Rare Angon Festival 2026
Rare Angon Festival 2026
Every late July, Mertasari Beach in Sanur transforms into one of the most visually extraordinary scenes in Southeast Asia. Thousands of traditional Balinese kites fill the sky alongside hundreds of international entries, operated by competitors who have traveled from more than twenty countries to participate in the Rare Angon Festival — an international kite celebration that blends Balinese cultural tradition with aerodynamic artistry and community spectacle.
The name Rare Angon refers to shepherds in Balinese — a nod to the historical relationship between kite flying and Balinese agricultural life. Kites were once flown to protect fields from pests and birds. That practical tradition has evolved into a full cultural festival spanning four days, featuring traditional kite competitions in categories including bebean, janggan, pecukan, and janggan buntut. Judges evaluate not only flight quality but the sound produced by the kite’s guwangan — the resonating element attached to the frame that creates a distinctive hum as the kite climbs.
The festival’s most unusual offering is wayang udara — aerial shadow puppet performances using kites shaped like traditional wayang characters, three to five metres across, flying in formation above the beach while gamelan music plays and a narrator tells the story from the ground. These performances happen during the day and into the evening, with illuminated kites continuing to fly after dark. Night flying with lit kites is a spectacle that Balinese festivals have rarely offered at this scale.
The Rare Angon Festival is still young — the 2025 edition was only the second — but it has grown quickly. The 2025 event drew participants from 23 countries. Admission is free. Mertasari Beach is easily reachable from central Sanur by taxi or ojek.
A note for visitors: the festival dates follow the Balinese calendar and winds, and the 2026 dates will be confirmed closer to the event. Based on the 2025 pattern the festival runs from late July into early August. Check the How to Bali events calendar for updates as the date approaches.