The Sri Lanka Festival 2024 was celebrated on a grand scale at the Sri Lanka High Commission in Canberra on Saturday, 02 March 2024. This Festival had been held in the past from 2016-2019 annually, and after a lapse of 5 years it was timely to hold the festival this year.
The prime objective of this festival was to introduce Sri Lanka as an attractive destination for tourism, trade and investment. Australia is ranked as one of the top 10 tourism markets for Sri Lanka.
At the inauguration of the festival, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Australia Chitrangaee Wagiswara spoke of the need to highlight Sri Lanka in Australia due some negative perceptions in the recent past. She stated that the country is moving towards the path to the recovery and it was timely to stage this event and project the positive aspects of Sri Lanka.
Addressing the audience, the Commissioner for the Intentional Engagement in the ACT Government Brendan Smyth stated that in multicultural Australia, the ACT Government is pleased to promote and support such activities with diverse communities and provide opportunities for the people to enjoy and experience various aspects of different cultures.
Sri Lankan community leaders and associations joined the Sub-Committee of the High Commission and voluntarily contributed in organizing the event.
The Sri Lanka High Commission stall featured Sri Lanka tea and flavoured iced tea which was very popular with the visitors due to the warm weather. The additional focus was on the promotion of tourism, with tourism clips been shown throughout the day and attractive tourism brochures were distributed to all those who visited the stall.
The Sri Lankan Airlines partnered with the High Commission by providing a return air ticket as the first prize in the raffle draw, while Hilton Hotel, Colombo, Mountain Heaven, Ella and Sri Lankan Restaurant in Canberra Banana Leaf offered vouchers. In addition, the High Commission arranged five consolation prizes.
Right throughout the day, prominent dance troupes and musical groups performed colourful and graceful dances depicting the multicultural diversity of Sri Lanka which included low country/upcountry dances and Bharatha Natyam. The students from prominent dance troupes, Bhagya School of Dance, Manuki Dance Troup from Sydney, Shalani Perera and Troupe, Janaka Banagala Troup, Aksharah Troup presented beautiful performances. In addition, music items were presented by Canberra based music groups adding value to the cultural segment.
This event attracted over 3,000 visitors including Australians, Sri Lankans living in Australia, diplomatic community, the business sector and the media.
High Commission of Sri Lanka
Canberra
