Kandy Esala Perahera: Colombo

The Kandy Esala Perahera is Sri Lanka's largest and most revered Buddhist procession, held each year in honour of the sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha enshrined at the Sri Dalada Maligawa. Over ten consecutive nights the streets of Kandy fill with caparisoned tuskers, Kandyan dancers, whip-crackers, fire-spinners and temple drummers, watched by tens of thousands of pilgrims and visitors. The festival opens with the five Kumbal Perahera nights — the most ceremonial and devotional phase — and builds into the Randoli Perahera, the grander closing nights when the procession is at its largest. Each night follows the same route through the city, so the night you choose sets the scale of the spectacle rather than what you see. holds private reserved seating along the route. Your ticket covers the entry fee and a numbered seat for the full procession, so you watch in comfort instead of standing in the roadside crowd. Pick your night at booking; a personal guide, food and drinks are not included, and the minimum age is 12.