2026 in Sri Lanka

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Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2026 Timeline of Sri Lankan history

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

The following lists notable events that will occur and take place during 2026 in Sri Lanka .

Incumbents

National

President	Prime Minister	Speaker	Chief Justice	Opposition Leader
Anura Kumara Dissanayake (Age 58)	Harini Amarasuriya (Age 56)	Jagath Wickramaratne (Age 58)	Padman Surasena	Sajith Premadasa (Age 59)
National People's Power (since 23 September 2024)	National People's Power (since 24 September 2024)	National People's Power (since 17 December 2024)	Independent (since 27 July 2025)	Samagi Jana Balawegaya (since 3 January 2020)

Provincial

Governors Central Province – Sarath Abeykoon Eastern Province – Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera North Central Province – Wasantha Kumara Wimalasiri Northern Province – N. Vedanayagam North Western Province – Tissa Kumarasiri Sabaragamuwa Province – Champa Janaki Rajaratne Southern Province – Vacant Uva Province – Kapila Jayasekera Western Province – Hanif Yusuf

Events

• Operation Yukthiya
• Red Sea crisis

Events by month

January

• 2 January – Kasun Munasinghe, chairman of the Matugama Pradeshiya Sabha from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, is remanded on charges of obstructing the duties of the secretary of the local council. ^[1]
• 5 January – Johnston Fernando, a former cabinet minister and MP, along with his son, Jerome Kenneth Fernando, is arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) and remanded on charges of alleged misuse of state property. ^[2]
• 6 January – Ray Jayawardhana is appointed as the next president of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), with effect from 1 July 2026. ^[3]
• 7 January
  • General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army, arrives in Sri Lanka on a two-day official visit. ^[4]
  • A Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian aircraft operated by Cinnamon Air plunges into Lake Gregory in Nuwara Eliya while attempting to land at the nearby Lake Gregory Waterdrome, injuring two pilots. ^{[5] [6]}
  • President Donald Trump orders the withdrawal of United States from 66 international organisations including the Colombo Plan Council. ^{[7] [8]}

Predicted and scheduled events

• 7 February – 8 March – 2026 Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. ^[9]
• June–July – The 2026 SAFF Championship will be hosted in Sri Lanka. ^[10]
• 8 July – 8 August – 6th Lanka Premier League ^[11]

Holidays

Further information: Culture of Sri Lanka § List of holidays

Source: ^{[12] [13]}

• 2 January – Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day
• 14 January – Thai Pongal
• 1 February – Navam Full Moon Poya Day
• 4 February – Independence Day
• 15 February – Maha Shivaratri Day
• 3 March – Medin Full Moon Poya Day
• 21 March – Eid al-Fitr
• 1 April – Bak Full Moon Poya Day
• 3 April – Good Friday
• 13 April – Day prior to Sinhalese and Tamil New Year Day
• 14 April – Sinhalese and Tamil New Year Day
• 1 May – May Day and Vesak Full Moon Poya Day
• 2 May – Day following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day
• 27 May – Id Ul-Alha
• 30 May – Adhi Vesak Moon Poya Day
• 29 June – Poson Full Moon Poya Day
• 29 July – Esala Full Moon Poya Day
• 25 August – Milad un-Nabi
• 27 August – Nikini Full Moon Poya Day
• 26 September – Binara Full Moon Poya Day
• 25 October – Vap Full Moon Poya Day
• 8 November – Deepavali
• 24 November – Il Full Moon Poya Day
• 23 December – Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day
• 25 December – Christmas Day

Deaths

January

• 4 January – Chandrasena Thalangama, 71, journalist and lyricist ^[14]
• 6 January – Nihal Seneviratne, 91, civil servant, secretay general of the Parliament of Sri Lanka (1981–1994) ^[15]

References

1. "Matugama PS Chairman remanded". Ada Derana. 2 January 2026. Archived from the original on 3 January 2026. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
2. "Former Minister Johnston Fernando and his youngest son remanded". Ada Derana. 5 January 2026. Archived from the original on 6 January 2026. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
3. Kaleem, Jaweed; Kwok, Iris (6 January 2026). "Caltech names new president, an astrophysicist who vows to empower 'brilliant minds'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
4. "Indian Army Chief arrives in Sri Lanka". Ada Derana. 7 January 2026. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
5. "Seaplane plunges into Gregory Lake in Nuwara Eliya". Ada Derana. 7 January 2026. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
6. "Seaplane crash in Nuwara Eliya: Statement from CAASL". Newswire. 7 January 2026. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
7. Lee, Matthew; Amiri, Farnoush (8 January 2026). "US will exit 66 international organizations as it further retreats from global cooperation". AP News. Archived from the original on 8 January 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
8. "Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States". The White House. 7 January 2026. Archived from the original on 8 January 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
9. "ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Groups, Schedule, Venues, Time and more". The Hindu. 27 November 2025. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
10. "Sri Lanka eye SAFF 2026 after gritty Asian Cup campaign". The Sunday Times. 23 November 2025. Archived from the original on 30 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
11. Cricket, Sri Lanka (1 December 2025). "Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce that the sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League willbe held from 8th July to 8th August 2026". Sri Lanka Cricket. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
12. "Sri Lanka Public Holidays 2026". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
13. "Holidays and Observances in Sri Lanka in 2026". Time and Date. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
14. "Veteran lyricist Chandrasena Thalangama passes away". Hiru News. 5 January 2026. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
15. Gunawardana, Dasith (6 January 2026). "Obituary: Nihal Seneviratne". Royal College Union. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.

External links

• Online calendar

• 2020s portal
• Sri Lanka portal