Taste of Colombo

SRI Lanka is a country that has a rich diversity in terms of its people. Different ethnic groups and the multiple religious backgrounds mainly contribute towards this beautiful mix that has found its right balance through time and age. Our history, heritage, arts and crafts are true evidence to this fact as much as our food. Here we begin the story of “Taste of Colombo”.

The concept of this street fiesta goes a step further from a standard ‘food festival’ as it brings together the elements of history, culture, art, crafts and trade to give the patrons a real taste of our nation. Spanning over three nights this festival has a line up of cultural attractions that is guaranteed to bring back the cultural entertainment we proudly say is original to us as a country. A mini perahera, traditional dance and drum acts, stilt walkers, fire dancers are some of the many items you can expect here.

Young entrepreneur Malinga Fernando (27), Director of Lanka Event Management said “While I was studying in USA, I went for the “Taste of Chicago” festival and I was inspired to do something similar here in Sri Lanka. After all we have a lot more diversity and variety to offer in terms of culture, history and heritage.” He further confirmed his plans of working with the national authorities to take this event to an international level and contribute to the local tourism industry by attracting more tourist arrivals. Sri Lanka is lagging behind countries like Thailand and Indonesia in terms of young tourist arrivals as we do not have a lot of entertainment acts that cater to their tastes. “Taste of Colombo” is one of the many events that Lanka Event Management plan to produce keeping this customer segment in mind. “Within the first two episodes I want this event to be the most sought after festival of this nature in the region” stated a confident Fernando.

Ever famous Green Path Avenue with its history of such celebrations has been carefully selected to be the venue for this inaugural feast where the street will be filled with food vendors ranging from star class restaurants to regular bakeries and the ultimate street stalls. Entrepreneurs from local traditional industries will fill up the remaining slots showcasing their flavors in batik, handicrafts, hand-loom, paintings and many more.

Lanka Event Management, the event planning arm of Lanka Hotels and Travels are the proud producers of “Taste of Colombo”, who have combined the synergies of multiple attractions to put together this mega event, which is scheduled to be held on 31 March- 2 April. The last day of this street festival is planned to coincide with the ICC Cricket World Cup finals where there will also be two giant screens used to telecast the action. Papare music and a DJ is also in place to steer you through the final day as we show the true spirit of Sri Lanka as a nation in love with this beautiful game.

A key objective of this exercise is to promote Sri Lanka tourism to the international community and as such, the event organizers look forward to hosting this event annually. Entrance to the festival is free of charge to everyone while a special invitation is also sent out to all foreign guests who are currently visiting the country. Hence please visit our website www.tasteofcolombo.com for more details on how you can be a part of this national celebration either as a vendor or as a sponsor. This is our invitation for you to taste Colombo through “Taste of Colombo 2011.”