Colombo emptied out last weekend with the young and the not so young… all heading out to the Hikka Beach festival.  Curious about all the hype, I myself ventured off on Friday evening with a whole bunch that were convinced this was the best thing to have happened to Hikkaduwa.  Flags fluttering, music blasting, thousands walking about in their flip flops and beach shorts, gorging on famous Hikka Rotis, all weekend long Rave parties, jazz sessions on the beach, and the fabulous Hikka drummers…… I was finally convinced too.  This is a great idea!  It was good to see wayside cafes, guest houses and hotels of Hikka bustling with business.  Hopefully the organisers, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, will hold the festival on an annual basis and maybe even take it to other coastal towns such as Negombo and Arugam Bay.