The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival is the best place to go if you want to emerge yourself in the world of books and articles. The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2022 is the 19th edition of the festival and one of the non-profit foundation’s major projects, Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati. It was first conceived in 2004 by Janet DeNeefe, co-founder of the foundation, as a healing project in response to the first Bali bombing. The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival is Southeast Asia’s biggest festival of words and ideas. The festival aims to promote Ubud as the centre of art and culture. It gives Indonesian writers and young Indonesians a podium to reach their potential through educational programs and literature.
The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2022 takes place from 27th – 30th October 2022.
The festival consists of a four-day long weekend tackling big ideas and revelling in the power of words. The festival’s location is in Ubud, which makes it the perfect opportunity to combine the festival with the sightseeing of the beautiful city of Ubud.
As already mentioned, the festival consists of a four-day event with a different program every day. Separate tickets are available depending on which days you will attend the festival and whether you are an international or domestic guest. A share of the ticket sales will cover public events and free workshops for local children and high school students to subside entrance for people who otherwise could not afford to attend.
For this year’s edition, writers, artists, activists, and performers from Indonesia and beyond will participate in the 19th edition of the festival to share ideas and discuss this year’s theme: Uniting Humanity. The goal of the theme is to explore the power of storytelling to ask how we can bring together the common threads of different cultures and perspectives for a deeper understanding and mutual respect. This will be done by asking the following questions: How can we stop prosecution threats? Conflict? Human rights violations. The different speakers will discuss this through the role of literature.
There will be workshops where you can learn new skills and get expert feedback. There will be cultural workshops, a cooking class, culinary jalan-jalan, a Bahasa Indonesia breakfast, and batik painting. There are also workshops for your mind, body and soul. And what you must remember are the workshops relating to writing, also known as the writer’s lab. Because of the many programs for adults and kids, there is always something that interests you. Can you imagine spending your weekend better than learning a lot of new information and submerging yourself in this writer’s world?
For Practical information about the festival, there is limited parking available there will be a shuttle bus provided that takes you from Ubud straight to the festival location. The shuttle bus will have a limited operating service of a few daily trips. Make sure you check the shuttle bus times so you will be satisfied.
You can pick up your festival pass at the box office, where you need to show identification and proof of purchasing the ticket to collect your festival pass. There are multiple special events which you need an extra ticket for. Make sure you book these tickets in advance if you want to attend because there usually is a high demand.
To conclude, The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2022 is something you should definitely add to your list when you are in Bali. There are multiple hotels and guesthouses where you can stay during the festival and enjoy the beautiful Ubud area.
