The Temple of the Tooth had not announced the dates of the Kandy Esala Perahera 2027 when we checked on 7 November 2026. In the last two years the programme came out in June or July, on 19 June 2025 and 8 July 2026, each time 41 days before the first street night. By the Central Bank’s 2027 holiday list, Esala poya falls on Sunday 18 July 2027 and Nikini poya on Monday 16 August. The 2025 street processions ran from 30 July to 8 August and the 2026 ones from 18 to 27 August, each followed by a day procession. Both final Randoli nights fell on Nikini poya. That is a two-year pattern, not an announcement, and the Temple decides each year.
Key takeaways
- 2027: no dates on 7 November 2026. The full moons to watch are 18 July and 16 August 2027.
- In 2025 and 2026 there were ten street nights, five Kumbal and five Randoli, then a day procession.
- The Kandy Municipal Council’s 2026 grandstand seats cost Rs 5,000 to Rs 28,500. On 7 November 2026 its portal showed them sold out, with no 2027 prices.
- Trains from Colombo to Peradeniya, near Kandy, stopped on 25 October 2026 after a landslide, with no restart reported by 7 November.
Kandy Esala Perahera 2027 dates: what is known
In June 2025 the Diyawadana Nilame, Pradeep Nilanga Dela, chief custodian of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, confirmed the dates at a meeting held to fix and announce the programme, Ada Derana reported. In 2026 it was held at the Temple on 8 July with the Maha Sangha and the Kandy District Secretary, according to The Island. On 7 November 2026 the Temple’s website showed no 2027 date. Its festival site, kandyesalaperahera.com, whose footer names the Temple’s Media Bureau, still had the 2026 programme up.
| Year | Dates announced | Street processions | Last Randoli night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19 June | 30 July to 8 August | 8 August, Nikini poya |
| 2026 | 8 July | 18 to 27 August, day procession 28 August | 27 August, Nikini poya |
| 2027 | Not yet (7 Nov 2026) | Not announced | Not announced |
The 2026 poya dates are from the Central Bank’s 2026 list.
Some seller pages print 2027 nights as fixed, without pointing to any Temple announcement.
When the Temple publishes the 2027 programme, we will add the nights and start times here, with the date it was announced. The seat prices will change when the council opens 2027 bookings.
What happens, night by night
The Kandy Esala Perahera is the yearly procession of the Temple of the Tooth through the streets of Kandy. Perahera means procession. It honours the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha and four guardian deities, Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and the goddess Pattini, as the Temple’s festival site explains.
Kap planting and the shrine processions
It starts with the Kap ritual: a young jackfruit tree is cut, blessed and planted at each of the four devales, the shrines of the gods. In 2026 this happened at 6.12am on 13 August, according to the Daily Mirror. Processions inside the devale grounds followed from 13 to 17 August, Ada Derana said.
Kumbal Perahera: the first five street nights
The Kumbal Perahera is the first block of five street nights. The Temple’s history page calls it a semi procession, because the Nilames, the lay temple officials, do not walk in it. In 2026 police put the fourth Kumbal route at 1,270 metres, against about 2.15 km on the final night.
Randoli Perahera and the final night
The Randoli Perahera is the second block of five nights, named after the randoli, or palanquins. Queens once rode in them, the Temple’s page says, and one is still carried at the end of the procession in their honour, with each devale bringing its own.
The last Randoli is the grandest night. Tuskers wear gold-stitched costumes, drummers are in full ceremonial dress and the Diyawadana Nilame wears a newly made costume, the same page says. In 2026 it set off at 6.43pm and covered about 2.15 kilometres.
Water cutting and the day procession
Before dawn after the 2026 finale, the relic casket went to the Asgiriya Gedige Raja Maha Viharaya. The four devale processions went on to Gatambe for the water-cutting ceremony in the Mahaweli River, the Temple’s Media Bureau wrote. The day procession left Asgiriya at 2.18pm on 28 August. The Diyawadana Nilame then gave the President the Perahera Sandeshaya, the formal message that the festival was over.
