The Ubud Writers Festival is a world-class literary event hosted on an annual basis on the Indonesian island of Bali. This year, 2012, marks the ninth time that the festival has been held and it promises to be bigger and better than ever.
Duck in a rice field in Ubud
The main purpose of the Ubud Writers Festival is to bring together authors and readers from around the world to share stories and engage in free and unfettered dialogue. This year the festival will attract writers from over 25 countries including many from right across the 17,000 islands of Indonesia. This diversity in nationality allows the Ubud Writers Festival to be a truly global event.
This sort of offering, Canang Sari, is seen everywhere in Ubud
Ubud Writers Festival Date
When is Ubud Writers Festival?
The Ubud Writers Festival will be held on 3-7 October 2012. However, most people will prefer to arrive a few days earlier and leave a few days later to enjoy all that Ubud has to offer.
What to do in Ubud
Although Ubud Writers Festival is the main game, there a plenty of other great things to do when in town. Firstly, Ubud is a fantastic culinary destination with an abundance of cafes and restaurants serving truly world-class food. Some of the best are Kafe, Bali Buddha, Cafe Des Artistes, Tutmak, Kafe Batan Waru and Warung Enak.
Just outside of Ubud is Goa Gajah
Secondly, Ubud is a great place for a massage. Some good ones are Spa Hati in the east of town and Beji Ayu on Gang Beji across the road from the soccer field.
Thirdly, Ubud is the cultural heart of Bali with nightly dances, hundreds of nearby temples, an abundance of museums and a sacred monkey forest.
Monkeys like this can be seen when you attend the Ubud Writers Festival
How to get to the Ubud Writers Festival
The Ubud Writers Festival is located in the village of Sanggingan about 2km from central Ubud. This location may at first sound like a hassle, but it really isn’t. The festival provides a free shuttle service from the centre of town outside of Casa Luna cafe on Jalan Raya Ubud. If you miss the shuttle or like to exercise, the walk is a fantastic stroll down the hill to the village of Campuhan and up the other side of the valley to the the village of Sanggingan. This location should not be a factor in deciding where you want to stay in Ubud unless you have serious mobility concerns.
Main road Ubud about 2km from the Ubud Writers Festival
Hotels in Ubud
Where to stay during the Ubud Writers Festival 2012
Because of the great weather and easy access to the shuttle bus, your accommodation options in Ubud are wide open. We have personally visited many of the properties listed below and personally recommend them.
- Bali Spirit Hotel & Spa
- Tjampuhan Hotel and Spa
- Komaneka at Rasa Sayang
- Ubud Cliff Villas
- Komaneka at Monkey Forest
- Villa Cempaka Hotel
- Pita Maha Resort & Spa
- Warwick Ibah
- Umah Tampih
- ARMA Museum & Resort
- Royal Kamuela at Monkey Forest
- Elephant Safari Park Lodge Hotel
Weather in Ubud in October
Luckily for visitors, the Ubud Writers Festival is held at a fantastic time of year weatherwise. At this time of year you can expect maximum temperatures of approximately 30C/86F and minimums of around 22C/72F. It will probably rain during your stay, but the rain will usually be a torrential downpour lasting an hour rather than showers lasting all day. In fact, the rainy season doesn’t commence until November so you will miss most of the wet weather during your October visit.
Kajane Mua is just one of the fabulous hotels in town
so..what do people actuAlly do when they are attending the festival? and do they have to aign up or just show up there?
@vira – well, there are tickets for sale and people generally go there to meet other like-minded people and listen to the many speakers they have. That ranges from readings to discussions to workshops.