According to research conducted by the STSI Academy of Arts, Bali has more than 6,000 sekeha or organizations involved in one way or another in the field of the arts. Most of them are for the purpose of performing of dance and music in religion. Almost every banjar or every village has its own Gong Kebyar (gamelan orchestra), or at least its Gong Beleganjur. There is a bottomless pool of cultural latent from which people and groups compete each year for the privilege of presenting their show to the city crowds of Denpasar.

The festival takes place in a huge "Art Center" located in the heart of the city of Denpasar. This art center contains a huge 6000-seat amphitheater for the performing of large-scale "Sendratari" ballets, but there is also a large indoor theatre building called the Ksirarnawa and some smaller half-open venues adapted to the intimate atmosphere of traditional dance and theater. These buildings were built according to the Balinese concepts of architecture. The Ardhacandra amphitheater thus has a huge split-gate as one sees only in the biggest Balinese temple.