Editorial 311

It wasn’t long ago, maybe ten years now, that there were tens of bars set up right along the beach from Kuta to Seminyak which were eventually demolished after authorities made a law that any buildings on the beach were illegal. Years passed and then bars started sprouting up next to the beach in Seminyak, not exactly on the beach like before, and it seemed it was all fine to have beach bars again. Many tourists come to Bali for that kind of thing. Sitting around on the beach listening to music and having a cold one while the sun goes down sounds like a good way to spend your holiday on a tropical island and those bars are busy till this day, and there’s no wonder why. Batu Belig beach has seen some changes over the past couple of years and bars have been popping up all over the beach front. Most of them were closed last week and dismantled. A lot of people around town have voiced their concerns over these hot spots being closed but at the end of the day the rules are there, the controversial spatial law has to be upheld at some point and somewhere. While there appears to be other more outrageous developments going on with little regard to the spatial laws, those bars on the beach, which from a distance didn’t appear to be hurting anyone and gave great joy to many, have gone. Possibly there will be some kind of resolution for some of them to continue trading, but for now the party on the beach is on shaky ground.

But, don’t fret, there are plenty more parties and venues in other parts of town to take care of your nightlife instincts. Check the Main Stage and Regular Events pages inside for all the details and have a grand two weeks on the island.