THE SRI LANKA FOUNDATION HOSTS 12th ANNUAL
EXPOSITION ON SUNDAY, JULY 14, 2018
AT PASADENA CITY HALL
– A Multi-Cultural Festival of Food, Fashion and
Entertainment Celebrates the Culture and Traditions of Sri Lanka --
The Sri Lanka Foundation is celebrating the
12th Annual Sri Lankan Day on Saturday, July 14, at Pasadena City Hall from 10am to 10pm. Celebrating the
incredible sights, sounds and flavors of the ancient island nation, Sri Lankan Day Expo is held to entertain and
inform those interested in the history and traditions of this Southeastern Asian nation, and to keep those customs
alive for immigrants, expatriates, and descendants of Sri Lanka living in Los Angeles.
Thousands of Angelenos turn out annually to enjoy the unique and colorful culture of the Sri Lankan people. And there is much
to experience, including traditional dance troupes, a fashion show, musical acts, an exotic food festival,
and a “Pageant of Lanka” parade with floats occurring at sunset on Colorado Boulevard. Pop-up booths with sarongs,
jewelry, batik, hand loomed textiles, and traditional outfits will also be displayed. Admission is free to the public.
The Sri Lankan Day Expo is organized yearly by the Sri Lanka Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by
Dr. Walter Jayasinghe M.D., a well-known Sri Lankan-American physician. Dr. Jayasinghe established the Sri Lankan
Foundation to inform, celebrate, and promote Sri Lankan culture, and raise money for Sri Lankan humanitarian projects.
One of those projects, organized by the foundation in response to the deadly 2004 tsunami that hit the island, sent
medical professionals to Sri Lanka to provide immediate medical care, and then helped build housing, schools, an
orphanage, and aided small industries in the area.
This year’s festival also kicks off the foundation’s fundraising for an initial capital building project on a much-needed
hospital expansion in Colombo, Sri Lanka – the nation’s largest city. Due to the overcrowding of local government hospitals,
as well as expensive for-profit hospitals, a large part of the population in the surrounding area are left without proper
healthcare… or sometimes any healthcare at all. The Sri Lanka Foundation is looking to expand the current medical center of
22 beds to a 150-bed hospital to accommodate the pressing demand for affordable, modern healthcare. This facility will be the
first non-profit hospital in the region and will use modern American medicine to ensure patients receive the best medical
care available.
This annual celebration of Sri Lankan culture underscores their thriving community within Los Angeles, with many first-generation
immigrants coming to a city known for its diversity, love, and respect for races and nationalities of all types. Many of
the Sri Lankan people in the United States are young, with 20% of the population under 18, and all have a high level of
education, with 45% of them holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.
To find out more about Sri Lanka Day Expo 2018, please visit
https://www.slday.com/.
For more information on the Sri Lanka Foundation, please go to
https://www.srilankafoundation.org/.
