The Bali Arts Festival is an all-round event: the first programs start at 10 a.m. and a broad range of activities and exhibitions remain open until deep into the night. They include exhibitions of paintings, photos, architecture, a handicraft fair, cooking demonstrations, competition of various skills as coconut leaf arrangement and cooking traditional dishes. The main performances start at 8 P.M., and this is the time when excitement is at its highest. The idea of the Bali Arts Festival is the brainchild of the former Director General of Culture (1968-1978) and Governor of the island (1978-1988) Prof. Dr. Ida Bagus Mantra. His basic idea, in line with the national motto "Unity in Diversity" (Bhineka Tunggal Ika), was to make the island's culture dynamic by emphasizing the role of its territorial cores: the banjar neighborhood and the desa adat ( traditional village). He encouraged the creativity of the banjars (neighborhood associations) and desa adats (customary villages), which are the fertile ground of Balinese arts. The small seka sebunan association spawned by the banjars and desa adats were given the opportunity to be creative and to perform at the Bali Arts Festival.

By sponsoring a series of contests between banjars, subdistricts and districts, complete with prizes and high exposure, Ida Bagus Mantra succeeded in gaining the enthusiastic support of all the rural population for whom performing at the Art Center became the indication of success.