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Guide · The beach stage
Melasti Beach kecak dance, below the Bukit cliffs
A kecak circle by the sea in Ungasan, on the southern edge of Bali. When the show starts, what a ticket includes, what you pay at the beach and how it compares with the temple show at Uluwatu.
Check availabilityfrom $8 · no cancellation fee
Editorial team, kecakfiredanceshow.comUpdated October 26, 20266-minute read32 sources
At a glance
- 01Where
- Melasti Beach, Ungasan, 16.3 km from the airport.1
- 02When
- Daily from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM on the ticket; arrive before 5:30 PM.
- 03Ticket
- From $8, with 362 reviews averaging 4.57.
- 04Children
- Free up to age 9 on that ticket; from age 10 a regular ticket.
- 05Extra
- Beach entrance and parking are paid separately.
A kecak circle by the sea
The Melasti Beach kecak dance takes the chant out of the temple and onto the shore. Bali's provincial tourism site lists kecak performances among the attractions of Melasti Beach, beside its food stalls and the beach itself.2 The beach lies in Ungasan, 16.3 km or about 30 minutes from Ngurah Rai airport, on the southern coast of the Bukit peninsula.1
It is a community-run place. The provincial site describes Melasti as a coastal destination of the Ungasan customary village, run on the Tri Hita Karana concept.3 The performance follows the familiar form: a circle of men chanting without instruments while costumed dancers tell a chapter of the Ramayana, with the fire scene towards the end.45
The difference from Uluwatu is the setting. Instead of an amphitheater built into a cliff, you watch the circle with the sea as its backdrop. The light at the start of the show falls across the water, and the torches take over as the evening darkens. For families staying in Nusa Dua or Ungasan it is only a short ride away.
A Melasti evening
From the beach to the last chant
-
Early afternoon
Arrive at the beach
Pay the beach entry and parking at the gate.
-
Before 5:30 PM
Take your seat
The ticket's advice for the best seats.
-
6:00 PM
The show begins
The chorus starts in the last daylight.
-
7:00 PM
The show ends
Agree on a pickup point before the crowd leaves.
When the show starts
The Melasti Beach kecak dance time on the ticket listing is daily from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and guests are asked to arrive before 5:30 PM for the best seats. That matches the rhythm of the Uluwatu show, which also starts at 18:00, and it means the first scenes play out in the last daylight.6
The Ministry of Tourism gives a slightly different picture. Its kecak guide lists the Melasti performance around 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm and warns that performances are generally held seasonally, so check the schedule online before visiting.78 The ticket seller's daily schedule and the Ministry's seasonal note do not fully agree.
In practice, book through a listing that names a date, and treat that date as the confirmation that a show is on. Arrive by half past five, as the listing asks, and give yourself extra time if you are coming from Kuta or Seminyak at the busy end of the afternoon. Showing up on spec, on an evening without a booking, risks finding an empty stage.
Side by side
The beach stage and the cliff stage
| At the show | Melasti Beach | Uluwatu Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | Beach stage, Ungasan | Cliff amphitheater, 70 m up |
| Show | 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM | 18:00 to 19:00 |
| Arrive by | 5:30 PM | Before 5:00 PM |
| Paid on top | Beach entry & parking | Temple entry & parking |
| Children free | Up to age 9 | No, child rate |
| Online ticket | from $8 | from $9 |
From the ticket listings, the Uluwatu temple management and the provincial tourism site; prices are starting prices.196101112
Three evenings on the Bukit
Beach, cliff or cultural park
Beach day
The classic
Park and showDecision helper
Melasti or the temple?
Pick the line that describes your evening
Uluwatu
The Ministry calls the temple show the best place to watch.13
Melasti
The beach and its kecak stage share the same afternoon.2
Melasti
Children up to age 9 join free on the beach ticket.
Uluwatu ticket
It cancels free up to 2 days before; Melasti's does not.
Melasti
The beach is in Ungasan, 16.3 km from the airport.1
Performances are generally held seasonally. To avoid wasting your trip, check the schedule online before visiting.
What the ticket covers, and what it leaves out
The Melasti entry ticket starts from $8 and has 362 reviews with an average of 4.57. It covers the 1-hour show on the date you choose, it is valid for all nationalities, and a host speaks English and Indonesian. Children aged 0 to 9 join free, and a regular ticket applies from age 10.
Two costs sit outside it. The beach entrance fee and the parking fee are payable separately, on the spot. The Ministry of Tourism's own range for the show, Rp150,000 to Rp200,000 depending on the organizer, gives a sense of how much prices vary between sellers.7 Carry some cash for the beach gate and the car park.
Read the cancellation terms carefully before you pay. The listing shows a free-cancellation label, but its own notes say the ticket is non-cancellable and non-refundable once the booking is confirmed. Treat it as a firm booking: buy it once you are sure of the evening, not as a placeholder while your plans settle.