The 2026 timetable and route
Start times are from the Temple’s 2026 table. Ada Derana carried the streets for the first, second, fourth and final nights, mostly from police statements. Veediya means street.
| Date (2026) | Procession | Start | Route as reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 18 Aug | 1st Kumbal | 6.52pm | Dalada, Colombo Street, Yatinuwara and Raja Veediya |
| Wed 19 Aug | 2nd Kumbal | 6.41pm | Dalada, D.S. Senanayake and Raja Veediya |
| Thu 20 Aug | 3rd Kumbal | 6.53pm | Not published |
| Fri 21 Aug | 4th Kumbal | 6.40pm | Dalada, Katugodalla and Raja Veediya |
| Sat 22 Aug | 5th Kumbal | 6.28pm | Not published |
| Sun 23 Aug | 1st Randoli | 6.44pm | Not published |
| Mon 24 Aug | 2nd Randoli | 7.00pm | Not published |
| Tue 25 Aug | 3rd Randoli | 6.53pm | Not published |
| Wed 26 Aug | 4th Randoli | 6.44pm | Not published |
| Thu 27 Aug | Final Randoli | 6.43pm | Dalada, Yatinuwara, Kande, D.S. Senanayake and Raja Veediya |
| Fri 28 Aug | Day procession | 2.18pm | Asgiriya to the Temple |
The Temple also posted maps of the 2026 routes.
Kandy Perahera seats and tickets
You can watch from the street without a ticket. In August 2026 Central Province police said seats may not be set out so that they block the pavements kept for devotees, Newswire reported.
Official reserved seats come from the Kandy Municipal Council. On its booking portal you pick a row and seat on a block map, pay online and receive a QR-coded e-ticket by email. It sold five nights in 2026, with 380 seats a night in 19 blocks. On 7 November 2026 it still showed the 2026 nights of 22, 25, 26 and 27 August as sold out, with the prices below per seat in rupees. It listed no 2027 nights or prices.
| Seat row | 4th and last Kumbal | 3rd / 4th Randoli | Final Randoli |
|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 (front) | 10,000 | 15,000 / 20,000 | 28,500 |
| Row 2 | 7,500 | 15,000 / 18,500 | 25,000 |
| Row 3 | 5,000 | 10,000 / 12,500 | 17,500 |
| Row 4 (back) | 5,000 | 10,000 / 10,000 | 17,500 |
The Central Bank’s indicative rates for 6 November 2026 were Rs 332.41 to the US dollar and Rs 372.63 to the euro. At those rates Rs 5,000 to Rs 28,500 is roughly US$15 to US$86, or 13 to 76 euros.
Resold seats cost far more. In July 2025 the Daily Mirror reported seats changing hands at Rs 50,000 to Rs 65,000. The Mayor of Kandy said the council’s own seats that year, in the Queen’s Hotel corridor, cost Rs 12,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 18,000. Some people were buying over 100 online to resell, he said, and without regulation a final-night seat could reach Rs 100,000. In August 2026 police said people posing as tourist guides had overcharged foreign visitors for seats the year before.
Buy from the council portal, or from a seller who puts the night, block, row and price in writing before you pay. A hotel balcony or private stand is a separate deal, so ask what the seat looks onto.
Where to watch, and the police rules
In 2026 the final night passed every street in its row of the table above. On the first night of 2026 big crowds had gathered by the morning, Ada Derana reported. For a front spot, come early.
In 2026 police set up roadblocks at 14 entry points to Kandy, marked 13 parking areas and advised drivers to avoid the city centre, the Daily Mirror reported. The car parks included the KMC car park and the railway station car park, News 1st listed.
Police announced these measures in August 2026, as Newswire reported:
- Anyone pointing a laser at the elephants will be arrested on the spot.
- Loud horns that could frighten the elephants are banned, and so is carrying them along the route.
- Spectators were asked not to cheer or whistle while the procession passes, and not to treat it as a carnival.
For the 2025 festival the Civil Aviation Authority suspended drone flights over the route from 30 July to 9 August, the Daily Mirror reported. Leave a drone behind unless the authority says otherwise for 2027.
On terrorism, GOV.UK (updated 21 September 2026, read 7 November) says attacks in Sri Lanka cannot be ruled out. It lists large public gatherings and religious occasions among possible targets and advises avoiding crowded public places.
The Kandy Perahera elephants
Two reports give the count of Sri Lanka’s tame elephants: about 90 in June 2025 and 93 in August 2026. At the June 2025 meeting that set the dates, the Diyawadana Nilame and the chiefs of the four devales called the fall in tame elephants a serious challenge, Ada Derana reported. It was revealed at that meeting that about 200 a few years before had fallen to about 90. Counterpoint reported on 2 August 2026 that the Diyawadana Nilame had told Alimankada 2026, an elephant conservation summit held with the University of Peradeniya, that the 93 left could fall to 25. He put that within ten years unless urgent steps were taken. With no alternatives, he said, even aggressive, young and elderly elephants were being made to take part in peraheras.
