MFA

Revitalizing & Rebuilding
Matara Through The Arts

In 2023, the Government of Sri Lanka invited creative stakeholders to harness the arts to revitalise local communities & tourism across multiple cities as Sri Lanka fought to rise up from its unprecedented 2022 economic collapse.

Inaugurated in 2024, MFA’s 1st edition brought together established and upcoming talent in contemporary art, music, and creative enterprise from across Matara, the rest of Sri Lanka, & beyond, to do just that.

MFA’s team and patrons believe that the arts can unite communities in vision & action, and lay the foundations for the very tangible rebuilding of spaces. Matara Fort, once a stables to 80 elephants in the colonial era and the site of the Kandyan’s rebellion against the Dutch, was then long limited to judicial & administrative uses and devastated by the 2004 tsunami. It is now re-emerging as the vibrant city of its history – creative and collaborative, heritage-conscious and innovation-minded, community-engaged, verdant and sustainable.

Through & in parallel to the festival, our team & partners are engaging in capacity development, policy actions, and support for PPP’s & investments that demonstrate the power of culture to propel Matara inclusively, prosperously, and resiliently into the future. Join us.

artists & Presenters

Hanusha Somasundaram

Bilaal Raji Saheed

Chathurika Jayani

Jezima Mohamed

For Community

Mobile Art Ambassadors

MFA’s 2025 Community Art project supported by JKF is taking to the streets with our curator and artists joining forces

Partners for Matara Dev Policy

Since 2024, MFA members have been in dialogue with the government on Matara’s development. On June 9, 2025, a cabinet

SL Art History Exhibit for Matara Schools

From 15-21 July 2024, Freedom Hub (our parent org.) partnered with the Theertha Artists Collective to host a History of

A 5 month Community Art Journey

From October 2023 to the first MFA in 2024, 5 of Sri Lanka’s leading contemporary artists, led by curator Prof.

Freedom Sounds Reign in 2024

Via this one-of-a-kind USAID-supported opportunity, 60 Matara aspiring musicians and performers received mentoring and platforming from 6 diverse Lankan and

A Community Good Market

In 2024, the Festival launched its first Community Market via a partnership between Good Market, the District Secretariat, & National

Rolex’s Carnatic & RnB Rhythms Captivate Youth

Tamil-American Carnatic and R&B artist Rolex Rasathy (Sharanyaa Pillai), supported by the US Embassy, was a festival highlight, drawing packed

2025 Programme

6 CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITS + 3 NIGHTS OF MUSIC + 10 CREATIVE & ENTERPRISE WORKSHOPS + 2-DAY CREATIVE ENTERPRISE COMMUNITY MARKET

Map

MFA 2025’s exhibits & events will primarily be held within the Old Court Building inside the Matara Fort. Our Creative Enterprise Sessions will be at The Auditorium of the Matara District Secretariat & our 2-Day Small & Micro-Enterprise Market is to be held at the Wijesekara Grounds (both also inside the fort). All locations are pinned on Google Maps.

tickets & school tours

Ticketing info will be released along with our programme late October 2025.

We are also working with Matara Zonal Education Office & Matara National Schools to provide guided school tours to over 2200 Grade 12 students over the course of our 4-day schedule (14 tours per day).

Where to stay

There are a range of stays in the wider district, particularly beachside. Yet options in Matara Fort & City, close to the venue, are limited. We recommend booking early, either directly or through third-party sites.

To the West of Matara Fort,
these areas are closest

Polhena & Madiha: 9 mins away
Kabaragamuwa: 15 mins away
Mirissa: 22 mins away
Weligama: 33 mins away

To the East of Matara Fort,
these areas are closest

SK Town: 8 mins away
Dondra: 14 mins away
Talalla & Dikwella: 20 mins away
Hiriketiya: 35 mins away

Where to eat

Local F&B partners will be featured at our festival events, though if this is your first time wandering the Fort & City, you can look up some of these more frequented nearby eateries.

A larger array of options, including globally award-winning restaurants and bars, are located primarily on Matara’s famed beaches.

Matara Fort: Dutchman’s Street & Matara Rest House

Matara Town: Barista, Lanka Rolls, Sree Rhangaaa, Keells Supermarket Bakeries, Samanmal, Ganga
Addara Hotel

Matara Beach Park & Road: Mayura, Perera & Sons, Pizza Hut, Dominos, KFC, Street Food Grill & Chai Truck.

Patrons & Partners 2025