Bali's hypnotic fire-and-chant ritual - over fifty men chanting in unison as the Ramayana plays out around a ring of flame. No instruments, no music, just voices. Performed every Tuesday and Sunday at sunset.
The Kecak has no gamelan, no drums, no melody - only the human voice. A circle of more than fifty men chant "cak-cak-cak" in interlocking rhythms, building a wall of sound that carries the whole story. It sounds ancient, and it feels it, though the form as you see it today was shaped in the 1930s from a much older trance ritual called sanghyang.
The performance follows the Ramayana: Prince Rama's wife Sita is stolen by the demon king Ravana, and the white monkey general Hanuman comes to the rescue. The climax comes when Hanuman is set alight and dances barefoot through burning coconut husks - real fire, kicked across the stage. You will feel the heat from your seat.
Performances run every Tuesday and Sunday evening in Ubud, starting around sunset and lasting about an hour. Seating is on stone tiers, so bring something to sit on if you like comfort. Arrive early for a front row. We handle your ticket and drive you door to door - no scrambling for a seat.