Fire dancer in Galle, Sri Lanka 09 Dec 2016
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Sri Lanka’s festival calendar holds a wealth of religious pageantry, with spectacular processions, caparisoned elephants, and drummers and dancers aplenty. The country's population are firm believers that they hold more festivals and events than any other country on earth.
Not all Sri Lankan festivals are religious, however. The Galle Literary Festival (late Jan/early Feb), first held in 2007, established itself on the international literary scene, attracting leading authors from around the world, along with eminent Sri Lankan scribes, although its future is currently uncertain. The success of this, however, has inspired a spate of other new festivals ranging from the Colombo Art Biennale (Feb) through to the Electric Peacock Music Festival (Dec), and the Hikka Beach Fest (late July/early Aug), during which revellers take over the beach at Hikkaduwa.
Discover the charming colonial town of Galle as part of Insight Guides' Sri Lanka – Culture and Coast trip, which takes in a visit of Galle's legendary fort.
