Damian Lazarus is expanding his acclaimed Day Zero series to Bali, with the inaugural Balinese edition scheduled for April 17, 2026. Organizers say the full artist lineup will be unveiled in the months ahead.

The Bali announcement builds on a busy year for Day Zero: earlier plans include the festival’s Brazil debut on January 3 in São Miguel dos Milagres, in the state of Alagoas, and a return to its original Tulum gathering on January 10, 2026. The Tulum event — which has run in that location since 2012 and gained major momentum after 2018 and again in 2021 — will feature artists such as Mau P, Seth Troxler, Nicola Cruz and Lazarus among others.

Lazarus says Day Zero’s expansion grew organically rather than from a premeditated roadmap. After traveling widely and connecting with established producers and promoters, his team carefully weighed each opportunity, opting only for locations that resonated with the project’s artistic and cultural sensibilities.

Day Zero Bali will be produced in collaboration with the Savaya Group, a local production collective known for dance-focused events across Bali and Jakarta. Lazarus first connected with Savaya during visits to the island and found them to be natural partners for realizing his vision.

He describes a deep personal connection to Bali’s culture, traditions and atmosphere, and says that relationship inspired conversations with Savaya about creating a festival tailored to the island’s spirit — a site-specific gathering conceived from lived experience and local collaboration.

According to Lazarus, the decision to add two new international editions in 2026 reflects the team’s sense that the moment is right. He emphasizes that Day Zero’s core creative group coalesces once a year in Mexico to shape a distinctive, performance-led experience, and that expanding to select new places felt like a natural extension of that work.

The artist curation process is driven by the location itself: Lazarus explains that he walks potential sites, imagines transformations, and assembles lineups that will complement each setting’s unique energy and aesthetic.

To preserve the festival’s standards and values, the organizers note that only three Day Zero editions will take place in 2026. They stress a commitment to careful production, meaningful sustainability initiatives, and respectful engagement with indigenous traditions and communities.

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