On 7 August 2026 the Central Province Governor said the Animal Welfare Act had Cabinet approval, according to the Daily Mirror. He said it has provisions on elephants but places no restrictions on the Perahera. On 21 August the Daily Mirror reported that the Environment Ministry was preparing a gazette on deploying captive elephants at peraheras. A ministry committee was reviewing draft elephant licensing rules and was to recommend how captive elephants are used at religious events, with attention to their welfare.
In August 2021 Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE) said the tusker Nadungamuwa Raja, then about 68, had a swelling foot on his 90 km walk to Kandy. The Sunday Times carried the group’s statement, which asked for a compulsory retirement age for captive elephants.
Etiquette and photography
GOV.UK’s advice covers temples. In a Buddhist temple, it says, cover your legs and shoulders and take off shoes and hats. Do not pose for a photo in front of a Buddha statue. Disrespecting Buddhist images can get you arrested, and a visible Buddha tattoo can mean being refused entry or deported.
It also says alcohol is not usually on sale on religious holidays. Both recent finales fell on a poya day, and our Sri Lanka public holidays guide covers what shuts.
Beyond the laser ban in 2026 and the drone suspension in 2025, we found no published camera rule for spectators. If you cannot get there, the Temple’s festival site carries a live stream of the processions.
Where to stay during the Perahera
We found no hotel occupancy figures for 2025 or 2026. In July 2025 the Mayor said some commercial spaces in the city were leased for Rs 1 million to Rs 5 million before the season and used to resell seats. Demand has varied: in 2022, the first year back after a three-year break, News 1st reported many Kandy hotels at under 20% occupancy.
Police divert traffic while the procession is on the streets, so a room you can walk from is worth more than a cheaper one across town. Book when the 2027 dates are out, or take a free cancellation rate before then. Our Kandy in one day guide covers the Temple and the lake in daylight.
Getting to Kandy for the processions
After about ten months without trains, Colombo Fort to Peradeniya and Gampola, both close to Kandy, reopened on 2 October 2026, Ada Derana reported. A landslide near Kadigamuwa then stopped all trains between Rambukkana and Peradeniya from midnight on 25 October, Newswire reported. We found no reopening report on 7 November 2026. The reopened route stopped short of Kandy station. On 6 September 2026 News 1st reported the Kalu Bridge between Peradeniya and Kandy still under repair, and we found no later report of trains reaching Kandy. Our Sri Lanka travel updates follow the rail status, and the Kandy to Ella train guide covers the hill line.
By road, Colombo airport to Kandy is about 119 km, or 2 hours 15 minutes in empty traffic on the OpenStreetMap router. Allow three hours or more and get in by early afternoon on a procession day. In 2026 police kept William Gopallawa Mawatha and the Old Peradeniya Road open both ways.
Fitting the Perahera into a Sri Lanka trip
For July and August weather by region, see our Sri Lanka in July and Sri Lanka in August guides. The rest of the year’s processions are in our Sri Lanka festivals calendar.
If you want a route that reaches Kandy for the procession nights, send us your travel dates.
Kandy Esala Perahera: questions
When is the Kandy Esala Perahera in 2027? The Temple had not announced it when we checked on 7 November 2026. Esala poya is on 18 July and Nikini poya on 16 August 2027. The last night fell on Nikini poya in 2025 and 2026, but the Temple decides each year.
How much are Kandy Perahera seats? Kandy Municipal Council grandstand seats cost Rs 5,000 to Rs 28,500 in 2026, by night and row, and sold out. 2027 prices were not published on 7 November 2026. In 2025 resold seats were reported at Rs 50,000 to Rs 65,000.
Which night is best to watch? The final Randoli is the biggest procession, and its council seats cost the most. The Kumbal nights had the cheapest council seats in 2026.
Can you watch the Kandy Perahera for free? Yes. The pavements are kept for devotees and seats may not block them, so you can stand on the route without a ticket.
We checked every fact on this page against the linked sources on 7 November 2026. Dates, seat prices, routes and train services change each year, so confirm them before you travel.
Hero photo: a tusker dressed in lights at the Kandy Esala Perahera, by Shashikaprathibha, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
