Celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve
In Bali & Sri Lanka
Time flies and the 2025 season comes to an end. That means Christmas and New Years Eve has arrived and also the preparations at Kima Surf Camps have already started.
Are you spending Christmas and New Years Eve 2025 in Bali or Sri Lanka? High five! You’ll be pleased to know how Balinese and Sri Lankan locals celebrate Christmas and New Years and what you can expect while staying in the tropics for the festive season. Let's get into it…
Selamat Hari Natal: Christmas in Bali
Since most of the Balinese are Hindu, they actually don’t celebrate Christmas in December. So if you're looking for massive decorated Christmas trees, mulled wine and Christmas markets, you'll have to adjust your expectations a bit.
However part of the population in Bali are also Christians, who are following their Catholic beliefs, and so there are still some Balinese Christmas traditions.
Especially in the Southern part of Bali, where most of the Christian villages are located, you‘ll find traditional Christmas decorations called Penjor, made of plaited young coconut leaves hung from the pieces of bamboo. The Christian Balinese set the Penjor in front of their homes and also wear their traditional clothes during the big celebrations.
Sharing is caring, right? This is actually the idea behind Ngejot, a tradition on Christmas Day. People sharing food with their neighbours as a symbol of gratitude and teaching the beauty of sharing.
Besides some of these traditions a lot of restaurants and cafes play Christmas music and are decorated as well. You can see: tropical Christmas in Bali is different but still worth an experience.
Suba Naththalak Wewa: Christmas in Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, where Buddhism is the predominant religion, Christmas isn't the biggest celebration amongst them. Instead, the focus shifts to Vesak, a significant festival in May.
This is a special time honouring the life of Gautama Buddha — his birth, enlightenment, and passing away. During Vesak, the country lights up with decorations and acts of kindness. Instead of gifts, people focus on spiritual practices like visiting temples and meditating.
However, the typical Christian Christmas is still celebrated as a public holiday by everyone in Sri Lanka. Christmas season starts on 1st December when people let off firecrackers at dawn! The streets are decked with lights and decorations, malls showcase big lighted Christmas trees and people walk around in new Christmas outfits.
In Sri Lanka, Christmas is known for spending time together - playing games, chatting along, singing together, and sharing a delightful dinner.
Christmas at Kima Surf Camps
We celebrate Christmas at all our camps, in Canggu, Seminyak, Weligama and Hiriketiya! In the tourist areas in Bali and Sri Lanka, you will find plenty of Christmas events such as meeting Santa, brunches and dinners. Hotels and shops are decorated with Christmas decorations and Christmas carols will be played over the speakers.
At Kima we're gonna celebrate Christmas. Start your Christmas Day with your daily morning surf session. Come back to the camp, rest a bit, play games and secret Santa. Go surfing in the afternoon or enjoy the sun at the poolside with a drink. Our personal highlight of Christmas at Kima: our Christmas dinner free to attend for all our guests.
New Years Eve in Bali & Sri Lanka
Similar to Christmas, the locals in Bali and Sri Lanka traditionally also do not celebrate New Year's Eve on December 31st. They have their own traditional New Year‘s Celebration the following year. But because of the many western tourists, there is still a lot going on: Beachclubs and Restaurants offer menus and programs and the beaches turn into a big party.
Speaking of party: we love a good party and what would be a better occasion for a wild bash than New Year's Eve? None. Right! That’s why we invite all our guests in Bali and Sri Lanka for a legendary NYE party at our Canggu and Weligama Camps with good food and drinks, nice tunes and fireworks (yes, fireworks are allowed).
