Makepung (Bali's Water Buffalo Race)

Makepung is a traditional sports event in Negara regency. Word of "makepung" (Balinese) mean race. Like other race such as a horse race or auto race but makepung is a water buffalo race.


Negara is the western regency of Bali, with the capital town Jembrana is the sea gate from Java island. This regency a little bit diferent with other regencies in Bali, the daily lifes are influence by Javanese culture, more mosque shown than Hindu's temple along the road.



The people are mostly fisherman, trader, and farmer. A farmer family usually using a traditional equipment to plowing their ricefield with animal power which is water buffalo. In the harvest time the farmer are celebrating by racing between farmers. They compete to race for goal using a cart tied up to the water buffalo which controlled by a jockey. It always done every year as their own entertaintmen after working hard on the field, and it begun to envolve and draws more attention to the people.

In this day  makepung has become one of most interesting and viewed attraction for local and tourist. As a Negara regency origin attraction, now its held annually in between July to October in Perancak Circuit, thus professionally managed by the government of Negara.


At the first the participant of makepung must be a farmers, now its ussually represent a villages or farmer organisation subak. one village can be represent by two or more racers. But now the businessman and an employee worker are welcome to be the racers or either just a spectators. One racer has a pair of water buffalo who will pull a cart that ride by a jockey. The jockey is standing on the cart while holding the strings and a whip, he must have a skil how to manage their buffalo to make it run well and keep in track to the finish line. It will be one on one race with a knock out system. In the big race such as the Governour's cup the participants could be up to 200 racers and of course it will take a time to the final. The atmosphere gets to be livelier with the Jegog played (another traditional music instrument made from bamboo) to light up the morale of the racers.


The cart and the buffalo will be dress up uniquely as the racers identity and also with their own flag. The crowd of supporters mix with the Jegogan sounds make a great atmosphere experience.