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Everything travelers need to know about Bali’s “Day of Silence”
Nyepi, Balinese new year, is marked by a day of silence – and preceded and proceeded by exuberant celebrations. Here’s everything visitors need to know.
Every year, demons arrive in Bali – and locals spring into action.
Balinese Hindus believe that every year during Nyepi (the new year) these unwelcome intruders fly over the island in search of victims. To ensure public safety, everything in Bali closes for a full day, with people staying home for 24 hours. Precautions are intense: people do not turn on lights or light fires – and even avoid conversation as they try to stay as quiet as possible.
Such measures trick the demons into thinking Bali has been deserted – and lead them to leave the island and its residents in peace for another year.
Known as the “Day of Silence,” Nyepi takes place this year (2025) on March 29. Its observance is enshrined in provincial laws that apply to both locals and tourists, irrespective of one’s religious beliefs (or lack thereof).
Yet Nyepi is not as grim as it seems, nor necessarily something travelers should aim to avoid. Apart from the opportunity for quiet reflection, Nyepi provides a fascinating cultural experience shared by everyone on Bali all at once. It’s also preceded and proceeded by two of the most fascinating ceremonies on the Hindu calendar.
Here's everything you need to know about Nyepi – and survive it – if your Bali trip happens to coincide with the holiday.
When exactly does Nyepi start and finish, and what are the rules?
This year, Nyepi starts at 6am on Saturday, March 29, and ends at 6am on Sunday, March 30. Between those hours, visitors are forbidden to leave the grounds of their hotels, villas or apartments. You will not be able to go out onto Bali’s normally bustling streets; if you were, you’d find them eerily quiet, emptied of motorbikes and cars – not unlike the scene of a post-apocalyptic horror movie. At night, you are not supposed to turn on any lights or candles, though you can do so in a room with drawn curtains and as dim an illumination as possible.
The bottom line: use common sense and discretion to avoid offending your hosts during one of the most spiritually significant days of their year.
Does the Internet work during Nyepi? What happens at the airport? What if I have a medical emergency?
Foreigners should expect a complete technology blackout during Nyepi – including no electricity. (Note that in the last five years, Internet and power supply were not interrupted in the south of Bali, where most tourists stay.) On the day before Nyepi (March 28), supermarkets and wet markets will get really busy as millions of people simultaneously stock up on groceries and supplies. ATMs are switched off or often run out of cash on March 28 – so be sure to make your withdrawals before that day.
The international airport closes during Nyepi; it is not possible to book a flight (international or domestic) in or out of Bali on March 29. Ferries connecting Bali to the islands of Java and Lombok also shut down for 24 hours.
Hospitals remain open – but unless it’s a life-or-death situation, you should not try to get to one by yourself. If you or someone you know requires urgent medical attention, you can call 112, the provincial emergency hotline. But as the operators only work in Bahasa, Indonesia’s national language, you are better off contacting one of Bali’s private hospitals (such as Siloam) or private ambulance services.
What can happen if you break the rules?
Small groups of local security officers known as pecalang patrol the streets during Nyepi. If they see lights coming from a house or apartment at night, they can issue you a fine – though in most cases they’ll leave you with just a friendly warning.
Last year during Nyepi, two French nationals were caught walking the streets, shirtless, drunk and singing at the tops of their voices. After being apprehended, they claimed to have no idea what Nyepi is. A group of pecalang educated the pair before frog-marching them back to their villa.
Also last year, two Polish nationals were caught camping in a public space during Nyepi. After claiming they had no money for a hotel, they were taken to an immigration center and processed for deportation.
The most infamous recent breach of Nyepi regulations by a visitor occurred in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, when an American was caught jogging by pecalang. He insisted the officers were abusing his civil rights and tried to run off – then had to be restrained with chains, the only tool available to the pecalang at the time. Only then did the foreigner acknowledge his error; after apologizing, he was returned to his villa without penalty.
Now, to the fun stuff. 
What happens in Bali the night before Nyepi?
No traveler to Bali should miss the annual pre-Nyepi ogoh-ogoh parades. Starting the afternoon on March 28, in every city, town and village across Bali locals in traditional dress come out in force. What draws them to the streets? Giant, intricately decorated effigies in the form of demons and evil spirits, made by the community from papier-mâché, bamboo, cloth and tinsel.
Carried by groups of men on bamboo scaffolding or floats, the statues are paraded with great pride to the constant beat of drums and gongs. The energy and enthusiasm are contagious, reaching a crescendo after nightfall, when the constructions are set alight to purify the island before Nyepi while fireworks light up the sky overhead.
The largest ogoh-ogoh parade, with the biggest floats, centers on Patang Catur Muka roundabout in Bali’s capital, Denpasar; it draws tens of thousands of Balinese and features effigies up to 8m (26ft) high. You can also catch big parades in the tourist districts of Kuta, Seminyak and Jimbaran, and in Bali’s spiritual capital of Ubud.
I, for one, strongly prefer the atmosphere at the small and intimate ogoh-ogoh parades held in villages. All ogoh-ogoh parades are free, and visitors are warmly encouraged to participate. 
What happens the day after Nyepi?
Omed-omedan (meaning “pull” in the Balinese language) is a truly unusual kissing festival (you read that right) to ring in the new year (this year on March 30). Omed-omedan took on its current form about a century ago, both to spread joy and unison in the community, and to help introduce young single people to members of the opposite sex. Held exclusively in the Denpasar neighborhood of Kaja, it’s essentially a giant, alcohol-free street party.
The ceremony starts with prayers and offerings at a Hindu temple, followed by traditional male and female dance performances. For the main event, young locals bunch into male and female groups. The two groups then surge forward to hug and – if the boys are fast enough – to steal a kiss from a girl as spectators soak them with water, everybody screaming with joy throughout.
Is there a (respectful) way to “hack” Neypi in Bali?
There are several ways to get around Nyepi without disturbing or disrespecting your Balinese hosts. The first is to stay at a resort with large grounds that allow you to walk around freely, and where use of lights or devices will not be noticed by local people. Many of the big resorts in Bali offer Neypi staycation packages. At the Meru, a beachfront resort in Sanur on Bali’s lower east coast, a two-night “silent escape” package includes daily breakfast, one dinner and silent-day activities like sound healing, as well as kid’s activities like ogoh-ogoh-making and Balinese dance lessons.
Another option is a side trip to the Gilis, an archipelago of three small islands off the coast of Lombok, a Muslim-majority province that does not celebrate Nyepi. From Padangbai, a port in east Bali, speedboats take only 90 minutes to reach the Gilis. Thousands of backpackers in Bali do this every year, turning the Gilis into party central, with beach bars open until dawn. If you decide to join them, we recommend booking boat transfers and accommodation in the Gilis as far in advance as possible.
