In short. 1 January 2027, a Friday, is a public holiday in the Indonesian calendar: banks, government offices and immigration offices are closed. Before it, 24–27 December 2026 gives four days off for Christmas. Last New Year, the Denpasar police, following a telegram from the national police chief, issued no permits for fireworks and concerts. The GWK park then replaced its fireworks with a laser show. Over the holidays the police run Operation Lilin with road posts, which in 2025 ran from 20 December to 2 January. December and January are the rainy season, and January is the wettest month. The rules for this New Year will be announced in late December, and we will update the page.
Days off. By the Indonesian holiday calendar for 2026 and 2027:
- 24 December 2026, Thursday: a joint day off;
- 25 December, Friday: Christmas, which with the weekend makes four days, 24–27 December;
- 1 January 2027, Friday: New Year, which with the weekend makes 1–3 January;
- 5 January, Tuesday: Isra Mi'raj.
The calendar applies to government offices and banks: on these days bank branches, immigration offices and other government services are closed. Private cafes, shops and rental shops work to their own schedules, so check holiday hours in Google Maps or ask on the spot. The whole 2027 calendar is in the guide to public holidays.
If your visa ends over the holidays. A visa on arrival extension is applied for no earlier than 14 days before the end of the term and no later than the last day. If your term falls at the end of December or the start of January, apply in the first days the system accepts the application: immigration offices are closed over the holidays, and the queues before them are longer. How to extend is in the guide to visa on arrival extension.
Fireworks and concerts: how it was last time. On 26 December 2025 the Denpasar police announced that, following a telegram from the head of the Indonesian police, they would issue no permits for fireworks, concerts or other mass celebrations to government bodies, private organisers or tourist venues. The ban applied in Denpasar and part of southern Badung, the police promised to leave some places permitted, and patrols together with the municipal police Satpol PP checked for violations. The reason given was sympathy for the victims of the floods in Sumatra. Several tourist venues in Bali confirmed there would be no fireworks, and the GWK park held a countdown with a laser show. Whether there will be such a ban this time is not yet known: last year it was announced five days before the holiday.
Police on the roads. Every year at Christmas and New Year the Indonesian police run Operation Lilin (Operasi Lilin). In 2025 it lasted 14 days, from 20 December to 2 January, with security and assistance posts across the country, and in Bali it was opened with a parade together with the governor. There are more checks on the roads in these days: carry your licence and scooter documents and wear a helmet. What to do if you are stopped is in the guide to police on the road.
Airport and roads. Over 20 holiday days, from 15 December 2025 to 3 January 2026, Ngurah Rai airport handled 1.4 million passengers, an average of 70,400 a day. That is 6 % more than the average day from January to November 2025, so the airport is busier than usual, but not twice as busy. Most people left at the start of January: on 3 January 41,763 people flew out of Bali. If you fly out in the first days of January, leave for the airport with time to spare. Government discounts apply to domestic flights and ferries from 22 December 2026 to 10 January 2027; details are in the guide to the ferry to Java.
Weather. From December to March it is the rainy season in the south of Bali, about 200–500 mm a month by BMKG maps, with the most in January. Over the last holidays the Bali police, citing BMKG, warned of heavy rain, wind and high waves. A downpour on the evening of 31 December is quite possible: keep a raincoat and check the forecast. Before swimming, look at flags and wave warnings, and if there is flooding read the guide to floods. Weather by month is on a separate page.
Alcohol at a party. There are methanol poisonings in Bali from fake alcohol. Buy drinks in factory-sealed bottles with the CUKAI MMEA excise stamp in supermarkets and licensed shops, and do not take alcohol without a label or suspiciously cheap cocktails. Details are in the guide to methanol.
Our advice: book accommodation for New Year's Eve and a restaurant table in advance, because demand is higher over the holidays. If you buy a ticket to a New Year party, ask the organiser what happens if concerts are banned again and whether the money is returned. Extend your visa before 24 December if the term allows. After a party, do not get on a scooter, call a Grab or Gojek: there are more road checks over the holidays.
What this means for you. New Year in Bali falls in the rainy season and on long weekends: on 24–27 December and 1–3 January banks and immigration offices are closed, and 5 January is one more day off. Extend your visa in advance, keep your scooter documents with you, and leave for the airport with time to spare in early January. Whether there will be fireworks and concerts will be decided in late December: last time they were banned five days before the holiday. We will check the new rules by 20 December and update this page.