The sun began tilting west, its light falling slanted across the rice fields of Cepaka Village. Right in the middle of that view, a new building opened its doors to the public for the first time. Open House Kimnara Space took place on the afternoon of August 16, 2026, closing out a long stretch of celebrations marking Indonesia’s 81st Independence Day that had already featured a community walk and a giant flag unfurling earlier that morning.
If the morning event was about footsteps and a kilometers-long flag, this afternoon was about something more intimate: sitting back, tasting local food, and watching village children perform a dance they’d spent months rehearsing.
Getting to Know Kimnara Space
Kimnara Space isn’t just a coworking space. Its role has grown into that of a community hub, a hangout spot, and a restaurant-café all at once, sitting in the middle of the scenic rice terraces of Cepaka Village, Kediri District, Tabanan Regency. The location itself is part of the draw — far from the buzz of Canggu or Ubud, yet still easy to reach, with green views rarely found in a modern workspace.
The building came out of a partnership between Coco Development and COCO Social Fund, and had already gone through a traditional melaspas blessing ceremony before opening. This afternoon’s open house marked the next chapter — not a ritual this time, but an introduction of the space to the wider public, paired with an independence celebration alongside residents.
Read also: Melaspas Kimnara Space: A New Coworking Hub Blessed the Balinese Way
The Cendrawasih Dance: A Gift From the Children of Cepaka Village
The most anticipated moment of the afternoon came when children from Cepaka Village stepped onto a small stage to perform the Cendrawasih dance.
The dance draws its inspiration from the bird of paradise, known in Balinese Hindu mythology as Manuk Dewata — the bird of the gods. Its choreography portrays the courtship ritual of a pair of birds of paradise, male and female, moving through three sections: pepeson at the start, pengawak as the core sequence, and pengipuk to close. Set to Balinese gamelan music, the dancers’ eye movements and facial expressions carry just as much weight as the choreography itself.
Choosing this dance for the open house wasn’t arbitrary. The bird of paradise is widely seen as a symbol of beauty and enduring love — a fitting match for a space that had just “come to life” and was ready to welcome its community with warmth.
What made the performance land even harder was the process behind it. The children dancing that afternoon weren’t professionals brought in from an outside studio — they were participants of the Pasraman program run by COCO Social Fund. They practiced diligently, week after week, before finally taking the stage in front of their own village.
That says something bigger than an afternoon’s entertainment. Through Pasraman, COCO Social Fund runs educational activities for children in Bali that don’t stop at the classroom — they lead to a real stage. The children build discipline and confidence while carrying Balinese cultural preservation forward through their own bodies, not just through lessons in a textbook.
Morning Contest Prizes, Handed Out That Afternoon
The open house also served as the closing act for the games held earlier that day. Winners of the sack race, cracker-eating contest, and other light competitions gathered again to collect their prizes.
Holding off the prize distribution until the afternoon was actually a smart move. Residents who joined the midday games had a solid reason to come back later — and once they showed up, they also became part of the Cendrawasih dance audience and Kimnara Space’s open house guests. One day, two events, one shared crowd.
Read also: Flag Unfurling HUT RI 81 in Cepaka Village: Thousands of Steps, One Flag, One Spirit
Beyond the dance and the prizes, guests’ appetites weren’t left out either. The open house brought in a spread of snacks and dishes from local UMKM (small business) vendors in Cepaka Village — from traditional snacks to hearty home-style dishes.
Choosing local vendors over outside catering carries its own weight. It’s a concrete form of community empowerment in Cepaka Village: small business owners get a wider audience, and their kitchens get to be part of a celebration this size. For guests from outside the village, it also meant a chance to taste something authentic — the kind of flavor rarely found at trendier cafés.
As host, Kimnara Space handed out free coffee and drinks throughout the event. The gesture suited a café opening its doors publicly for the first time — the simplest way to introduce its taste and atmosphere to what could become a regular customer base.
Sitting with a cup of coffee, watching the rice fields turn gold in the late afternoon light while gamelan music accompanied the children’s dance — that combination is hard to find anywhere else, even at Bali’s trendiest cafés.
For visitors coming from outside Cepaka Village, the afternoon offered more than a casual hangout. There was a strong thread of educational tourism running through it — watching firsthand how Balinese culture gets carried forward by the younger generation, how the local economy gets a boost through UMKM vendors, and how a commercial space can stand alongside a social program without feeling forced.
Going forward, this kind of format has real potential as a recurring event. Schools, community groups, or travelers curious about the side of Bali beyond beaches and nightclubs could turn Kimnara Space and Cepaka Village into a destination offering something more personal.
Closing Thoughts: An Afternoon That Closed the Day Warmly
Open House Kimnara Space wrapped up Cepaka Village’s 81st Independence Day celebrations in a way that felt different from most similar events. Not through speeches or stiff ceremony, but through children’s dance, prizes finally reaching their winners, local food steaming between wooden tables, and free coffee flowing through the afternoon.
If the morning was about togetherness on a large scale, this afternoon offered something warmer and more personal — proof that a social foundation in Bali like COCO Social Fund can mark independence in a way that touches culture, the local economy, and the younger generation all at once, in a single shared afternoon.
