Last updated 11 May 2026 by Robyn, Co-Founder of Bali Culinary Tours, based on firsthand experience living and exploring Bali for the past 5 years.
Discover our Bali food tours, cultural experiences, and local travel guides.
The Ubud Food Festival returns from 28 to 31 May 2026, bringing four days of food talks, chef collaborations, cultural experiences, masterclasses, and unforgettable dining events to the heart of Ubud, Bali. This year’s festival theme, “Farmers: Guardians of Land and Sea,” celebrates the growers, producers, fishers, and culinary communities behind Indonesia’s vibrant food culture.
Centered around the beloved Taman Kuliner festival hub, the 2026 program includes immersive food tours, live cooking demonstrations, masterclasses, and special dining collaborations with chefs from across Indonesia and beyond.
If you’re visiting Bali during the festival, this guide covers:
- the best Ubud Food Festival events
- food tours worth booking
- what tickets to buy
- where to eat in Ubud
- local travel tips
- how to experience the festival beyond the tourist crowds
What Is the Ubud Food Festival?
source img : ubudfoodfestival / nowbali
Founded by the team behind the internationally acclaimed Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, the Ubud Food Festival has become one of Southeast Asia’s leading culinary events. Every year, chefs, food lovers, farmers, producers, writers, restaurateurs, and curious travellers gather in Ubud to celebrate Indonesia’s diverse food culture through conversations, workshops, tours, and dining experiences.
Unlike traditional food festivals focused purely on eating, Ubud Food Festival combines storytelling, sustainability, culture, agriculture, travel, and community. It’s as much about the people behind the food as the food itself.
The festival takes place across multiple venues around Ubud, with Taman Kuliner serving as the lively central hub filled with food stalls, talks, demonstrations, performances, and social spaces.
What’s New at Ubud Food Festival 2026
The 2026 festival expands to four days for the first time, running from Thursday through Sunday at Taman Kuliner in Ubud.
Some standout 2026 experiences include:
- “Ubud Behind the Scenes,” an early morning culinary walk through local coffee spots, warungs, and Casa Luna breakfast traditions
- “Food Forest: Foraging with Made Masak,” exploring Balinese food forests and sustainable local food systems in Tabanan
- “Rice Fields & Rituals,” combining village walks, ceremonial food culture, and traditional lawar making
- Chef-led events and collaborations such as “Samsara: Three Chefs, One Archipelago” and fire-led dining experiences around Ubud
This year’s program places a stronger emphasis on regional Indonesian cuisine, sustainability, farming traditions, indigenous ingredients, and immersive cultural experiences that extend beyond restaurant dining.
Our Tips for Enjoying Ubud Food Festival 2026
1. Book a Food Tour Early
Some of the most memorable experiences at Ubud Food Festival happen beyond the main venue. Food tours give visitors the opportunity to explore local markets, hidden warungs, rice fields, village food culture, and regional Balinese dishes with deeper context and storytelling.
Experiences like Food Forest: Foraging with Made Masak and Jalan-Jalan Makan: Sukawati Village’s Local Bites are perfect for travellers wanting to experience Bali’s food culture beyond restaurant dining.
Food tours also tend to sell out quickly due to smaller group sizes, so booking ahead is highly recommended.
2. Enjoy a Masterclass
The festival’s masterclasses are one of the best ways to engage more deeply with Indonesian food culture. From regional cooking techniques to ingredient-focused workshops, these sessions offer hands-on experiences and insights directly from chefs, producers, and culinary experts.
Whether you’re passionate about cooking or simply curious about Indonesian ingredients and traditions, masterclasses add another layer to the festival experience beyond simply eating.
3. Spend Time at the Food Market at Taman Kuliner
Taman Kuliner is the heart of the festival and one of the best places to casually soak up the atmosphere. The food market brings together local restaurants, producers, coffee vendors, dessert stalls, and artisan food brands from around Indonesia.
