The SOLA Festival is set to make a return to Sri Lanka’s south coast, continuing its evolution as a cultural movement dedicated to redefining festivals through community collaboration, sustainability, and intentional design. Scheduled for January 30th and 31st at The Doctor’s House in Madiha, the festival aims to showcase a unique blend of music, art, and community initiatives.

This event has been crafted in close collaboration with the local community in Madiha, which has become the festival’s home. The SOLA Festival was created in response to the often exploitative nature of tourism, striving to give back more to local communities than it takes. Guided by core values of respect, inclusion, sustainability, creativity, and collaboration, the festival seeks to unite people through music, workshops, immersive experiences, and community-led initiatives.

Founded by a collective of designers and event creators from Copenhagen, SOLA aspires to become one of Asia’s first entirely waste-free and circular festivals, setting a global benchmark for sustainable events. Festival organizers, designers Susanna and Miranda, whose work includes installations for Copenhagen Fashion Week and projects with Collective Fashion Justice, were inspired by the warm welcome they received from the Sri Lankan community. “We started SOLA to demonstrate that festivals can be joyful, creative, and musical while also supporting the communities and environments that host them,” says Susanna. “SOLA was created with a focus on harmonizing with nature and fostering meaningful community connections. Together with our incredible partners, we aim to show that conscious, community-led events are not only feasible but also inspiring, joyful, and sustainable.”

Since its inaugural edition in 2025, SOLA Festival has established itself as an annual event in Sri Lanka, expanding thoughtfully each year with a long-term perspective. The 2025 festival welcomed 800 guests, featured both international and local DJs, and offered five activities and workshops, laying a robust foundation for its future trajectory.

This year, the festival anticipates nearly doubling its attendance, with a lineup of over a dozen DJs from more than five countries, including the internationally acclaimed Yung Singh and local favorite DJ Shiyam.

More than just a music festival, SOLA serves as a multidimensional platform for art, learning, sustainability, and connection. In line with this vision, the program includes traditional, community-focused creative activities such as communal weaving sessions, natural dye workshops, drum circles, beaded fabric jewelry workshops, and make-your-own merchandise sessions.

Developed within the principles of a circular economy, the organizers view SOLA as a project for long-term growth and refinement, with each edition enhancing its impact. As it expands, SOLA aims to involve more local and international collaborators, aspiring to become a global role model for sustainable events.

Sri Lanka’s enduring values of craftsmanship, resourcefulness, and environmental stewardship are central to this vision. The team envisions the country as a potential leader in sustainable tourism.

Community collaboration is at the heart of the festival’s programming. For the upcoming edition, SOLA is partnering with organizations such as ApiHappi, Selyn Fairtrade, Sarana Sri Lanka, and the Sambol Foundation. Hatton National Bank is the event’s official banking partner.

In preparation for the festival, the SOLA team, along with a local school and WeCare, will conduct a beach clean-up. Afterwards, children will engage in a crafting session focused on recycling and upcycling everyday waste, while learning about plastic and street dogs. The Sambol Foundation will host a natural dye workshop before the festival, with the resulting fabrics used in festival installations. Selyn Fairtrade, House of Lonali, and ApiHappi will provide fabric for local women to create reusable decorations, helping the festival avoid purchasing new materials. Selyn will also produce festival merchandise and conduct a fabric bead workshop. The festival will open with a traditional Sri Lankan fire ceremony, organized in collaboration with Sarana Sri Lanka. Additionally, SOLA will host a fundraiser with WeCare to support the welfare of local street dogs.

SOLA will also feature a creative market on Friday, January 30th, showcasing exclusively Sri Lankan businesses and creatives focused on sustainability, circular economy practices, and conscious production. Vendors will not be charged a participation fee, with The Doctor’s House providing the full setup. Miranda noted, “We see this market as a valuable opportunity to support Sri Lanka’s creative community—creating a space for local makers, designers, and artists to connect, collaborate, and present their work to the international audience visiting SOLA Festival.”

With deep community roots, a commitment to long-term impact, and an expanding international audience, the SOLA Festival continues to forge a new model for festivals in Sri Lanka—one grounded in creativity, care, and conscious celebration. Tickets for SOLA are available at www.solafestival.org or via the link in their Instagram bio @sola.festivals.