News & Events
Up to date news and events enabling you to plan your trip and to make the most of your visit to the island
The Kandy Esala Perahera
The Kandy Perahera pageant is a much anticipated event in the Sri Lanka event calendar and is a Buddhist festival. The event commences on the Esala Full Moon Poya day and concludes on the Nikini Full Moon Poya day. The majestic elephants, richly decorated are featured so prominently in the “Esala Perahera” together with hundreds of Kandyan dancers wearing elegant costumes, fire-dancers, whip-dancers and acrobats entertaining the thousands gathered to witness this great event. The festival ends with the traditional “diya-kepeema”.
This year’s Esala Perahera will be featured from the 15th to the 24th August. The significance of this great event is to seek blessings of the gods to give rain to the farmers to cultivate their crops. The ritual is performed by carrying the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha through the city streets of Kandy which is done with great ceremony.
Viewing galleries are available to make this exciting pageant convenient to you. Please contact for more bookings and more information.
The “Vesak” Festival
The "Vesak" festival is a religious festival commemorating the birth of Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The emphasis in celebrating Vesak is to reinforce the Buddha's life including his birth, enlightenment and the passing away. The traditional lunar calendar is followed to determine the day of the Vesak which falls on a full moon day of the month of May. Buddhists spend the Vesak engaging in religious and cultural activities and many devotees could be seen dressed in white.
Some of the significant attractions during Vesak, is the display of lanters and Pandals of various shapes and sizes in coloured electric lights. From houses to the streets, the popular junctions and in many public places these lanterns and pandals are displayed. These attractions could be seen throughout the island especially in Colombo, Kandy and in the holy city of Anuradhapura.
The “Gathering”
Especially during the month of July and in August where the long drought prevails in the dry zone, the tanks and other water sources dry out. The elephants living in the surrounding areas gather around the Minneriya tank within the Minneriya National Park to drink and especially feed on the newly grown grass which grows on the tank bed. The Minneriya tank built by King Mahasen hundreds of years ago, provides the much needed water to the hundreds of elephants approaching the river in different herds.
On average a fully grown elephant needs about 100 litres of water a day and during the dry season, the Minneriya tank becomes their savior.
The jeep safari operated by the travel counters at the Cinnamon Lodge and at Chaaya Village in Habarana is the ideal way to watch the hundreds of elephants. This gathering of elephants is considered to be the largest in South Asia and is a popular attraction a must to do whenever you are within the cultural triangle.
It is acceptable that you visitors come across many species of butterflies and birds and sometimes see a rare sight of a crocodile or two.
Please contact for more bookings and more information.
Sri Lanka – The place to visit
The National Geographic recently listed Sri Lanka second in its top 25 places to visit in 2010. Featuring just behind Bhutan, which secured the top spot, the island nation was described by Jill Crawshaw, Travel Writer for “The Times” is quoted as saying,” You go to Sri Lanka and you find just a little bit of everything. You couldn’t be bored in a million years!”
This latest accolade follows closely on the “The New York Times’” January listing, in which Sri Lanka clinched the top spot in its “31 Places to Go in 2010.”
“Poya Day” in Sri lanka
The Poya Day is a Buddhist public holiday in Sri Lanka which occurs every full moon day. The Poya is significant to all Buddhists who have adopted the Lunar Calendar for their religious observances.
Every full-moon day is considered a Poya day by the Buddhists who is required to visit the temples for their rituals of worship. The terms Poya is derived from the Pali and Sanskrit form primarily signifying "fast day". Generally shops and businesses are closed on Poya Days, and the sale of alcohol and meat is forbidden.
The Galle Literary festival
Held annually usually in January or in February, the Galle Literary Festival invite visitors an opportunity to appreciate the work of Sri Lankan and international authors through workshops, literary and intellectual discussions.
Please contact for more bookings and more information.
The “Nawam Perahera’
This is an annual festival, held since 1979 is celebrated in the month of February. The Navam Perahera transforms the city of Colombo under the weight of over 100 colourful elephants, drummers and dancers during February's full moon. The festival is organized and planned by the Gangaramaya Temple allowing the procession along the picturesque Beira Lake in Hunupitiya, Colombo.
Please contact for more bookings and more information.
The Independence Day
The independence day of Sri Lanka is celebrated on the 4th of February. Many Srilankans look forward to the formal procession of the armed forces and the president’s speech telecasted live on National and other private television networks.
The national flag is hoisted in many cities across the island by public offices and it is normal that milk rice and typical Srilankan sweets are a part of the event not forgetting the fire crackers to celebrate independence.
The Sinhala & Tamil New Year
The Sinhalese Buddhists and the Tamil Hindus in Sri Lanka both celebrate the New Year in the month of April. The festival coincides with the end of harvest, propelling the celebrations across the island. It is normal that most parts of the country grind to a halt as people travel home to be with their families to celebrate their New Year. A variety of domestic rituals take place, determined by astrological calculations, such as lighting the fire and preparing the famous milk rice.
Celebrations begin in each household and in the streets with the sound of fire crackers alongside celebratory feasts of kawung (a fried sweet cake) and kokis (a crispy cracker). Elders and parents are worshipped by presenting the beetle leaf in typical traditional fashion mostly visible in villages.