Even if you don’t have tickets to specific events, the venue itself is worth visiting for the energy alone. Expect live cooking demonstrations, conversations, music, and plenty of opportunities to sample local flavours while relaxing with friends between sessions.
4. Book at Least One Chef-driven Dining Experience
The special dining events are often the highlight of the festival program. These intimate chef collaborations take place across some of Ubud’s most beautiful restaurants and venues, combining storytelling, regional Indonesian cuisine, fire-led cooking, and creative tasting menus.
Experiences like Ten Courses in the Jungle, Mata Karanjang: A Manado Feast at Casa Luna, and From Sri Lanka to Bali: GINI Ignites NARI showcase just how diverse and exciting the festival’s culinary program has become.
These events usually sell out well before the festival begins, so early booking is essential.
5. Don’t Miss the Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony sets the tone for the entire festival weekend and is a wonderful way to experience the spirit of Ubud Food Festival from the beginning. Expect performances, speeches, cultural elements, and an energetic atmosphere as chefs, food lovers, creators, and locals gather together to celebrate Indonesian food culture.
It’s also one of the best moments to feel the scale and excitement of the festival before diving into the weekend’s events.
6. Browse the Festival Website and Plan Ahead
With dozens of events happening across multiple days and venues, it’s worth spending time browsing the official festival website and planning your schedule in advance.
Some events overlap, venues are spread around Ubud, and many experiences have limited capacity. The most popular food tours, masterclasses, and dining collaborations often sell out quickly, especially closer to the festival dates.
Take time to shortlist your must-do experiences early to avoid disappointment.
7. Catch Some of the Talks and Interviews
Beyond the food itself, Ubud Food Festival is also a space for conversation and storytelling. The talks and interviews bring together chefs, writers, activists, producers, farmers, and food innovators to discuss topics ranging from sustainability and indigenous ingredients to regional food traditions and the future of Indonesian cuisine. Even attending a few sessions can add valuable cultural context to the dishes and dining experiences you’ll encounter throughout the festival.
Our Bali Culinary Tours Co-founder, Robyn Horwitz, will be speaking at the event as part of the Fast Forward talks. Short talks, big ideas, and the kind of conversations that linger — this edition covers seed saving, regenerative farming, cultural preservation, and local food resilience. Robyn will be speaking about food as cultural heritage and connection.
Festival Highlights We’re Excited About in 2026
There’s no shortage of inspiration at this year’s festival, but a few standout events and workshops caught our attention:
1. Ten Courses in the Jungle: Petty Pandean-Elliott and Arvie Delvo
Set inside the atmospheric bamboo surrounds of Api Jiwa at Capella Ubud, this four-hands dining experience brings together celebrated Indonesian food writer and chef Petty Pandean-Elliott with Capella’s Executive Chef Arvie Delvo for a ten-course culinary journey inspired by Indonesian flavours and storytelling.
2. Mata Karanjang: A Manado Feast at Casa Luna
Casa Luna’s iconic long table lunch returns with a bold celebration of Manado cuisine from North Sulawesi. Known for its vibrant spices and fiery flavours, this special event showcases regional Indonesian cooking in one of Ubud’s most beloved dining spaces overlooking the jungle.
Book here:
https://www.ubudfoodfestival.com/programs/mata-keranjang-a-manado-feast-at-casa-luna/
3. From Sri Lanka to Bali: GINI Ignites NARI in a Fire-led Collaboration
One of the festival’s most exciting fire-led collaborations sees chefs from Sri Lanka’s Gini Outdoor Kitchen joining forces with Nari’s Manuel Effendi. Expect smoky flavours, open-fire cooking, and a menu that bridges Sri Lankan and Indonesian culinary traditions in an immersive shared dining experience.
4. Banana Across the Archipelago: One Ingredient, Many Stories
This beautifully themed event explores how one humble ingredient, the banana, appears across Indonesia’s many culinary traditions. Hosted in the nostalgic Javanese-style dining room of Di Sini Di Sana, the experience celebrates storytelling, heritage, and the diversity of Indonesian cuisine through creative dishes centred around banana.
