Night in
Lanka 2027 list

ආයුබෝවන් வணக்கம்

2026 has sailed · 2027 list open

Night in Lanka 2026

One night on Sydney Harbour. Five university Sri Lankan societies. Sinhala, Tamil and English back to back until the boat comes in.

The seventh Night in Lanka sailed on Saturday 12 September 2026, four hundred on board, sold out before the night. Photos are up. Twenty twenty seven is already being worked on, and the list below hears the date first.

Join the 2027 list See the night
Three guests at Night in Lanka 2026 throwing peace signs on the dance floor, drink in hand, under blue light.
Night in Lanka 2026 · aboard Inception, King Street Wharf 3
The floor seen from behind the DJ decks at Night in Lanka 2026, arms up, drumsticks in the air, the whole room singing along.

Night in Lanka 2026 · sold out

400 on board

Next year

Night in Lanka 2027

Nothing is booked yet. When the date and the boat are confirmed, this list is told before Instagram, and the first release opens to it before it opens to anyone else. That is the whole reason to be on it.

01 The night

Masks on, four hours
on Sydney Harbour

You board at King Street Wharf 3 in Darling Harbour on Saturday 12 September, in a mask and whatever you look best in. The boat pushes off, the city goes past the window, and it does not stop until you are back at the wharf.

Food and drinks are unlimited and included in the ticket, so there is no tab, no queue at a card machine, and no working out who owes what. The DJ runs Sinhala, Tamil and English through the same set rather than splitting the room, which is the whole reason four hundred people from five universities end up on the same floor instead of in their own corners.

Four hundred is the hard cap, because that is the boat. In 2025 the last release went in days and the night sold out before it happened, and this year it goes on sale in three releases, each one dearer than the last.

02 Tickets

What 2026 cost

All of it is gone. The boat sold out before the night and online sales closed at 5:30pm on the day. This is left up because it is the honest answer to "what does it usually cost", which is the first thing anybody asks about next year.

Closed

Night in Lanka 2026 sailed on Saturday 12 September. Nothing on this page can be bought. Put your email down for 2027 and the first release will reach you before it is public.

  1. Early Bird

    $77.00

    Opens Wed 12 August, 6pm

  2. General

    $87.00

    Opens Wed 19 August, 6pm

  3. Last release

    $97.50

    Opens Sat 5 September, 6pm

Or come as a group

  1. Couple pack

    $146.00

    2 tickets, $73.00 each

  2. Group of 4

    $290.00

    4 tickets, $72.50 each

Two years running, sold out before the night. Four hundred spaces on the boat, and a share of those go to the five committees before anything reaches the public. In 2026 the last of the general release went in days, and the final packs were split up on the afternoon of the event.

Tell me when 2027 opens

03 Twenty twenty six

How it went

The record of the night, left exactly where the live board used to be. When 2027 is confirmed this board goes back to counting down.

Status Sailed, sold out 12 Sep 2026
Date Saturday 12 September 2026 Done
Vessel Aboard Inception Cruise King St Wharf 3
Theme Masquerade Masks on
Boarding time Boarded 7:00pm, departed 7:30pm On time
Lineup Vinny and Avezz Three languages
On board Four hundred, every seat Full boat
Tickets Sold out, see you in 2027 From $77 in 2026

Join the 2027 list Photos from the night

04 The story

A boat, a sound system
and four hundred Sri Lankans

It started in 2018 as a Macquarie fundraiser called Cocktails in Paradise, one hundred and eighty tickets and a caterer. It is now the largest Sri Lankan student event in Sydney, and since 2024 it happens on the water.

Five societies build it together. Nobody runs it alone, and the poster carries every crest. That is the part people miss: this is not one club's party that others attend, it is a single night the whole Sydney Sri Lankan student network puts its name to. Run entirely by students, for students, it is the largest single gathering of young Sri Lankans in New South Wales.

The formula has stayed stubbornly simple. Get on a boat at Darling Harbour, eat properly, drink without counting, and let the DJs run Sinhala, Tamil and English through the same set until nobody is sitting down.

05 Editions

Seven years, one night a year

Every edition we can account for, from a Macquarie fundraiser to a sold out cruise. The gap after 2018 is Covid.

  1. 2026

    Aboard Inception Cruise

    Saturday 12 September, boarding King Street Wharf 3 at Darling Harbour, masquerade, 400 on board. Three ticket releases from 12 August, from $77, and the lineup is booked but not yet announced.

    • Status On sale
    • Theme Masquerade
    • Organisers All five societies
    NOW
  2. 2025

    Eastern Pontoon, Circular Quay

    19 September, 6pm onwards, on a bigger boat than the year before. Unlimited food and drinks. DJ Vinny played his last Night in Lanka alongside Shaawnn.

    • Result Sold out
    • Tickets Tiered release
    • Rule Physical ID only
    SOLD OUT
  3. 2024

    Cadman Cruises

    13 September, 5.30pm. The year it moved onto the water: first ever cruise, first with two DJs, Vinny and Avezz. Photobooth on deck.

    • Crowd 350+
    • Title sponsor SAMAF Consultants
    • Also Skillverse · Huawei
    THE PIVOT
  4. 2023

    Kandy by Sri Lankan Bites

    16 September, 7pm onwards. Last edition on dry land, with Ambroz on the decks and a venue that fed everyone properly.

    • Sponsors Oh My Marketing · Aiyo Society
    ON LAND
  5. 2022

    The baila party

    Billed as the most awaited Lankan baila party in Sydney. Sarongs out, buffet on, Sinhala Tamil and English all night.

    • Note First post Covid edition
    RETURN
  6. 2018

    A Night in Lanka: Cocktails in Paradise

    Where it began, run by the Macquarie society alone. One hundred and eighty tickets, catering by Blue Elephant, and the proceeds went to charity. They shot a lookbook first.

