Karnival inspirational, fun-filled

Jenny H. Backstrom, Contributor, Kuta

Coinciding with the national school holidays, the peak season for foreign tourist arrivals, dry season sunshine and good ocean swells, the colorful, vibrant Kuta Karnival returned to Bali for its third year.

The event ran from June 25 through July 3, inspiring the local community and visitors from all over Indonesia and the world to celebrate life while also enjoying "a summer of fun".

The first carnival was held in October 2003 as a response to the October 12, 2002, Bali bombings at two Kuta nightclubs, which claimed over 200 lives and severely disrupted the island's tourist economy.

The carnival aimed to commemorate the tragedy as well as bring a ray of hope for the future.

This year, in order not to disrupt the Hindu Galungan holiday and the Muslim Ramadhan fasting month and to get away from the tragic memory of the bombing, the carnival was moved from October to June/July; the spirit of festivity was emphasized.

In accordance with the carnival's tagline, nine fun-filled days and nights were to be had on Kuta and Legian beaches, with activities ranging from daytime surfing competitions to late night DJs playing on the beach.

Also included were traditional dancing as well as hip-hop and live music performances on three stages; fashion shows, skateboard contests and an extensive food festival and colorful street parade, which on Sunday attracted massive crowds of cheering spectators along the streets of Kuta.

"We are very happy about the carnival this year, and it was good to see the increased number of participants and spectators compared with previous years," Kuta Karnival parade coordinator Morgan Made Suartha said.

He said 45 groups participated in the parade this year compared with only 23 last year, while the number of spectators increased 10-fold.

In competition with groups of traditional Balinese musicians and dancers, Harley Davidson riders, bikini-clad girls, Brazilian carnival dancers, environmental organizations, unicyclists, fashion models and others, Meditasi Falun Gong was awarded the "Best Participant" prize with a citation from the jury that they conveyed a neat, but powerful message of peace and harmony.

The huge Billabong float of a surfer riding the perfect wave was awarded the "Favorite Participant" prize, with a citation that its carriers consisted of a large, happy and colorful group that had created a memorable piece of art symbolizing the important and renowned elements of beach and surf.

Surfing competitions

With Kuta having become an attractive destination for surfers worldwide since the early 1960s, and with the sport and its lifestyle continuously growing throughout Indonesia, it comes as no surprise that the carnival was heavily supported by the surfing community in Bali.

Numerous surfing competitions for all ages and styles were held at Kuta Beach; also at Uluwatu the MOD OM Pro Legend attracted numerous legendary international and local surfers, some of whom participated in the 1980s in Bali's first-ever international surfing competition, the OM Bali Pro.

Due to excellent wave conditions, the contest was held at Uluwatu on the first two days of the carnival.

About 60 surfers participated in three classes. Danny Goodwin from Australia, won the Grand Master Class (for contestants 45 to 55 years of age); Ketut Pitur from Pecatu, Indonesia, won the Master Class (35 to 45); and Made Lana from Pecatu, Indonesia, won the Retro Class, in which old-school single fin boards were used.

Kuta Karnival Surf and Skate Coordinator Paul Anderson said he was particularly happy to see Ketut Pitur win the Masters.

"Ketut was only 17 years old when he surfed in the 1980s OM Bali Pro," Anderson said.

"Now, some 20 years later, it is good to see he has finally won his Masters!"

The surfing events held in Kuta included the six-star Reef & and Blue Groove Pro, which was the fifth contest in a series of 10 in the 2005 Indonesian Surfing Championship (ISC).

Proud winner of this contest and several others held during the Kuta Karnival, such as the Kuta Lines Open and Quicksilver Airshow, was Volcom rider Made Adi Putra, 24, from Kuta.

Made Adi Putra, currently the number-one surfer in the ISC, also claimed the Billabong Teams Challenge with his Volcom team consisting also of Suprayitna, Komang Sujaya, Ketut Suarta and Kadek Murtika.

Other highlights included numerous skateboarding and BMX competitions; live music performances ranging from locally loved Superman is Dead to the nationwide famous pop princess Dewi Sandra; fashion shows and a food festival, at which food from 12 different countries was presented by about 60 restaurants.

Even if not a whole summer of fun, the Kuta Karnival certainly brought nine days of it.

Chairman of the Kuta Karnival Committee I Made Supatra Karang said he hoped the nine days would live on in people's minds and hearts and inspire them to keep spreading love from Bali, and to work for community and unity in the world.