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cultural parade with messages of environmental conservation will mark the official opening of Nusa Dua Fiesta, an annual festival featuring art, culture, sports, entertainment and exhibitions this Friday afternoon.

The parade, by representatives of hotels in Nusa Dua, will start at 5 p.m. in front of The Bay Bali heading to Peninsula island, where the five-day event takes place. Representatives from the festival'€™s organizer, Bali Tourism Development Corporation (BTDC), will lead the parade, themed Kebo Iwa from Balinese folklore, followed by participants from hotels in Nusa Dua.

The parade, accompanied by the sounds of Balinese traditional instruments tektekan and okokan, will feature various form of creativity from the hotels expressing their message of environmental conservation, in line with the festival'€™s theme this year '€œWana Lelanguan'€ (Conserving the Beauty of the Forest). The theme is expected to remind people of the importance of forest conservation to support sustainable tourism.

'€œIn this parade, the hotels are free to be creative about environmental conservation,'€ said Ida Bagus Abdhi, chairman of the Nusa Dua Fiesta organizing committee.

The parade will be followed by Sekar Jepun Colossal dance, an iconic traditional dance of Badung regency. A series of highly anticipated dance and music performances will be presented for the festival audience, including The Way of Life Colossal Dance that tells the story of the Bharatayuda war, performed by Sasiwimba art group from Denpasar.

Performances of traditional Balinese music from Bona Alit Studio and American blues and soul music by Jim Larkins and Band will be the closing event on the first day of the festival.

On Friday morning, before the festival is officially opened, the venue will be open to the public to visit handicraft and stone carving exhibitions. Visitors are also welcome to take part in competitions held by the Indonesian Chefs Association, including fruit and vegetable carving and creative table setup.

The highlights of this year'€™s festival are the Bali Sports Week '€” a week of various sports competitions from Nov. 10 to 17, Bali Highway Half Marathon '€œRun Under the Stars'€ on Nov. 17 '€” hailed as the first ever marathon to be held on Bali'€™s new toll road at night, and the Indonesian Music Expo (IMEX) featuring world-class musicians performing collaborations of traditional and modern music.

Andreas Kansil, project director of Bali Highway Half Marathon, said that as many as 1,000 professional and amateur runners had confirmed their participation in this unique running competition.

Franki Raden, IMEX founder and director, said that the event was held to provide a new arena and challenge for musicians who play world music, a term used for types of pop, rock, or jazz music with an ethnic flavor.

There will be a series of other spectacular events during the five-day event at the Nusa Dua resort'€™s Peninsula with its backdrop of 15-meter-high waterspouts from the waves of the Indian Ocean smashing into the cliffs.

Since 1996, Nusa Dua Fiesta has served to raise awareness of Nusa Dua Resort among domestic and foreign tourists.