Upcoming Events
Media Fest 2026 – Staying Relevant in a Changing World
📅 Date: Saturday, 11 July 2026
🕘 Time: 9:15 AM – 6:00 PM
📍 Venue: Grand Marquee, Taj Samudra, Colombo
Join Sri Lanka’s premier media gathering as journalists, editors, publishers, media innovators, academics, students, and communication professionals come together to discuss the future of journalism in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Through thought-provoking discussions on trust, audience behaviour, media sustainability, and technological disruption, Media Fest 2026 will explore how journalism can remain relevant while upholding its core values.
Ticket Prices
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Non-Journalists: Rs. 7,500.00
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Journalists: Rs. 5,000.00
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SLIMFA Members: Rs. 3,500.00
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Students: Rs. 2,500.00 (A valid university ID is required for student entry.)
👉 Buy Tickets Now
Past Events
The Sri Lanka–India Media Friendship Association (SLIMFA) serves as a dynamic platform for fostering dialogue, cooperation, and mutual understanding between media professionals from Sri Lanka and India. In line with our objectives to promote cross-border collaboration, ethical journalism, and professional development, SLIMFA organizes a series of high-impact events, roundtables, and forums throughout the year.
Our events bring together senior editors, journalists, policymakers, and thought leaders from both nations to exchange ideas, share experiences, and strengthen bilateral media ties. Each engagement is thoughtfully curated to address contemporary issues in journalism, explore best practices, and build enduring professional networks.
• AI Masterclass for Media
Date: November 21, 2025
Venue: Taj Samudra, Colombo
The AI Masterclass for Media successfully brought together journalists, editors, and media professionals to explore the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence in modern journalism. Led by Mr. Shailesh Shekhar of the India Today Network, the interactive session showcased practical AI tools, newsroom applications, and emerging trends that are reshaping news gathering, content creation, and storytelling.
The workshop provided participants with valuable insights into leveraging AI responsibly while maintaining the core principles of credible and ethical journalism.
• SLIMFA Media Fest
25 & 26 of August, 2024 at Taj Samudra, Colombo
The SLIMFA – Media Fest 2025 was held in April 2025. The fest was jointly inaugurated by the Deputy High Commissioner of India in Colombo, Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, and the Minister of Mass Media and Health, Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa. The Managing Editor of Firstpost, Ms. Palki Sharma, delivered the keynote address.
• Media Interaction with Visiting Indian Journalists
11 of November, 2024 at Taj Samudra, Colombo
SLIMFA organized an informal interaction for its members and other guests with visiting Indian journalists. The event was attended by the Deputy High Commissioner of India in Colombo, Dr. Satyanjal Pandey. The interaction featured an exchange of views between Mr. R.K. Radhakrishnan, Senior Associate Editor at Frontline, Ms. Pallavi Ghosh, Senior News Editor at CNN News 18, Ms. Pragya Kaushika, News Editor at Times Now, and Mr. Nitin Mahajan, Chief Operating Officer of Tehelka. The session was moderated by SLIMFA EXCO member Santosh Menon.
• Editors’ Roundtable
17 of August, 2024 at ITC Rathnadeepa, Colombo
An Editors’ Roundtable was organized by SLIMFA and chaired by the Patron and High Commissioner of India, H.E. Santosh Jha. The roundtable included editors and columnists from leading dailies in Sri Lanka, representing English, Tamil and Sinhala media.
• The Kick-Off – ‘Media Matters: Sharing Experiences on Election Coverage’
17 of August, 2024 at Taj Samudra, Colombo
The inaugural event of the Sri Lanka-India Media Friendship Association (SLIMFA), titled ‘Media Matters: Sharing Experiences on Election Coverage,’ was organized with the participation of Raj Chengappa, Group Editorial Director of the India Today Group, as the keynote speaker. A panel discussion on election-related matters was also held during the event.
