What to know before you go.
Researched by Sarisara, with sources.
Nuwara Eliya, a hill town at 1,868 metres in Sri Lanka’s central highlands, is nicknamed “Little England” for its cool climate and colonial-era buildings, left behind by British civil servants and planters who once used the town for fox hunting, polo, golf and cricket. Each April, during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year holidays, the town comes alive with a season of sporting and social events that draws large numbers of visitors from across Sri Lanka.
The season formally opens on 1 April with school band performances, then runs through a packed calendar: the Mahagastotte and Radella hill-climb motor races (the Mahagastotte climb has run since 1934), the Nuwara Eliya Road Race, 4×4 lake-crossing competitions at Lake Gregory, the Governor’s Cup horse race (a nine-furlong race at the Nuwara Eliya Racecourse), golf tournaments at the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, and nightly parties at the town’s hotels. The month closes with a flower show.
Because so many Sri Lankans travel to Nuwara Eliya for the same week as the New Year holidays, accommodation in the town becomes scarce and prices rise; this is also, climatically, the coolest and most comfortable time to be in the hill country, with average temperatures around 16°C — a sharp contrast to the heat of the lowlands during the same week.
April National
The season runs through April, opening 1 April and overlapping with the Sinhala and Tamil New Year holidays (13-14 April); events are spread across the whole month, closing with a flower show
The exact dates follow the moon and are confirmed each year closer to the time.
Any seat or stand fees are paid locally and are not included in Sarisara prices.
Seat prices, where seats are sold, are not confirmed.
This research did not confirm ticket prices for races, golf tournaments or the flower show.
No specific dress code was confirmed; the town is cool year-round, so warm layers are practical.
Not dressed right? Not confirmed by this research.
This overlaps with, but is separate from, the Sinhala and Tamil New Year holiday itself.
No single organiser — a town-wide season of separate sporting and social events (motor racing, horse racing, golf, flower show) Official website
Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
Trips, experiences and stays in and around Nuwara Eliya.
Experiences
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Fire dancers light the road before the elephants of the Esala Perahera.
