The ‘Sangamam 2026’ Bharatanatyam festival held today (14) at Galle Face Green has set a new Guinness World Record, organisers confirmed.

A total of 4,988 artists participated in the large-scale cultural event, breaking the previous record held by 416 performers.

The programme was organised under the guidance and concept of Deputy Minister of Plantation Infrastructure and Community Development Sundaralingam Pradeep, officials said.

The event was jointly coordinated by India’s Sangamam Global Academy and Sri Lanka’s Sangamizh Liya Holidays, with participation from Bharatanatyam artists representing both Sri Lanka and India.

Organisers said the initiative was launched following a request made by the Deputy Minister during the ‘Aayalagha Tamilar Maanadu’ (Convention of Overseas Tamils) held in India, which also helped secure Indian collaboration for the event.

The record attempt was officially monitored by Guinness World Records adjudicator Rishi Nath, who travelled from the United Kingdom to observe and verify the performance.

Following the verification process, the adjudicator confirmed that the attempt had successfully set a new world record, marking a significant achievement for Sri Lanka in the field of cultural performance.