CantaLankans
Bringing Sri Lankans Together
Past Events
Look at all the events that Cantalankans have carried out in the past. Find all your photos and reminisce!
Sri Lankan New Year Festival
April 2024
Canta Lankans organised Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations for 2024. There were a variety of events, including musical chairs, Awurudu Kumara/Kumariyo, tug of war, gooni race, kotta pora, and many more. With around 400 Sri Lankans showing up for the celebrations, this event was very successful and enjoyable for everyone involved.
Sri Lankan Family Fun Day
February 2024
Canta Lankans organised a Family Fun Day with a Cricket 6-a-side tournmanent with food and drink to suit.
Talent Show 2023
July 2023
For the third consecutive year, we held the Canta Lankans Talent show, the first big event of the year! Take a look at some of the highlights of the fantastic performances by our talented community!
Sri Lankan New Year Festival
April 2023
Canta Lankans organised Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations for 2023. There were a variety of events, including musical chairs, Awurudu Kumara/Kumariyo, tug of war, gooni race, kotta pora, and many more. With around 400 Sri Lankans showing up for the celebrations, this event was very successful and enjoyable for everyone involved.
Sri Lankan Family Cricket Festival
March 2023
Canta Lankans partnered with Canterbury Cricket to organise the Sri Lankan Family Cricket Festival during the Sri Lanka men’s cricket team tour in New Zealand. There were smash play activities for our kids aged 5 to 15 and an exhibition T10 match for anyone aged over 16.
Talent Show 2022
July 2022
Due to the massive success of the Talent Show 2021, Canta Lankans held the Talent Show 2022 to cater to our community’s need to showcase their talents. With performance slots filling up in the space of a few weeks, this event was another major hit.
Tsunami (Sri Lankan) Movie Showing
June 2022
Canta Lankans, along with SriLankaNZ, organised a showing of “Tsunami” an international award-winning Sri Lankan blockbuster movie, for the first time in New Zealand. Proceeds from this movie went to helping the Sri Lanka project.
Talent Show 2021
July 2021
The Talent Show 2021 was the first event held by Canta Lankans aimed at giving an opportunity for Sri Lankans living in Christchurch to showcase their multitude of talents in music, dancing, acting, and the arts.
Mid-Summer Family Fun Day
February 2020
Swarna Swara
September 2019
At the biggest Canta Lankans event for 2019, three of the most popular artists from Sri Lanka (Amarasiri Peiris, Nirosha Virajini, and Kasun Kalhara) performed live on stage. The music was performed by an experienced band led by Suresh Maliyadde.
A Special Mass for Victims of Sri Lanka’s Bomb Attacks
April 2019
Canta Lankans organised a special mass to remember all the victims of bomb attacks that happened on Easter Sunday. Sri Lankans from all different backgrounds joined the special mass with candles and flowers to remember everyone who passed away and to wish a speedy recovery for everyone who got injured.
Mid-Summer Family Fun Day
February 2019
Canta Lankans organised a softball (tape ball) cricket tournament for all ages. There was a bouncy castle for kids. There were Sri Lankan food stalls to have that authentic experience, and many more entertaining events. This event had a bit of everything: some competition, some fun, and a lot of smiles.
Sunila Vila
November 2018
Canta Lankans were proud to present the musical evening of the year, Sunila Vila, with Visharadha Sunil Edirisinghe live in concert.
Rotti & Paduru Party
August 2018
Canta Lankans started the festivities this season with an evening of music, dancing, and all-you-can eat Rotti! With Sri Lankans from all over Canterbury joining to sing together, spring was welcomed in style. Everyone helped out by bringing food to the potluck dinner, ensuring the night went smoothly.
Baila Night
July 2016
Canta Lankans organised a Baila event to provide a night filled with dinner, music, and dancing. It was a great opportunity to meet and socialise with others in the community. It was also an opportunity to relax and party with your friends and family after a hard day’s work. This was the event of the year that no one wanted to miss.
Sinhala Tamil New Year Celebration
April 2016
Canta Lankans organised Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations for 2016. There were a variety of events to get people of all ages involved. These games provided a fun start to everyone’s new year.
Sri Lankan New Year Celebration & Colours Night
April 2015
The Canta Lankans came back in action to celebrate the 2015 Awrudu Festivals in style. There were fun games, awesome food, music, and dancing. Food was organized as a community potluck, which was “All you can eat”, to the delight of many.
Family Fun Day Out
December 2014
Canta Lankans organised a fun day out for all friends and family. There was something for everybody, including fun games and afternoon DJ music. With bouncy castles and face painting for kids and balloon games and paper trails for teens and adults, everyone had a chance to get involved and have fun.
