Colombo through the year

Full-moon Poya days

Each full moon is a public holiday in Sri Lanka. Temples fill with worshippers dressed in white, offices, banks and many shops close, and alcohol is not sold, so bars and liquor shops shut for the day.

A calm, beautiful day to visit a temple. If you would like a drink at home, stock your loft fridge the day before.

Duruthu Perahera, Kelaniya

The year begins with the Duruthu full moon, when the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, one of the island’s most revered temples, on the Kelani River north-east of the city, holds night processions of elephants, drummers and dancers.

Processions run on the nights before the full moon. Go by car and arrive early for a good spot.

Thai Pongal

The Tamil harvest festival and a public holiday. Families boil milk and new rice until the pot spills over for luck, and kolam patterns are drawn at doorways. Visit a Hindu kovil in the morning, such as the granite Sri Ponnambalavaneswaram in Kotahena.

Dress modestly and remove your shoes at temples. The kovil opens 5am to 11:30am and 4:30pm to 7:30pm.

Navam Perahera, Gangaramaya

Our neighbourhood’s own festival. Around the Navam full moon in February, Gangaramaya Temple leads a great night procession of decorated elephants, Kandyan dancers, drummers, whip-crackers and fire performers through the streets around Beira Lake, a few minutes’ walk from VAUX.

Roads around Park Street close in the evenings, so walk rather than drive, and ask our concierge for the route and timings.

Independence Day

Sri Lanka’s national day, marked with a ceremony, parade and flags across the city.

Expect some road closures in central Colombo on the day and during rehearsals before it.

Ramadan and Eid

During Ramadan, the streets of Pettah and Slave Island come alive after sunset as families break the fast together, and Eid al-Fitr, at its end, is a public holiday. The dates follow the lunar calendar.

The red-and-white Red Mosque in Pettah is a beautiful sight. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times, dressed modestly. Afterwards, have falooda at Bombay Sweetmeat Mart opposite.

Sinhala and Tamil New Year

The biggest family holiday of the year. At auspicious times chosen by astrologers, families light the hearth, cook milk rice and share kavum, kokis and other sweets, and parks and villages hold traditional games. Colombo goes quiet as people travel home, and many shops and restaurants close for a few days.

Book restaurants and transport ahead and stock your kitchen. April is also the hottest, most humid month, so plan walks and outdoor exercise for early morning or evening.

Vesak

The full moon of May marks the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha, and Colombo is at its most beautiful. Streets fill with handmade lanterns and huge illuminated pandals telling stories from the Buddha’s life, and roadside dansal stalls hand out free food and drinks to everyone. Gangaramaya and Beira Lake, a few minutes from VAUX, are lit up for days.

Evenings are best and the crowds are good-natured. Walk rather than drive, and remember bars close for Vesak, as on every Poya day.

Poson

The June full moon celebrates the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Its heart is at Mihintale, near Anuradhapura, but Colombo has its own lanterns and dansal stalls too.

Vel festival

One of Colombo’s great Hindu festivals, honouring Lord Murugan. A golden chariot carrying his vel, or spear, is pulled in procession from the Kathiresan kovil on Sea Street in Pettah, past Galle Face and along Galle Road to Bambalapitiya, with drummers and devotees, and returns a few days later.

The procession passes Kollupitiya, about 1.2 km from VAUX. Expect road closures on Galle Road on procession days.

Kandy Esala Perahera

Sri Lanka’s most famous festival: ten nights of processions in Kandy, with around a hundred elephants, the casket of the sacred tooth relic and thousands of dancers and drummers, building to the final night at the Esala full moon. Kandy is about three hours from Colombo by road.

Book seats and a room in Kandy well ahead. We can arrange the car through our transport partner.

Kites on Galle Face

From around May to September, the south-west monsoon brings passing showers and strong sea breezes. On windy evenings, Galle Face Green fills with kites, food stalls and families.

Buy a kite from a vendor on the green and stay for the sunset.

Deepavali

The Hindu festival of lights and a public holiday. Homes and kovils glow with oil lamps, families share sweets, and the Tamil neighbourhoods of Wellawatte and Pettah are at their most festive.

Christmas

Colombo embraces Christmas. Malls and hotels are dressed in lights, churches hold midnight Mass, and the Galle Face Hotel’s festive season is a city tradition.

December is one of our busiest months, so book your loft and any special dinners early.

New Year’s Eve

Parties fill the hotels, rooftops and seafront, and the clubs on Park Street, a few steps from our door, run late into the night.

Book tables ahead. Please keep it quiet when you come home: our quiet hours run from 11pm to 8am.