Map
Where the kecak is danced on Bali
First the island with every stage this site compares, then the Bukit peninsula with Uluwatu, Melasti and GWK, then the temple courts and palaces of Ubud.
1Pura Luhur Uluwatu2Melasti Beach stage3Garuda Wisnu Kencana4Tanah Lot5Ubud6Batubulan7Denpasar8Ngurah Rai Airport
1Pura Luhur Uluwatu9Karang Boma Cliff10Labuan Sait Beach3Garuda Wisnu Kencana2Melasti Beach stage11Jimbaran Beach
12Ubud Palace13Pura Dalem Ubud14Pura Dalem Taman Kaja15Puri Agung Peliatan16ARMA
- 1Pura Luhur Uluwatu
The cliff temple whose amphitheater stages the daily kecak at 18:00.69
In Google Maps ↗ - 2Melasti Beach stage
A beach stage in Ungasan, 16.3 km from the airport.12
In Google Maps ↗ - 3Garuda Wisnu Kencana
The cultural park lists its own kecak every day at 6pm.14
In Google Maps ↗ - 4Tanah Lot
The sea temple; its kecak is held at De Jukung from sunset.15
In Google Maps ↗ - 5Ubud
Several village stages take turns through the week.
In Google Maps ↗ - 6Batubulan
The village the Ministry names for Barong performances.16
In Google Maps ↗ - 7Denpasar
The provincial capital; Kesiman stages Barong too.16
In Google Maps ↗ - 8Ngurah Rai Airport
About 45 minutes by road from Uluwatu.17
In Google Maps ↗ - 9Karang Boma Cliff
A separate kecak about 1 km from the temple, not inside it.
In Google Maps ↗ - 10Labuan Sait Beach
Also called Padang-Padang; about 50 macaques live here.1819
In Google Maps ↗ - 11Jimbaran Beach
Where several sunset tours end with dinner.
In Google Maps ↗ - 12Ubud Palace
Home of the nightly Legong the Ministry singles out.20
In Google Maps ↗ - 13Pura Dalem Ubud
One of the kecak stages the Ministry names in Ubud.21
In Google Maps ↗ - 14Pura Dalem Taman Kaja
Kecak by locals on Monday and Friday at 7:00 pm.22
In Google Maps ↗ - 15Puri Agung Peliatan
The Peliatan palace; one listing sells its Thursday kecak.
In Google Maps ↗ - 16ARMA
The art museum stage; one listing sells kecak here on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
In Google Maps ↗
Checklist
For the beach show
01
Bring
- Cash for the beach entry and parking
- A hat and water for the afternoon
- A light layer for after sunset
02
Before you book
- A dated ticket for your evening
- The non-refundable note on the listing
- Ages of the children against the free band
Cost calculator
A kecak evening on the Bukit for your group
Starting totals before beach, temple or park entry.
People
Total from$15
per participant from $8
Check availabilityfree cancellationTotals: the cheapest listed fare times your headcount, turned into your currency with the ECB's daily figure; the booking page settles the real sum.
Video
The kecak on the beach at Melasti, Ungasan
Nothing loads until you tap play.
Kecak dance Melasti vs Uluwatu
Weighing the kecak dance Melasti vs Uluwatu comes down to what you want around the chorus. Uluwatu has the temple: an amphitheater 70 m above the Indian Ocean, a show as the sun sets behind the shrine, and room for up to 1,200 spectators.923 The Ministry of Tourism calls it the best place to watch.13
It also has the extra steps of a temple visit. You pay the show and the temple entry separately, wear a sarong and sash, and keep your belongings away from the temple's macaques.112425 Tickets can sell out in peak seasons, and the management asks visitors to come at least an hour early.26
Melasti swaps the temple for the sea. There is no temple fee, no sarong at the gate, and a beach to spend the afternoon on before the show. The ticket listing starts from $8, against $9 for the Uluwatu ticket sold on this site. For a first kecak, Uluwatu; for a second, or for a day already spent on the beaches of the Bukit, Melasti.
An afternoon on the Bukit before the show
The show ends the day well if you build the afternoon around it. Melasti is a beach first, and the provincial site lists food stalls among its attractions.2 Arrive in the early afternoon, swim while the sun is high, eat at the beach, and move to the stage in good time for the 5:30 PM arrival the ticket asks for.
The other sights of the Bukit are close. Garuda Wisnu Kencana and Uluwatu Temple are on the same peninsula, and the map on this page shows how near the beach stage sits to both. The Ministry advises reaching Melasti by private or rental vehicle from Uluwatu or Jimbaran, along Jalan Melasti in Ungasan.27
Access is reasonable for families. The listing calls the venue wheelchair and stroller accessible but notes that stairs lead to the show area. Bring water, a hat and something for the cooler air once the sun is gone, and keep your driver's number handy for the end of the show, when every car leaves at the same time.