    • Tickets 180
    • Cause Charity fundraiser
    ORIGIN

06 The collective

Five societies, one poster

Night in Lanka is built jointly. Every society below runs its own year of events, and once a year they put them aside for this.

07 On the night

The nights so far

Boarding at the wharf, four hours on the water, and a dance floor that does not empty until the boat comes back in. Two years of it.

Night in Lanka 2026

The DJ booth under the lighting arch, the room washed red and green.
The booth
The Night in Lanka backdrop on deck, lotus logo lit up against silver streamers.
The backdrop
A crowd of guests packed together laughing under green and purple light.
Down the back
Five guests in black tie on the wharf, city lights behind them.
On the wharf
A group on deck with the Opera House sails and the city skyline behind them.
Past the Opera House
Friends leaning on the deck rail, harbour lights over their shoulders.
On deck
Four guests in black tie on the wharf before boarding, the harbour lit up behind them.
Before boarding
The floor mid set, guests packed shoulder to shoulder under the low ceiling lights.
Mid set
A large group of friends posing together on the open deck.
The whole table
Guests holding their drinks up to the camera, grinning.
Cheers
Five friends squeezed around a booth table, drinks in front of them.
Sat down for five minutes
Guests serving themselves from trays of pizza laid out on the buffet.
Food on, midway
The dance floor at its fullest, the whole room moving under purple light.
Peak of the night
The bar mid service, guests lined along it waiting on drinks.
At the bar
Guests posing in front of the photo booth against a tinsel curtain.
The booth on deck
A large group photographed together on the wharf, boats moored behind them.
The group shot
The DJs together at the booth under the pink lit arch.
Vinny and Avezz
Hands working the CDJs, the lit mixer filling the frame.
Hands on the decks

Swipe for more

See all 223 photos from 2026

Photography Moshan Priyanath, Xtream Youth

Night in Lanka 2025

A large group packed together for a photo, drinks in hand, most in suits and formal dress.
The group shot
Raban drums being played in the middle of the crowd, hands raised around them.
Raban on the floor
A guest with one arm thrown up mid song, grinning, crowd behind.
Mid song
The crowd with hands in the air under pink light.
Hands up
The floor at its fullest, the whole room dancing under coloured light.
Peak of the night
Friends on deck in saree and formal dress with the harbour lights behind them.
On deck

Swipe for more

The 2025 photo booth, in full

All 87 photo booth shots from 2025, on one page. Find yours, save it, send it to whoever you were standing next to.

See the 2025 photos

Photography Tanulaka Sugathadasa, Foto Department

The Inception alongside King Street Wharf at night, the Darling Harbour skyline lit up behind it.

Departing King Street Wharf 3

Darling Harbour, Sydney

08 Sponsors

Put your name on the boat

Reach 400 students in one night

In 2025 the campaign reached 123,100 accounts and 440,000 views off Instagram alone, with 95% of that audience aged 18 to 34. Five partnership tiers run from $250 to $3,000, and the 2026 proposal is out now. Numbers, tiers and past partners are on the sponsorship page.

Sponsorship details

09 Questions

Before you ask us on Instagram

Answered for 2026, which is the best guide there is to 2027 until the 2027 details are confirmed. Anything that changes will be changed here first.

Where do I board?

In 2026 it was King Street Wharf 3, Darling Harbour, not Circular Quay where 2024 and 2025 sailed from. The wharf is not fixed year to year, so treat 2027 as unconfirmed until it is confirmed here.

What time does it start?

In 2026, boarding opened at 7:00pm and the boat left at 7:30pm. Thirty minutes to get four hundred people down a gangway, so the half hour is real: the boat does not come back for latecomers, and a missed departure is not refundable.

How much is a ticket?

In 2026 it was $77 early bird, $87 general, $97.50 last release. Releases open at 6pm on their day and each costs more than the one before, so the cheapest ticket is always the one bought earliest. 2027 prices are not set.

Are there booking fees on top?

No. The card fee is already inside the price on the card, so the number you see is the number that leaves your account. Nothing gets added at checkout.

What is the theme?

Masquerade. Masks on, dressed up. Outfit inspiration goes up on Instagram closer to the night.

When do 2027 tickets go on sale?

Not decided. The date has to be locked with the operator first, and that is usually mid year. The 2027 list is told before Instagram, and the first release opens to it first.

I bought a 2026 ticket. Is anything still owed to me?

No. The night has been and gone, and every ticket was either scanned at the wharf or forfeited. If something went wrong on the night and has not been sorted, email tickets@nightinlanka.com.au. The refund policy still stands.

Do I have to be Sri Lankan?

No. The societies word it as "Lankan or not" and mean it. Bring people.

Do I have to be a student?

It is built as a student night, and the room is mostly 18 to 28. You do not need to be enrolled anywhere to buy a ticket, and anyone can book one on this site.

What does a ticket include?

Boarding, unlimited food and unlimited drinks for the whole sailing, the DJ, and whatever else is running on the night such as the photobooth. There is nothing else to pay for once you are on the boat.

What ID do I need?

Physical photo ID, every time. In 2025 the rule was stated plainly: no ID, no entry. Digital licences have not been accepted at boarding.

Can I pass my ticket to someone else?

Yes. Tickets have been transferable if you cannot make it. Sort it before the day.

How fast do tickets go?

Fast. The boat holds 400 and the public tickets go across three releases. 2025 sold out completely ahead of the night after a final release that lasted days.

What should I wear?

Masquerade this year, so a mask and whatever you look best in. Outfit inspiration posts are a fixture of every campaign, and the 2018 edition literally published a lookbook. It is a boat, so think about your shoes.