The 2025 season is coming to a close and it’s time to celebrate accordingly. With Christmas and New Years Eve just around the corner, Kima Surf Camps in Bali have begun the preparations to get you into the end of year cheer!
Are you spending Christmas and New Years Eve 2025 in Bali ? High five! You’ll be pleased to know how Balinese locals celebrate Christmas and New Years and what you can expect while staying in the tropics for the festive season. Let’s get into it…
Since most of the Balinese are Hindu, they actually don’t celebrate Christmas in December. So if you’re looking for massive decorated Christmas trees, mulled wine and Christmas markets, you’ll have to adjust your expectations a bit.
However part of the population in Bali are also Christians, who are following their Catholic beliefs, and so there are still some Balinese Christmas traditions.
Especially in the Southern part of Bali, where most of the Christian villages are located, you‘ll find traditional Christmas decorations called Penjor, made of plaited young coconut leaves hung from the pieces of bamboo. The Christian Balinese set the Penjor in front of their homes and also wear their traditional clothes during the big celebrations.
Sharing is caring, right? This is actually the idea behind Ngejot, a tradition on Christmas Day. People sharing food with their neighbours as a symbol of gratitude and teaching the beauty of sharing.
Besides some of these traditions a lot of restaurants and cafes play Christmas music and are decorated as well. You can see: tropical Christmas in Bali is different but still worth an experience.
We celebrate Christmas at all our camps in Bali, in Canggu and Seminyak! In the tourist areas in Bali, you will find plenty of Christmas events such as meeting Santa, brunches and dinners. Hotels and shops are decorated with Christmas decorations and Christmas carols will be played over the speakers.
At Kima Surf Camps in Bali we’re gonna celebrate Christmas. Start your morning with a daily morning surf session. This time of the year is Bali’s wet season, meaning that the East Coast of Bali will have some great waves, what a treat! Hop in the van and enjoy a day trip to some of Bali’s most epic spots, like Nusa Dua, Sanur and more! Come back to the camp, rest a bit, play games and secret Santa. Enjoy the afternoon sun at the poolside with a drink, or walk around Canggu or Seminyak to grab some Christmas gifts. Our personal highlight of Christmas at Kima: our Christmas dinner free to attend for all our guests.
Similar to Christmas, the locals in Bali traditionally also do not celebrate New Year’s Eve on December 31st. They have their own traditional New Year‘s Celebration the following year. But because of the many western tourists, there is still a lot going on: Beachclubs and Restaurants offer menus and programs and the beaches turn into a big party.
Speaking of party: we love a good party and what would be a better occasion for a wild bash than New Year’s Eve? None. Right! That’s why we invite all our guests in Bali for a legendary NYE party at our Canggu Camp with good food and drinks, nice tunes and fireworks (yes, fireworks are allowed).