In celebration of South Asian Heritage Month, SRI LANKAN CULTURE COLLECTIVE is launching a first of its kind, one day boutique festival to showcase the food and culture from across the richly diverse and vibrant Sri Lankan diaspora, taking place Sunday 22nd September at 12pm-10.30pm on Battersea Barge, in Wandsworth, with early bird tickets on sale now from £30 plus free-to-attend workshops here.
The collective is about community and collaboration and have created a unique day and night programme, with fellow artisans, founders and creatives, for full Sri Lankan cultural immersion.
What to expect on the day:
Hopper Making Masterclass – Learn how to make hoppers, Sri Lanka’s most iconic dish, with Rosh of Hop & Roll, these will be eaten with curries provided by Krish and Joey the co-founders of the cult Sri Lankan supper club MUVS ALL DAY and sambols by Ruci Foods.
Sari Draping Workshop – Join Sari maverick and cultural programmer Mehala Ford of Friday Sari Project, who will teach you how to drape contemporary sari – rock the sari but not the way granny did! Mehala will share the history and significance of the sari and how it continues to impact modern fashion and culture, with the chance to browse some beautiful hand-picked items in the pop-up shop.
Fireside chats – Talks from founders, tastemakers, creatives and trailblazers from across the Sri Lankan creative community, to be announced.
Comedy – Taking to the main stage to kick off the evening programme will be BBC’s new comedy award finalist, the comedy writer, director and stand-up Hari Kanth, who will be joined by up and coming talent from the South Asian comedy community.
Street food – The award-winning Colombo Kitchen, with restaurants in Worcester Park and Putney, will be serving up kotthu roti, Sri Lanka’s essential street food and undisputed ‘favourite dish’, from a live cooking station, with all the theatrical, culinary flourishes.
DJ – On the wheels of steel will be AP, a DJ who will throw down cutting edge Tamil music, mixing it with hip hop and afrobeat. He has notably played at the Sid Sriram pre-party, GV Prakash in Germany and an exclusive DJ set for BBC Asian Network.
Music performances – Live music from an array of phenomenal contemporary Sri Lankan artists showcasing music from across the diaspora, from the folky acoustic soul of Arjun Nala, the ethereal electronica of performer and musician Toulip Wonder and the multi-genre sounds of musician, producer and singer Nush
