Starter Kit. Idea 478 of 500. Cluster 26
Kandy: the lake promenade with cafés and evening performances, not only the temple
The mechanism, from the book
Every city has one thing it could be known for, and each is currently known for nothing in particular.
The first step
Stand by the lake at dusk for 3 evenings and note where people stop, sit and look for something to do. Then approach 2 musicians or a dance troupe and one café owner near the water and propose a one-hour performance on a set night, paid from a small cover charge. One evening that fills the tables is the proof to take to the municipality.
- Who pays first
- A visitor in Kandy for the temple who has nothing to do after dark, and will pay for a table and a performance by the water.
- What leaves today
- Visitors see the temple in an afternoon and move on, so the evening spending and the second night's stay go to the next town.
Ask first
- the local council (Municipal Council, Urban Council or Pradeshiya Sabha). Ask what permission a regular evening performance by the lake needs.
- Department of Cultural Affairs. Ask whether they support local musicians and dancers who perform for the public.
Check before you spend
Confirm permission for the performance and the space, the performers' agreement on pay, and that sound and crowds stay within what the council allows.
Find out these three numbers
- What would a café take on a performance evening?
- What do the performers need to be paid each night?
- How many people stop by the lake at dusk?
A comparison from the book
Kandy. Chapter Five
"A Kandyan dance performance every evening, at a fixed time, that everybody"
A show at a fixed time, every evening, gives visitors a reason to stay the night.
The test
Does it keep value that now leaves the island, or build the proof that lets somebody else do so?
From the appendix of Why Not Sri Lanka? by Dr Maheshika Halbeisen. The idea and the mechanism are the book's; this kit was written for the site.