Kuta Karnival 2005 under way in Kuta Bali

The 3rd annual Kuta Karnival is under way and there is a busy schedule of events happening over the next week.

The Kuta Karnival kicked off on Saturday with the opening ceremony.

Here is a press release by the promoters with a bit of background info on the event:

The annual Kuta Karnival returns this year encouraging everyone in the Bali community to get ready to come and enjoy a Summer of Fun with families and friends! Taglined as "A Celebration of Life, Tat Twam Asi", Kuta Karnival will run this year from 25 June up until 3 July, to coincide with the national school holidays as well as the peak season arrivals of tourists from around the world bringing the theme of togetherness to all.

Fun-filled activities at the Kuta Karnival 2005

There will be nine full days of music on three stages along Kuta Beach presenting a wide range of music tastes from Hip Hop, Punk, Pop and Rock to Jazz and Blues Ethnic Fusion.

A street parade set in Summer of Fun, will be held on 3 July which will involve floats, dancers, gamelans, unicyclists, Big Bikes and Scooters and motor clubs, decorated Dokars and others contributed by local businesses and Balinese community groups. Parade route will be along the streets of Melasti, Legian, and finishing on Kuta Beach Front - a great spectacle not to be missed.

On the final two days of the Kuta Karnival, on Saturday 2 July and Sunday 3 July, approximately 60 of Bali's best restaurants will present their food in a spectacular setting along the beach road in Legian. Set to be a fun family weekend, the event provides food stalls and children's arena with entertainment, balloons, clowns, face painting and games as well as a horse riding exhibition on the beach. While experiencing the culinary journey from 12 different countries, visitors will be entertained with various attractions on the beach stage such as 'live' music performances, DJ Chill out sessions, fashion shows, world champion bartender performance and many more. 10,000 people came last year… and certainly there will be more this year.

For water sports fans, numerous competitions and contests are being organized in conjunction with the Kuta Karnival, including beach volley and soccer games, surfing and body boarding competitions. Attended by national and international participants, these are the great highlights of the week. For skateboarders, there will a special skate park built on the beach, and you will have special opportunity to compete with other international skaters. This is the perfect time for one and all to show athletic skills and try out in the various competitions even while enjoying a summer vacation.

Background:-

In its third year this year, the Kuta Karnival was established and organized as a response to the terrorist blast that devastated the island of Bali and the international community in October 2002 and in commemoration of lost lives as well as a light of hope for the future.

After commencing major cleansing ceremonies, establishing a memorial for the lost lives, and paying respect to those who left loved ones behind, it is now time to move ahead and leave that incident behind us. After three years it is time to continuously rebuild the image of the island of Bali, and look forward to a brighter and promising future for the island's people and its tourism industry.

This year, the schedule of activities during the Kuta Karnival has been changed to June/July 2005. This decision was made after lengthy discussions with the committee of October 2004 being the month of Galungan festivities and the start of the fasting month. Additionally, the new dates will allow the Karnival to attract a larger number of foreign tourists to the island at the beginning of high season and hopefully increase the volume of tourist coming over during this period. In line, this period will also give an opportunity to attract the number of domestic travellers as it coincides with the national school holidays.