Photographs by the water
A beach stage at sunset is a gift for photographs, and a trap for anyone who has never shot into the light. The first part of the show plays against a bright sky over the sea, so the dancers turn into silhouettes unless you expose for them. Let the sky burn out a little, or wait for the moments when the dancers turn towards the audience and the low sun lights their faces.
Later in the hour the torches take over. That is when the fire scene comes, after the story has set up its conflict and its characters, as the Uluwatu management describes the shape of the show.28 Hold the phone steady, brace your elbows on your knees, and take several frames rather than one: the flames move faster than you expect.
Above all, leave the flash off. A flash does nothing for a subject this far away, it spoils the frame for the people behind you, and the Uluwatu management notes that flash disrupts the performers and other spectators.29 Put the camera down for a few minutes, too; the chant is something to hear, not only to record.
Respect for a community stage
A kecak by the sea is still a Balinese performance with a ritual background. The Uluwatu management traces the dance to the sacred Sanghyang, a trance dance performed to ward off negative spirits, and the Ministry of Tourism describes the cry of cak as believed to drive away evil spirits.3031 That is worth knowing before you settle on the sand with a drink.
The usual courtesies apply. Keep your voice down once the chorus starts, leave the flash off, and stay seated until the end: the Uluwatu management asks its own audience for silence and no flash photography, and the same manners suit any kecak stage.32 Phones on silent cost you nothing and spare the performers a distraction.
The beach belongs to a customary village that runs it on the Tri Hita Karana concept.3 Leave nothing behind on the sand, use the bins, and pay the entrance and parking fees at the gate without haggling. They are part of how the village keeps the place.
Your seat
The kecak on the cliff, on the evening you choose
One-hour show ticket, temple entry paid at the gate, free cancellation up to 2 days before.
You ask,we answer.
What time is the kecak at Melasti Beach?
6:00 PM on the ticket. The listing gives daily 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM and asks you to arrive before 5:30 PM.
Is the Melasti kecak on every day?
The ticket says daily. The Ministry of Tourism calls the performances generally seasonal; book a dated ticket to be sure.8
How much is the Melasti Beach kecak ticket?
From $8 online. The Ministry's own range is Rp150,000 to Rp200,000 depending on the organizer.7
Do I pay to enter Melasti Beach?
Yes, separately. The ticket listing says the beach entrance and parking fees are payable separately.
Are children free?
Up to age 9 on the ticket. Children aged 0 to 9 join free; from age 10 a regular ticket is needed.
Can I cancel the Melasti ticket?
Treat it as final. Its notes say it is non-cancellable and non-refundable once confirmed, despite a free-cancellation label.
How far is Melasti Beach from the airport?
About 30 minutes. The provincial tourism site gives 16.3 km from Ngurah Rai airport.1
Sources
What this text is based on
- 1Love Bali, Bali Provincial GovernmentPantai Melasti↩
- 2Love Bali, Bali Provincial GovernmentPantai Melasti↩
- 3Love Bali, Bali Provincial GovernmentPantai Melasti↩
- 4Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Kecak Dance↩
- 5Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Kecak Dance↩
- 6Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Kecak Dance↩
- 7Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia (indonesia.travel)Kecak Dance: the Meaning and Its Philosophical Movements↩
- 8Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia (indonesia.travel)Kecak Dance: the Meaning and Its Philosophical Movements↩
- 9Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Kecak Dance↩
- 10Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Kecak Dance↩
- 11Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Temple↩
- 12Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Kecak Dance↩
- 13Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia (indonesia.travel)Ubud's Kecak Dance: Enchanting Tradition↩
- 14Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park (official site)Daily Cultural Performances↩
- 15Daya Tarik Wisata Tanah Lot (official site)Kecak Dance↩
- 16Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia (indonesia.travel)The Barong and the Kris Dance: The Eternal Battle Between Good and Evil↩
- 17Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia (indonesia.travel)Kecak Dance: the Meaning and Its Philosophical Movements↩
- 18Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Why Feeding Uluwatu Monkeys Should Only Be Done with Staff Guidance↩
- 19Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Conservation & Wildlife↩
- 20Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia (indonesia.travel)Legong Dance↩
- 21Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia (indonesia.travel)Ubud's Kecak Dance: Enchanting Tradition↩
- 22Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia (indonesia.travel)Kecak Dance: the Meaning and Its Philosophical Movements↩
- 23Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Kecak Dance↩
- 24Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Temple↩
- 25Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Temple↩
- 26Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Kecak Dance↩
- 27Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia (indonesia.travel)Kecak Dance: the Meaning and Its Philosophical Movements↩
- 28Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Why Uluwatu Kecak Dance Is Still One of Bali Must Watch Shows↩
- 29Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Kecak Dance↩
- 30Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Kecak Dance↩
- 31Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia (indonesia.travel)Kecak Dance: the Meaning and Its Philosophical Movements↩
- 32Uluwatu Temple (official site of the managing body)Uluwatu Kecak Dance↩
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