Ubud Nightlife

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The Jazz Cafe is open from Tuesday through Sunday from 5:00 p.m. to midnight. Live music is performed from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. They have a cover charge of 20,000 rp (approximately US$2.00) per person. There is free pick-up from hotels in the Ubud area. There are many drivers waiting outside that you can hire to take you back to your hotel. The Jazz Cafe has plenty of regular tables inside, as well as low tables with pillows/cushions. Outside there are also bales, open to the stars. Food is served, & there is a full bar. Credit cards are accepted. Draught Bintangs are 18,500 rp apiece.

The 2008 Live Music Schedule is:

Tuesdays - Modern Jazz (Ito Kurdi Trio)
Wednesdays - Latin Grooves (Buena Tierra)
Thursdays - Nu Jazz (NT2 feat. Erick Sandhy)
Fridays - Funk & Acid Jazz (Kenebe)
Saturdays - Rhythm & Blues (Bali Blues Band)
Sundays - Unplugged Acoustic (Compas Band) & Special Performances

Dress Code: Very casual dress code. Basically, wear anything you like.

Ubud's (literally) highly-cultured nightlife sharply contrasts Kuta's loud and vulgar bar scene.

There are no loud night clubs, no naughty bars (not that I know of, at least) in Ubud (and most restaurants and pubs close by 11 pm) - only cultural performance - and mostly dances - colorful, traditional dances.

Schedules and tickets are available at the Ubud Tourist Information Office.

For three straight nights, I treated myself to these dances, which I am featuring in the Local Customs section. I was even lucky to meet a Barong dancer, who kindly invited me to his residence to meet his family. Meet Kade and his family in one of my Ubud travelouges.

Dress Code: Casual will do.

Every night around Ubud, you will find that a number of places will stage cultural Balinese dances at 7.30pm. It could be a barong dance, a kecak & fire dance or a legong. Tickets are about 50,000Rp each. Usually, if the dance is performed out of the town of Ubud, transport can be arranged to pick you up. You can get more information on the places where the dances are performed and the type of dances shown at the Tourist Information situated near Ubud market, along Jalan Raya. You can also get tickets on the spots on days that are not crowded. You will find ticket-sellers approaching tourists at nearby stage areas.

Kecak Dance
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Kecak dance (usually a fire dance) is vibrant and involves a lot of loud music provided by a group of men with musical instruments and "chanting". The dancers are usually bare-chested and only clothed with a cloth around their waists. During the dance, a fire will be set in the centre of the stage and dancers will dance vigorously with the ryhthm. The dance usually depicts the story of Ramayana, one of Hindu's epic tales.

Barong Dance
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Personally, I like the Barong dance and music better , which is more soothing and calming. Barong is a creature (it looks like a lion with big, bright eyes) who is mischievous and playful. The dance is between the "good" and "the evil". Barong, of course, is the good one. The evil one, in this case, is Rangda - who has long tongue dangling and battling with Barong. At the end of the show, the evil will be defeated and Barong will triumph.

Legong Dance
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This dance is more sophicated in the sense that you really need to concentrate and have some understanding of the story which they are protraying in the dance. Every body movement and finger movement tells a story.

Dress Code: Casual

just awaiting sunset and evening falls, we like to spend our time walking around monkey forest road or have a seat at tjampuhan hotel resto. cool iced coffee with vanilla ice. in front of us is the famous room of painter walter spies :)

Dress Code: casual

There are 2 type of Dance being performed at night : 1. Ramayana and Shanghyang trance dance --> taken from Indian Mahabarata epic 2. Legong Dance --> Famous Balinese dance

They are performed in separate Pura and both started at 7pm.
Ticket price IDR 50,000 you can buy the ticket in the afternoon

Dress Code: as the Dance is performed in the Pura, you might want to leave your tank top or short behing