5. Food Forest: Foraging with Made Masak
This immersive food tour takes guests into the forests and rice fields of Wongaya Gede Village in Tabanan, where local ingredients grow naturally alongside rivers and traditional farming systems. Led by Made Masak, the experience focuses on sustainability, foraging, and Balinese relationships with food and nature.
Book here:
https://www.ubudfoodfestival.com/programs/food-forest-foraging-with-made-masak/
6. Tempe & Ubud Gastronomy Morning Walk
This guided morning walk explores Ubud through the lens of food culture, taking visitors through neighbourhood streets, local ingredients, and the role of tempe in Indonesian cuisine. It’s a slower, more grounded experience that offers insight into everyday Balinese life beyond the main festival crowds.
Book here:
https://www.ubudfoodfestival.com/programs/tempe-ubud-gastronomy-morning-walk/
7. Jalan-Jalan Makan: Sukawati Village’s Local Bites
This culinary walk through Sukawati Village focuses on authentic local snacks, market culture, and traditional Balinese flavours. It’s ideal for travellers wanting to experience a more local side of Bali’s food scene away from the polished restaurant circuit.
Book here:
https://www.ubudfoodfestival.com/programs/jalan-jalan-makan-sukawati-villages-local-bites/
8. At the Edge: Indonesian Cuisine in Conversation at Bumi Kinar
Hosted high above the valley at Bumi Kinar, this event blends food, conversation, and contemporary Indonesian culinary thinking. Chefs and food innovators come together to explore how Indonesian cuisine continues to evolve while staying connected to heritage, ingredients, and identity.
Plan Your Visit Around Ubud Food Festival 2026
Festival Dates: 28–31 May 2026
Main Venue: Taman Kuliner, Ubud
Additional Venues: Restaurants, resorts, villages, and dining spaces across Ubud and greater Bali
Ubud Food Festival 2026 features four days of food tours, chef collaborations, masterclasses, cultural experiences, live cooking demonstrations, talks, and community gatherings celebrating Indonesia’s rich culinary heritage.
We recommend browsing the official festival program and booking tickets as early as possible, especially for dining experiences, food tours, and masterclasses, as many events sell out well before the festival weekend begins.
If you’re travelling to Bali for the festival, consider staying a few extra days to experience Ubud beyond the event itself. From local markets and traditional warungs to rice field walks and regional Balinese dishes, there’s an entire world of food culture waiting outside the festival grounds.
Ready to Explore Bali Through Its Food?
Whether you’re a dedicated foodie, curious traveller, or simply someone who loves discovering culture through flavour, Ubud Food Festival 2026 is one of the best ways to experience Bali’s vibrant culinary scene.
From intimate chef collaborations and masterclasses to local market bites and village food tours, the festival offers a deeper look into the ingredients, traditions, and stories shaping Indonesian cuisine today.
And when you’re ready to explore beyond the festival grounds, Bali Culinary Tours can help you discover another side of Bali’s food culture through local warungs, traditional dishes, market experiences, and the everyday flavours locals truly eat.
We hope to see you at the festival this May. Until then, selamat makan and happy exploring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ubud Food Festival 2026 takes place from 28 to 31 May 2026 in Ubud, Bali.
The main festival hub is Taman Kuliner in Ubud, with additional dining events, food tours, and collaborations hosted across restaurants and venues around Bali.
Yes. Visitors can purchase individual event tickets and day passes online through the festival ticketing platform.
For food lovers visiting Bali, it’s one of Southeast Asia’s most exciting culinary festivals, combining Indonesian food culture, chef collaborations, workshops, local ingredients, and immersive food experiences.
Food tours, masterclasses, and chef collaboration dinners often sell out early. Accommodation in central Ubud also fills up quickly during festival weekend.
