About this experience
Sri Lanka's carved masks are not decoration — they are characters. For centuries they have been worn in Kolam, the island's masked folk theatre, and in the healing rituals that came before it, each face carrying its own meaning. This private two-hour workshop takes you into an arts and crafts shop tucked away inside Galle Fort to meet the people who still make them.
Your host starts with the story: which mask belongs to which tradition, why the features are exaggerated the way they are, and how the craft has been handed down through families. Then the tools come out. Sri Lankan masks are carved from Kaduru, a soft, light wood that holds fine detail, and you work a piece of it yourself — following your host's hands, learning the cuts, and shaping a mask that is yours to take home.
The session is private, so the pace is yours, whether you are travelling as a family, a couple or on your own. It runs in English, suits ages five and up, and takes about two hours from a morning start. A one-litre bottle of water is provided per person; entrance tickets, food, drinks and gratuities are not. We can collect you from your hotel anywhere in the Galle area, which makes it an easy half-morning addition to a day inside the Fort.
