Esala Full Moon Poya 2026
What this means for your trip
Alcohol ban. The Kandy Esala Perahera season opens around this Poya — one of Asia's largest Buddhist festivals. Kandy accommodation books out months in advance and prices run 2–3× normal. Traffic into Kandy is very heavy.
Why Poya dates are transcribed, not calculated
A Poya day is whichever calendar day the Government Gazette declares, and that is not a pure function of the full-moon instant. In 2026 the full moon of 3 January was gazetted as 3 January, while the full moon of 3 March was gazetted as 2 March. Any rule of the form “full moon date, minus one if it falls before a given hour” fits a single year and then quietly breaks. Every date on OneCeylon comes from the gazette and is cross-checked against a computed full moon to catch transcription errors.
Common questions
When is Esala Full Moon Poya in 2026?
Esala Full Moon Poya falls on Wednesday 29 July 2026 in Sri Lanka. This date is taken from the Government Gazette.
What is closed on Esala Full Moon Poya?
Alcohol ban. The Kandy Esala Perahera season opens around this Poya — one of Asia's largest Buddhist festivals. Kandy accommodation books out months in advance and prices run 2–3× normal. Traffic into Kandy is very heavy.