in a few extra days of buffer around known holiday clusters is the simplest way to avoid a delay.

Q: Are all Balinese religious holidays full business closures?
A: Not always. Some, like Nyepi and Galungan, involve widespread closures. Others are more ceremonial and mainly affect Balinese-owned businesses and government offices, while non-Balinese businesses may continue operating with a reduced or adjusted schedule.

Written by Bali Solve Team
27th August 2026