What You Can Enjoy At Ubud Food Festival 2025: Cooking Demos, Food Talks, Dining Pop-Ups, And More
Returning for its 10th consecutive year from May 30 to June 1 2025, the Ubud Food Festival promises a flavorful journey that celebrates Indonesia’s diverse culinary legacy under the fitting theme of Heritage. Held at Taman Kuliner, the Festival has become a powerful platform spotlighting the richness of Indonesia’s food culture — and this year, it brings together an exciting blend of emerging talent, acclaimed chefs, cultural icons, and boundary-pushing innovators.
This milestone year invites food lovers to engage with Indonesian cuisine as a living, evolving tradition. Attendees will have a chance to experience an immersive program of cooking demos, food talks, workshops, pop-ups, live performances, and food tours exploring Ubud’s hidden gems.
About Ubud Food Fest 2025
The Ubud Food Festival is the region’s premier culinary event, celebrating the rich diversity and bold flavors of Indonesia’s food scene. Indonesia is known for their richness in spices – versatile for any kind of dish from various regions across the country. In 2024, the Festival broke attendance records, drawing over 15,000 food lovers and welcoming around 150 industry leaders from across Indonesia and beyond. With a vibrant and packed program, it was the most successful edition yet.
The Festival featured a wide range of special events, including live cooking demonstrations, food tours, expert talks, hands-on workshops, cultural performances, film screenings, and more. One of the highlights was the free open-air market, showcasing over 70 food artisans serving up thousands of delicious Indonesian street food dishes.
Festival Manager Dwi Ermayanthi said, “Ubud Food Festival will feature a diverse range of food and a bustling bazaar located along Jalan Raya Sanggingan. But more than just a culinary event, the festival will also shine a spotlight on Bali’s local talents. Beyond the three names already mentioned, we are also involving sommeliers, baristas, chefs, and mixologists. We aim to provide ample space for Bali’s creative talents to step forward, showcase their work, and demonstrate that they can compete on the same level as industry players from outside the island. From award-winning mixologists and seasoned sommeliers to Made Masak, a foraging chef, Ubud Food Festival becomes a platform for them to present what they do. This is the spirit we want to bring: to celebrate local potential.”
Giving Spotlight To Regional Roots
One of the most anticipated highlights is a Long Table Lunch at Casa Luna, celebrating the bold, spice-driven cuisine of Maluku. With beloved hosts Abba and Mama Dila Banda leading the culinary storytelling, guests will savor rare dishes flavored with nutmeg, kenari, and ancestral knowledge passed through generations.
In another cross-island tribute, Bumi Kinar Ubud hosts a Sundanese (West Javan Tribe) Six-Hands Dinner, fusing the spirit of Bandung, West Java, with Bali. This collaboration between Chef Rama (Jingga), Joongla Indonesia, and Chef Agus Hermawan of Michelin-starred Ron Gastrobar in Amsterdam blends cultural nostalgia with modern finesse.
Fine Dining, Chef Collaborations, and Culinary Firsts
Fine dining enthusiasts can look forward to a Four-Hands Dinner at Kubu Restaurant, where Chef Kim Hock Su of Singapore’s Au Jardin (which has earned one Michelin star) joins forces with Chef Eka Sunarya. Together, they’ll deliver a refined menu marrying French elegance with Indonesian soul.
Meanwhile, Plataran Ubud offers a heartfelt family-style feast led by Chef Ragil (Nusa Gastronomy) and Chef Thedy Ferly (Masa Masa) — a celebration of staple Indonesian ingredients such as tubers, sago, and sorghum, honoring both the everyday and the extraordinary.
The Industry’s Rising Stars
A new generation of chefs takes the spotlight, redefining tradition with fearless innovation. Chef Made Dhanu and Chef Kori collaborate at Ramu Kitchen, offering a vibrant Four-Hands Dinner that fuses Melbourne-inspired modernity with deep Indonesian roots.
At Nusantara by Locavore, three of Indonesia’s most daring young chefs — Dick Derian, Yudha, and Putu Dodik — craft a bold Six-Hands Dinner that pays homage to the archipelago’s fiery, complex flavors while challenging conventions with creative flair.
Foraging And Flavor Stories
In a unique exploration of food and nature, Made Masak, Bali’s nomadic chef and wild forager, joins Chef Sheandy Satria at Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, to create a hyper-local menu inspired by foraged greens, river fish, and ancestral knowledge.
“In Bali, I take part in the tradition of ‘rambanan’— foraging wild plants from the surrounding environment. Through the theme of heritage, I want to share more widely what I’ve learned and practiced so far,” said Made Masak, a foraging chef from Tabanan, Bali. “The knowledge I carry comes from ancestral heritage, passed down with humility from previous generations. For example, I can recognize certain plants because my ancestors planted, cared for, and handed them down to be passed onto future generations. We actually live in abundance — in flavor, knowledge, and values. And through food, I want to celebrate that inheritance.”
At Spice by Chris Salans, award-winning mixologist Bili Wirawan presents a Masterclass on sustainable mixology, showcasing inventive cocktails that use local ingredients and reflect his eco-conscious craft.
Markets, Exhibitions, Food Talks
The Festival’s Food Market brings together over 70 stalls, featuring everything from Hanoi’s iconic Pho Thin to Bali’s own Palapa cocktail, alongside traditional sweets, plant-based bites, and top-notch coffee from % Arabica.
Guests can also experience the Base Genep Exhibition at Kulidan Kitchen & Space, a deep dive into Bali’s iconic spice blend and its cultural significance. Base Genep is the heart of Balinese cuisine — a richly aromatic, all-purpose spice paste used in everything from meats and vegetables to soups and curries. Meaning “complete base,” it’s the foundation of countless traditional dishes, bringing depth, balance, and heritage to every bite. Furthermore, the Festival’s official artwork by Gusde Sidhi debuts in a solo exhibition at Indus Restaurant on May 24.
Susan Jung, Hong Kong’s renowned food critic and bestselling author, brings her passion for home cooking and bold flavors to the Festival through a series of unforgettable events — including a fiery fried chicken dinner party alongside culinary legends Chef Wan and Cheong Liew at Indus Restaurant, a live demo of her beloved Mom’s Chicken Wings recipe at the Teater Kuliner Stage, and a talk on the art of cookbook writing with food writer Kevindra Soemantri.
A Living Celebration Of Indonesia’s Culinary Identity
“In our tenth year, food lovers can not only explore contemporary creations from the island’s finest chefs, but also unique regional cuisines rarely found in restaurants overseas,” said the festival’s Founder and Director, Janet DeNeefe. “From the vibrant flavors of Bangkanese, Sundanese, Minangkabau and East Nusa Tenggara, to dishes from Maluku and Papua, the diversity at this year’s festival showcases the nation’s astonishing yet underappreciated culinary identity, reflecting our theme Heritage. We are thrilled to invite everyone to come and savor the very best it has to offer.”
Tune in to Ubud Food Festival’s Instagram and Website for further inquiries. See you there!
Want to know more about the theme for this year’s Ubud Food Fest? Check out EnVi’s piece on how UFF 2025 highlights Indonesian gastronomy heritage here!
