Now in its second consecutive year, the SOLA Festival recently concluded a highly successful two-day edition at the Doctor’s House in Madiha, Matara featuring strong attendance, positive economic and awareness-building outcomes, and enthusiastic participation from local partners and organisations.

Bringing together music, art, sustainability, and community engagement along Sri Lanka’s southern coast, the festival is guided by the core values of Respect, Inclusion, Sustainability, Creativity, and Collaboration. SOLA aims to become one of the first fully waste-free and circular festivals in Asia and a global role model for sustainable events.

As in previous years, SOLA combines an exceptional musical event with community and environment-centric activities. In partnership with Apihappi and the Sambol Foundation, leftover fabric scraps were naturally dyed using traditional Sri Lankan flowers such as blue pea and hibiscus.

The dyed materials were transformed into a large stitched shadow roof and a long garland of flags decorating the venue.

Chief festival organisers, designers Susanna and Miranda confirmed that the festival was completely sold out on the second day, with more than 1000 guests on site. The duo, whose portfolio includes installations and designs for Copenhagen Fashion Week and projects with Collective Fashion Justice, emphasized that the festival enjoyed a safe and welcoming environment throughout.

“We were also thrilled to see increased attendance from local residents and we received overwhelmingly positive feedback from artists, partners, and visitors. This has been really encouraging for us – evidence that our vision for SOLA is coming to fruition,” said Susanna.

SOLA partnered with WEcare to host a village and beach clean-up ahead of the festival, with around 20 volunteers participating. The initiative continued with an educational day for the local preschool community, welcoming over 60 children and parents.

Sessions covered plastic awareness, street dog welfare, and rabies prevention, followed by hands-on upcycling activities where children created ocean animals from discarded plastic bottles.

Friday 30th January featured a sustainability-focused creative market with more than 16 vendors showcasing ethical products and community initiatives. Selyn Fairtrade and Selyn Foundation hosted a fabric-scrap workshop producing beaded jewellery and small accessories, while Apihappi facilitated a communal weaving board and drum circle.

The night concluded with sets by DJ Shiyam and HARTY.