What Should Hotel Guests Know About Nyepi in Ubud?

When is Nyepi in 2027?

Monday 8 March 2027. That date comes from the joint decree of three Indonesian ministers on national holidays for 2027, published by the State Secretariat on 15 September 2026, which lists Hari Suci Nyepi, Saka New Year 1949, on that Monday. English Wikipedia currently gives 9 March, which is wrong, so go by the decree.

It also lands in a crowded week. The same decree makes Tuesday 9 March a collective leave day for Idul Fitri, with Idul Fitri itself on 10 and 11 March, so expect a long national holiday around it and plenty of domestic travel either side.

What happens in Ubud on Nyepi?

The island goes quiet for 24 hours, 6am to 6am. Balinese Hindus keep four restraints, the Catur Brata Penyepian: no fire or light (amati geni), no work (amati karya), no travel (amati lelungan) and no entertainment (amati lelanguan, which some sources describe as fasting instead). Everyone on Bali is asked to stay indoors, visitors and non-Hindus included. Pecalang, the customary village guards, walk the streets to keep them empty, and the provincial governor said in March 2026 that Bali has about 23,000 of them across 1,500 customary villages.

For a guest, that means you stay within the hotel for the whole day. No walking up to central Ubud, no driver out to the rice terraces, and lights are kept low after dark. Ask the hotel ahead of time how meals and services will run on the day itself.

Is Bali airport closed on Nyepi?

In 2026 it was. Ngurah Rai International Airport stopped operating for 24 hours, from 6am WITA on 19 March to 6am WITA on 20 March, under an AirNav notice, Antara reported, quoting the airport's general manager. Emergency and medical evacuation flights could still fly with approval. The 2025 joint appeal from Bali's religious and provincial authorities likewise stopped land, sea and air transport for the day.

The 2027 notices hadn't been issued when we checked on 21 October 2026, and they usually come out in February or March. Plan on a closure from 6am on 8 March to 6am on 9 March 2027, and check your airline before you book a flight close to those hours.

When should you check in for Nyepi?

Be in Ubud by the evening of Sunday 7 March 2027 at the latest. The airport is about 33 to 36 km from central Ubud, roughly an hour by car, and no driver will be on the road once 6am comes on Nyepi morning. Riviera's check-in time is 15.00 and check-out is 11.00, and security is on site 24 hours, so a late arrival the night before can still check in.

Leaving works the same way in reverse. Nothing moves until 6am on Tuesday 9 March, so book a departure flight for later that day or after, and remember the Idul Fitri traffic that week. The getting to Ubud from the airport guide has the road and the transfer options.

Where can you see the ogoh-ogoh parade in Ubud?

The night before Nyepi is Pengerupukan. After the Tawur Kesanga offerings, villages carry ogoh-ogoh, giant effigies of demons and spirits, through the streets with noise and torches to drive evil spirits out, then burn them. In Ubud the main gathering is at the crossroads on Jalan Suweta beside the Ubud Art Market and Puri Agung Ubud, the palace. In 2026 the parade there was set for 6.30pm, detik reported, and the crowd, mostly foreign visitors, was packed in by 5pm, so tight that some effigies got stuck.

Get there early for a view and stand where the pecalang and police put you, and leave time for the walk back to Pengosekan afterwards. In 2027 the parade evening falls on Sunday 7 March.

Kumo, the omakase restaurant in Ubud inside Riviera, normally opens from 5pm Tuesday to Sunday and closes on Mondays. Nyepi 2027 is a Monday, so ask the hotel how dinner will run that week before you plan around it.

Does the internet work in Bali on Nyepi?

Mobile data usually doesn't. For Nyepi 2026 the national communications ministry asked operators to switch off mobile data and IPTV across Bali for the 24 hours, with hospitals, the airport, ports and police exempt, CNBC Indonesia reported. Bali's provincial communications office said fixed-line Wi-Fi would stay on, and calls and SMS kept working. Download whatever you want to read or watch before 6am.

What happens the day after Nyepi?

The day after is Ngembak Geni. Families and neighbours visit to ask each other's forgiveness, and cooking, light and traffic come back from 6am. In 2027 that's Tuesday 9 March, the same day as the Idul Fitri collective leave, so the roads may be busy.

If you are planning the rest of the trip around March, our guide to Ubud's dry and wet seasons covers the weather, and March sits in the wet season. Rooms are on the hotel page, and a room at Riviera on Jalan Raya Pengosekan can be booked online.

Where do these Nyepi facts come from?

Sources, read 21 October 2026: the 2027 national holiday and collective leave decree (SKB 3 Menteri), as published by Indonesia's State Secretariat (setneg.go.id) on 15 September 2026; Antara Bali, 13 March 2026, on the 2026 Ngurah Rai closure; CNBC Indonesia, 18 March 2026, and Metro TV, 1 March 2026, on mobile data and Wi-Fi; detikBali, 18 March 2026, on the Ubud ogoh-ogoh crowd; Jawa Pos, 7 March 2026, on the pecalang; detikNews, 20 February 2025, on the 2025 joint appeal; and Wikipedia's Nyepi articles in English and Indonesian for the Catur Brata, Pengerupukan and Ngembak Geni. Rules for 2027 are set each year, so confirm them closer to March.