The University of Peradeniya is a lively center of culture, and students have many opportunities to experience the cultures of different communities and take part in social and cultural activities.
Several organizations and student societies are active in the promotion of culture and arts at Peradeniya University. These are the Arts Council, the University Film Society, the Gandharva Sabha (the Oriental Music Society), the Sinhala Natya Mandalaya (Sinhalese Drama Circle), the Music Society, and the University Drama Society.
The Arts Council, which is managed by a committee of senior academics and other staff members, organizes documentary and feature film shows and other artistic activities. Documentary films borrowed from various embassies are shown in the Arts Theatre free of charge on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, a large number of feature films are also screened by the University Film Society and other student societies.
Student activities in drama and theatre are encouraged mostly by the Arts Council, the Sinhala Natya Mandalaya, and the Drama Society. Plays produced at Peradeniya University as well as by outsiders are staged at the Sarachchandra Open Air Theatre, south of the Arts Building, at the E.O.E.Pereira Theatre in the Engineering Faculty, and at the little theatre in the Student Centre. The former has been named in recognition of Professor E.R.Sarachchandra's valuable contribution to Sinhala drama while he was at Peradeniya University. One of the most popular cultural events of the University of Peradeniya, the Drama Festival, is held at this Open Air Theatre.
A number of societies and clubs organize various activities among the students. Of these, the Student Union, which is a formal society, is the most important, and looks after the general welfare of the students. Each faculty has a Faculty Student Union. The Faculty Unions form an umbrella organization called the Peradeniya Students Union (PSU). All undergraduates are members of the Student Union and have the right to vote in the annual elections. There are other societies where the membership is based on either interests or academic discipline. The interest-based societies are mostly Inter Faculty associations. The following are some student societies where students can pursue their interests.