Tanah Lot Art and Food Festival Opens, Targeting 10,000 Visitors Over Three Days

The 7th Tanah Lot Art and Food Festival opened on August 28, 2026, at the Tanah Lot tourist destination (DTW Tanah Lot) in Tabanan Regency, Bali. The festival began with a ceremony sounding the okokan, a traditional Tabanan musical instrument, and runs for three days from August 28 to 30, with organizers targeting a total of 10,000 visitors—aiming for 3,000 to 4,000 visitors per day, timed to coincide with the foreign tourist high season.

Tabanan Deputy Regent I Made Dirga praised the event for combining art, culture, culinary offerings, and tourism, expressing hope that it would provide opportunities for local artists and micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM). The festival grounds host dozens of UMKM stalls selling handicrafts, fashion items, and food, including Tabanan specialties such as kakul suna cekuh (snail dish), kuah kakul (snail soup), and sayur gonda (local vegetable dish), as well as traditional drinks like rujak tibah (noni fruit salad) and non-alcoholic 'es bir' made from young coconut.

Foreign visitors have responded positively. Bianca, a tourist from Poland, said she tried kakul suna cekuh for the first time and found the taste unusual but the meat tender and flavorful. Rebecca, an Australian tourist staying in Canggu, North Kuta, said she came specifically to watch traditional Balinese dance performances at the festival's opening.