- A celebration of local musical and artistic talent by Backyard Events (Pvt.) Ltd.
By Naveed Rozais
Colombo is bursting with creative talent, both young and old. Like any talent, this creative talent needs outlets to shine. Backyard Festival is one of these outlets. Formed by Backyard Events (Pvt.) Ltd. in 2019, Backyard Festival is a platform that focuses on showcasing local artistes while creating an atmosphere of entertainment for event guests.
Backyard Events’ overall aim is to create and foster a community unified by their love of music and art.
Backyard Events (Pvt.) Ltd. Owner Gihan Fernando shared that Backyard Festival was created in the wake of the 2019 Easter attacks. “We wanted to highlight musical and artistic talent. The initial purpose of Backyard Festival was to give a platform to this type of artiste at a time when artistes were at home and nothing was happening because of the Easter attacks. Our first edition took place on 24 August 2019 at Island Hostels where we received an overwhelming response.”
“B One” is the fourth edition of Backyard Festival and will take place at Honey Beach Club at The Kingsbury Colombo. “Backyard Festival goes beyond simply a showcase of musical talent and DJs,” Fernando said, adding: “The B One yard sale will feature three painters, one photographer, and one live portrait artist showcasing their work, as well as a couple of brands owned by young entrepreneurs. There will also be games and a Formula One section with games by Red Bull. It is an experiential event for a full gathering of people.”
B One will feature a host of DJs on the decks including Asvajit, Paloma. TimTim, Clifford Issac, KC, James, and March.
Some of the artists in the yard sale include Safiya, a Colombo-based homegrown artist with a love for the ocean. Known as the ocean girl, Safiya is quite popular down south with her series of hands-on oceanic workshops and art pop-ups. In addition to showcasing her work, Safiya will be carrying out a live painting of the venue during the event.
Another artist, Varuni is a financial advisor and entrepreneur with a passion for line art. Her graffitied piece “Blue” along the walls of the Wellawatte Train Station, which deals with marine life conservation, can be seen from Marine Drive.
Sri Lanka-based half-Swedish, half-Maldivian aspiring photographer and artist Sebastian Olegard will also be showcasing his photographs at B One. Olegard’s photography captures his subjects in a way where they can show their true feelings.
Reflecting on the journey of Backyard Festival events over the past year, Fernando shared that the response Backyard Festival has received, from its first edition through to its upcoming anniversary edition, has been overwhelmingly positive. “I mostly do everything with my friends, and a lot of my friends are involved in bringing Backyard Festival to life. It has been a very enjoyable ride. I’m particularly excited for B One because this is the first time we’ve showcased seven artistes, and this is also the biggest location that Backyard Festival has been held in so far. It feels like a bigger and better version of what we’ve done before.”
