The Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission in Chennai successfully hosted the inaugural “Sri Lanka Food Festival 2026” from April 24 to 26 at the Green Meadows Resort in Chennai. A notable highlight of the three-day festival was the participation of over 700 attendees. A large number of individuals representing various fields, including South Indian film actors and actresses, diplomats, business leaders, members of travel associations, Rotary Clubs, and journalists, attended the event.
“First-ever Sri Lankan Food Festival held in Chennai to promote tourism”
This festival provided a prime opportunity to showcase Sri Lanka’s diverse food culture to the world and allowed guests to experience the authentic taste of traditional Sri Lankan cuisine. The primary objective of the festival—which was highly successful—was to strengthen cultural ties between Sri Lanka and South India by promoting tourism, trade, and people-to-people relations through the appreciation of culinary culture.
The Chief Guest of the Sri Lanka Food Festival 2026 was Dr. Ishari K. Ganesh, Founder and Chancellor of Vels University. The event was also attended by Blaze Kannan of Dwarka Productions, Nasoomi Azar, General Manager of Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo, and Sri Lankan actor Kalana Gunasekara.
A special feature of the festival was the participation of expert chefs from the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, whose culinary skills allowed guests to experience the true essence of Sri Lankan flavors. Additionally, traditional dance performances by the Sri Lanka Police Dance Troupe showcased Sri Lanka’s rich artistic heritage to the visitors.
Suresh Jain, District Governor of Rotary District 3234, and Naveen Gupta, President of the Rotary Club of Chennai Coastal, also attended the occasion. Furthermore, the Rotary Club announced its decision to donate an ambulance to Sri Lanka and to renovate 30 schools in the country, further confirming the goodwill existing between the two nations in the health and education sectors.
The event, held under the leadership of Deputy High Commissioner Dr. Ganeshanathan Geethishwaram, was organized with the collaboration of the Sri Lanka Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the Tourism Division of the Government of India, the Tamil Nadu Government Tourism Department, Dwarka Productions of Chennai, and Tarlton Tea.
