Events and Holidays in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's iconic holidays and festivals.

If you want to visit Sri Lanka and experience its festivals and celebrations, be sure to check out our festival calendar.

  • January, Colombo - Duruthu Perahera: Commemorating the arrival of the Buddha in Sri Lanka
  • January - Traditional annual Navam parade to the walls of the capital's main Buddhist temple, Gangaram
  • March-April - New Year's Eve: Accompanied by elephant races and various sporting events
  • May - Vesak: The first day of the Hindu new year and one of the major holidays of Sikhism
  • April-May - Buddha Jayanti: A major festival of Buddhists, widely celebrated in the north of the country

July-August - Kandy Yesala Perahera: A ten-day ceremony featuring thousands of activities honoring the sacred tooth of Buddha from the Kandy temple.

July-August - The Hindu festival of Vel in Colombo: Celebrated with a ceremony to drive the sacred chariot of the war god Skanda.

July-August - Kataragama festival in Katagarama: Accompanied by various religious performances.

Muslim holidays:

  • April-May - Eid ul-Adha: The festival of sacrifice (Eid ul-Azha)
  • May-June - Maulid al-Nabi: Prophet Muhammad's birthday (Eid e-Milad)
  • May-June - Tajiyah: Day of Mourning (Muharram)
  • October - Barah Wafat: The day of remembrance of Prophet Muhammad
  • Ramadan: The fall week-long holiday

February 4 is Independence Day of the Republic of Sri Lanka, celebrated with numerous parades, dance, and theatrical performances


tripmydream - travel service, that helps to find compare and buy best flights and rooms worldwide with the given budget . All necessary information for travelers - is right here!