Taman Festival: The Abandoned Theme Park in Bali

On the east coast of Bali, in a town called Sanur, you’ll find a scene straight out of Jurassic Park. With buildings wrapped in vines and trees pushing their way through the concrete, it seems as though Mother Nature is beginning to reclaim Taman Festival — a theme park that was abandoned almost 30 years ago.

So, where is Taman Festival, Bali? Why was it abandoned? How can you get there to explore it for yourself? Read on to find out.

Why was Taman Festival Bali abandoned?

Almost three decades ago, the Indonesian government and a wealthy investor wanted to build a theme park in the busy hub of Sanur. Located just north of Sanur itself, they hoped the park would become a tourist hotspot and place Sanur firmly on the tourist trail.

Costing a whopping $100 million to build, Taman Festival featured laser shows, a 3D cinema, an inverted rollercoaster, and the biggest swimming pool in Bali.

However, after a string of unlucky events and poor business decisions, Taman Festival was scrapped and never opened its doors. It seems ambiguous as to why the theme park was abandoned; some say that it simply closed due to financial difficulties, some say there was a dispute over land use, and others say it was struck by lightning on Friday 13th of March 1998, causing irreparable damage which insurance refused to cover.

Regardless of the reason, Taman Festival shut down and has been left abandoned ever since.

Balinese legend says that abandoned sites become occupied by “roaming spirits,” and Taman Festival is now thought to be the most haunted place on Bali, attracting spirits from all over the island. Locals refuse to enter because of these spirits, and probably also because of the rumoured man-eating crocodile who resides there.

How To Visit Taman Festival in 2025

Despite the park being a derelict site, people still visit regularly, and there seem to be no plans to prevent people from entering at this time. In fact, on arrival, you will likely be charged 20,000 IDR (about $1.30) by locals as a “donation for upkeep.” I’m not sure how official this charge is, but it’s easier to just pay. You’ll be hassled otherwise.

Taman Festival is located towards the northern end of Jalan Padang Galak road, about 20 minutes north of Sanur town itself. You can get there by taking a taxi, ride-share, or motorbike. We got there via Uber, but then we couldn’t request one to take us back as we couldn’t get a signal. If you’re not using a motorbike, I’d suggest asking a driver to wait for you, or to ask him to return in a couple of hours.

As the site is abandoned, there are no official opening hours. However, I would advise that you only visit during daylight. Taman Festival isn’t dangerous in the criminal sense, but structurally, it’s very much a decaying ruin. Walls collapse, floors give way, there are lots of random holes, and rusted metal protrudes from the ground.

There’s no supervision, no maintenance, and no first aid. Come with a healthy dose of caution and common sense. Don’t climb onto rooftops. Don’t go into rooms that look like they’re about to fall in. Don’t wear open-toed shoes. The place is also quite overrun by mosquitoes, so I would recommend covering up and wearing plenty of bug spray.

What to expect when exploring Taman Festival

I’m a huge fan of abandoned places, so Taman Festival was at the very top of my bucket list when I arrived in Bali.

And so, on a grey, rainy day, myself and my two travel companions grabbed an Uber from our hostel in Sanur and made our way to the abandoned theme park. As we walked through its gates, we were met by two “security guards” who tried to make us pay for entry. Having done my research, I had read about this online; entry is free as it is a derelict site, and fake security guards often stand there to try and get money out of tourists. We ignored them and walked in.

Graffiti-covered, crumbling buildings, broken glass and rusting metal covered the old theme park, and we carefully picked our way through the ruins.

Apparently, the theme park was built to include a crocodile pit. There were rumours that crocodiles were left behind after the park was abandoned and that local farmers would visit to keep them fed. Eventually, the farmers stopped coming, and the crocs resorted to cannibalism. One surviving crocodile had apparently killed trespassing humans in the past.

The genuineness of this story seems unlikely, but nonetheless, I was still somewhat wary and walked past the crocodile pit with caution.

We came upon the 3D cinema, which carried a particularly eerie atmosphere with holes in the floor, the screeching of bats, and old film tape strewn across the ground. It was pitch black in there, too, and smelled like something had died in there recently. I am not a believer in the supernatural, but the old cinema certainly gave me the chills, and I struggled to delve too far into its depths.

My favourite part of the park was the graffiti art. Some of it was seriously impressive and helped to contribute to the post-apocalypse vibe that emanated throughout the park. I really loved the owl (pictured below) which was drawn by street artist WildDrawing.

I really enjoyed exploring Taman Festival and highly recommend you visit if you’re in Bali. It was easily the highlight of my trip to the island! Would you visit this abandoned theme park?

If you’re a fan of abandoned places, maybe you want to check out this abandoned water park in Vietnam, too.

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