In pictures: Suara Festival turns Nuanu into a cultural haven for sonic explorers

At its core, Bali’s Suara Festival revolves around Tri Hita Karana, a Balinese traditional philosophy that balances people, planet and spirituality. Though many may not personally believe in all that, Suara just may convince you.

With over 100 artists performing across nine themed stages in Nuanu City, Suara is a creative haven that drew in more than 9,000 festival-goers. While it's celebrated as a sanctuary for the spiritually inclined, the festival also boasts a line-up that will thrill anyone there purely for the music, offering an impressive array of sounds, genres, and theatrical experiences for all to enjoy.

Music curators across the weekend included Angus & Julia Stone, HVOB, and Brandt Brauer Frick just to pick a few out of the stacked list of names, with exclusive photos of Sivanesh, LP Giobbi, Maurice Simon, Youngr, PAPÜ, Freestylers and DJ Wordy above.

Unlike many events that treat their location as merely a temporary venue, Suara has a profound respect for the island it calls home.

Collaborating closely with local Balinese communities, the festival is dedicated to giving back through ongoing sustainability initiatives, helping to preserve the pristine volcanic beaches and wild jungles that make Bali, and in turn, the festival, one of a kind.

Festival Co-founder and CEO Jason Swamy sums up the weekend best: “I’ve spent the better part of 30 years curating nightlife events all over the globe, and so this year’s edition was a culmination of all these decades of experience. As I’ve gotten older I’ve also craved more purpose in my life and so in everything I do now. I seek to entertain but also educate. I call it ‘edutainment’ and this was at the core of what Suara was all about.”

“Whether it was through our inspiring talks line-up, the many traditional Balinese performances throughout the three days, or in spotlighting Nuanu’s conservation efforts with its native butterfly breeding and dragonfly repopulation programs, the festival was designed to foster a learning and participatory environment. The idea was so that attendees could carry forward their experiences into their everyday lives extending our positive impact philosophy far beyond the festival’s three days and the site grounds.”

Follow Suara Festival on Instagram here.

Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.

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