Kandy Perahera Seats

The Kandy Esala Perahera fills the streets of Kandy for ten nights each August, then closes with a daytime procession, and the whole city turns out to watch it. A reserved seat is the difference between glimpsing the procession over a crowd and actually seeing it — the whip-crackers and flag bearers, the Kandyan dancers and drummers, and the caparisoned tuskers carrying the casket of the Sacred Tooth Relic.

What you are booking here is one seat at the Queens Hotel, on one specific night of the 2027 festival. Choose the Perahera night first; that night's viewing location then appears in the second dropdown, followed by how many seats you need. The map above shows where the hotel sits on the procession route.

Where you will be sitting

The colonial Queens Hotel stands on Dalada Veediya near the Temple of the Tooth, directly on the procession route. Seats are private and ticket-only — not a spot on the public pavement.

• Queens Hotel Viewing Gallery — the hotel's raised gallery facing the street, the best-known reserved vantage point in Kandy. Sold on the first three Kumbal nights, the first two Randoli nights and the Day Perahera.
• Queens Hotel Corridor — a seating gallery along the hotel's corridor. Sold on the 4th and 5th Kumbal nights and the last three Randoli nights.

Seat holders can use the hotel's washrooms and restaurant, and a dinner buffet at the Queen's Hotel can be arranged on request at an extra cost.

Which nights

The 2027 festival opens with five Kumbal Peraheras (7–11 August 2027), builds through five increasingly grand Randoli Peraheras (12–16 August), and closes with the Dahawal Perahera — the Day Procession — on 17 August.

Start times

Each Perahera steps off at an auspicious time set by the Sri Dalada Maligawa, which announces the 2027 times closer to the festival. The night processions begin in the early evening, soon after sunset. Your arrival time is confirmed with your booking — be seated well before the start, as the streets around the Temple close to traffic and the crowds build for hours beforehand.

Good to know

• Your seat is reserved at the location shown for your night; seat numbers within it are allocated by the venue.
• Auspicious times can be revised by the Maligawa at short notice.
• The price is for the seat only; food and drinks are not included.
• Every guest is covered by a public liability insurance policy.
• Routes can be changed at short notice for security reasons. If that happens we seat you on the route announced by the Sri Dalada Maligawa.
• All sales are final — seats are paid in full at reservation and are not refundable.