Sri Lanka, April 24 -- All liquor shops will remain closed on May 30 and 31 due to the National Vesak Festival.

The Excise Commissioner General announced this decision via a statement.

Following a Cabinet decision dated 2026.03.30, the National Vesak Festival previously scheduled for May 1 and 2 will not take place on those dates.

Consequently, liquor outlets will only close on May 1 for the Poya day.

This results in a total of three closure days in May: the 1st, 30th, and 31st.

The Commissioner General requests the public to report any licensed premises failing to close or violating license conditions by calling the 1913 hotline or emailing [email protected].

All excise officers island-wide received instructions to strictly enforce...