Kandy Book Fair 2018 from 27 June to 1 July

A wonderful opportunity awaits the country’s book lovers as the historic Kandy City is ready yet again to host the ‘Kandy Book Fair’, proudly organised by the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association. As an annual event featuring stalls of bookstores and book publishers from around the island, the event will offer a wide range to choose from. There will be up to 20% discounts on a plethora of categories, including educational publications and other genres such as religion, literature, fiction and non-fiction. 

The Kandy Book Fair 2018 is scheduled for 27 June to 1 July from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on all days at the Kandy City Centre premises. 

The Book Publishers Association extends its sincere gratitude to all the sponsors for their assistance in this vital endeavour of inculcating the reading habit among young and old alike. Samudra Book Publishers is the proud Principal Sponsor, while the Platinum Sponsors are Sarasavi Book Shop, Akura Publishers, M. D. Gunasena and Godage. The Gold Sponsors are Vijitha Yapa Book Shop, Ashirwada Publishers, Panther and Wasana Publishers, while the Print Media Sponsor is Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. Kandurata FM–SLBC is the official radio partner, and Northwood Consulting Ltd. joins as official communications partner. The event, which is co-organised by the Kandy City Centre, is guaranteed to be an attraction considering the line-up of entertainment items that have been arranged with the participation of a number of schools. On the first day of the event, there will be a Bakthi Gee performance conducted by St. Sylvester’s College from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. On 28 June, there will be three performances - the Orchestra of Pushpadana Balika Vidyalaya will take stage from 10 a.m. to 12 noon followed by a performance by the Orchestra of Rahula Vidyalaya Katugastota from 1.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. and the final item will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. with Girls High School Kandy taking the spotlight. The next day (29 June) will be adorned by a performance by the Orchestra of Hemamali Balika Vidyalaya, which will take place from 4.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. The final performance of the event will be by the Orchestra of Mahamaya Balika Vidyalaya, which will be staged from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on 1 July. 

In addition, the organisers have taken special efforts in putting together a series of panel discussions that will feature a number of academics and experts in the field of literature.

• On 27 June, Timran Keethi, Dominick Chandrasali, Wasantha Nuwunhella, Padmini Shriyalatha and Ananda Abeywickrama, poets from the Kurunegala, Matale and Badulla areas, will comprise the panel, and the discussion will be moderated by Sudarshana Samaraweera. The discussion will be held from 11 a.m. till 12 noon.
• On 28 June, the panel will consist of Nishanka Wijemana, H. B. Gunaratne and Chulabhya Shantha Kumara Herath, who are renowned short story fiction writers from Mahiyangana, Badula and Matale. The discussion will be moderated by Prof. Prabath Jayasinghe and will be from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
• The poets from Peradeniya will be featured at the panel discussion scheduled to take place on 29 June from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. with the participation of Sudharshana Samaraweera, Nuwan Thotawatta, Ranathunga Malwaarachi and Kapila M. Gamage, while the discussion will be moderated by Prof. Liyanage Amarakeerthi.
• The final panel discussion will take place on 30 June under the theme ‘Recollections and Celebrations of Art Life in Kandy’ with the participation of Raja Uswetakeeyawa, Ranjitha Wijesinghe, Wickrama Palihawadana and Hemantha Anurasiri. The discussion will take place from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will be moderated by Prof. Liyanage Amarakeerthi.

The organisers invite every Sri Lankan to grab this opportunity. For anyone pursuing a quest for knowledge, or simple satisfaction and relaxation through books, the Kandy Book Fair 2018 is a promising avenue. 

Let your desire for reading grant you an unforgettable experience!