Bali Vegan Festival 2025 is set for the final weekend of October in Ubud’s cultural center, with local event calendars placing it on Sunday, October 26, 2025, within a late-October wellness-and-arts stretch that also includes the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival later that week. While some travel and lifestyle roundups list broader September dates for plant-based celebrations in Bali, Ubud-based event guides and long-running venue histories point to a late-October timing for the city’s flagship vegan gathering, which grew out of the Paradiso Ubud and Down To Earth community hub that has hosted talks, cooking demos, market days, and film-led advocacy for a decade. As of late summer, official social feeds have not published a final multi-day schedule, but multiple sources describe a familiar format of chef-led tastings, workshops, and panel conversations centered on plant-based cuisine, sustainability, and mindful living.
What the festival celebrates
Born in 2015 as a three-day community festival organized by Down To Earth with Paradiso Ubud as a core venue, the Bali Vegan Festival has long spotlighted whole-food cooking, cruelty-free products, and eco-forward living through a mix of culinary showcases, screenings, and conversations with chefs, nutritionists, and environmental advocates. Past editions and venue programming emphasized education alongside enjoyment, using Ubud’s intimate cultural spaces to host cooking classes, pop-up markets, and themed tastings that make plant-based eating approachable and delicious for both vegans and the vegan-curious. Recent listicles continue to profile the festival as a budget-friendly, traveler-loved plant-based gathering that blends food, wellness, and community in tropical surroundings.
Dates and format for 2025
- Target window: Late October 2025 in Ubud, with Bali events calendars specifically listing “Bali Vegan Festival – October 26, 2025,” which suggests the program’s marquee day falls on Sunday, with additional activities possible on adjacent days as organizers confirm schedules.
- Venue context: Paradiso Ubud, a vegetarian cinema and multi-use cultural venue founded by Down To Earth, remains a historical anchor for vegan community events, screenings, and workshops; the venue’s regular programming and facilities support the festival’s talks, films, and tasting sessions.
- Programming outlook: Expect chef demos, street-style tastings, market stalls, and panel sessions on nutrition, sustainability, and ethical fashion, consistent with past festival identities and recent media characterizations of the event’s focus.
Background and evolution
The Bali Vegan Festival launched in Ubud in 2015 with multi-venue programming around Down To Earth’s spaces, including Paradiso Ubud and nearby wellness hubs that hosted yoga, healing arts, and food education. That DNA persists in current descriptions: a community-forward vibe, an emphasis on whole-food flavors, and a welcoming tone for travelers curious about plant-based culture in Bali. While exact 2025 headliners and chef lists have not been formally released via official channels by late August, festival profiles continue to cite Ubud’s central role and the format’s blend of demos, talks, and markets that invite hands-on participation and discovery.
Highlights to expect
- Chef demonstrations and tastings: Plant-forward takes on Indonesian staples, raw desserts, and global comfort food reimagined with vegan ingredients, led by chefs who spotlight local produce and low-waste kitchen techniques.
- Education sessions: Nutrition talks covering protein planning, gut health, and sports fueling on a vegan diet, along with sustainability panels on composting, plastics reduction, and conscious sourcing.
- Market and makers: Cruelty-free cosmetics, ethical apparel, upcycled accessories, and earth-friendly home goods that align with the festival’s ethos of low-impact living.
- Films and community meetups: Screenings and discussions staged in cultural venues such as Paradiso Ubud, supported by open-mic dialogues and networking moments for travelers, locals, and entrepreneurs.
Ubud’s plant-based scene
Ubud’s reputation as Bali’s wellness capital makes it a natural home for the festival. Longstanding vegan and vegetarian cafes, juice bars, and community spaces give visitors a deep bench of options before and after festival sessions. Guides and profiles highlight venues where plant-based menus meet local craftsmanship and garden settings, reinforcing the city’s relaxed, creative energy that supports culinary exploration. This local ecosystem enables pop-ups, collaborative dinners, and farm-to-table workshops that often accompany the festival window.
Practical information for visitors
- Getting there: Ubud sits about 60–90 minutes from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport depending on traffic; private transfers, rideshares, and hotel shuttles are the most convenient options.
- Getting around: Central Ubud is walkable between venues like Paradiso Ubud and nearby markets; scooters and taxis fill in for outer neighborhoods. Festival maps and venue pages typically publish walking routes and session times closer to the date.
- Tickets and passes: Previous editions and venue events have used either free entry for market segments or paid tickets for premium demos, films, and workshops; final pricing and reservation links usually post via venue and festival social channels ahead of event week.
- What to bring: Light clothing, reusable bottle, a small tote for market finds, and an appetite for tasting menus; many vendors accept cash and digital wallets, though small bills make transactions smoother at pop-ups.
- Etiquette and sustainability: Vendors and organizers emphasize low waste. Opt for reusable cutlery when available, choose reef-safe sunscreen for day outings, and keep single-use plastics to a minimum to align with the festival spirit.
Travel planning around the date
Late October in Bali sits at the tail of the dry season, bringing warm days and comfortable evenings that suit outdoor markets and open-air tastings. The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, scheduled from October 29 to November 2, follows closely after, creating an opportunity to pair food and wellness programming with Bali’s premier literary event for an extended cultural stay in Ubud. Hotels and guesthouses in central Ubud typically offer short-stay packages during festival periods, and booking early can secure walkable access to venues.
Verifying the 2025 date
Multiple Bali event calendars published for 2025 include a late-October listing for the Bali Vegan Festival, with one guide specifying Sunday, October 26, 2025. Broader travel features that mention September vegan events in Bali likely reference pop-up food festivals or separate plant-based gatherings rather than the Ubud-centered festival described here, which historically aligns with Ubud venue calendars and late-October cultural programming. Given that official festival social feeds had not published a 2025 schedule by late August, travelers should treat October 26 as the anchor day and monitor venue announcements for multi-day expansions and ticket links.
Make the most of a plant-powered weekend
To maximize a festival weekend, start with a Saturday warm-up across Ubud’s cafes and markets, then focus Sunday on chef demos, panel sessions, and curated tastings as the marquee festival programming unfolds. Build in time for a film screening or two at Paradiso Ubud and leave space in the evening for a community dinner or pop-up feast. For those extending the stay into the following week, consider a cooking class focused on Indonesian vegan cuisine to bring home practical skills alongside inspiration.
Bali Vegan Festival 2025 brings the flavors, ideas, and community spirit that define Ubud’s plant-powered culture into a single, vibrant window at the end of October. Mark the calendar for Sunday, October 26, keep an eye on venue and festival social updates for expanded schedules and ticket releases, and plan a weekend of tastings, talks, and connections that will nourish body, mind, and curiosity in Bali’s cultural heart.