The story
Southern Province Literary Festival in Galle/Matara
Research into a distinct Southern Province Literary Festival covering Galle and Matara consistently surfaces the well-established Galle Literary Festival instead, with no independent regional or schools-oriented event found separately. The province's dominant literary gathering remains the internationally recognized Galle festival held within Galle Fort.
Searching specifically for a Southern Province Literary Festival distinct from the Galle Literary Festival consistently returns information about the Galle event itself, held annually within the UNESCO-listed Galle Fort since its founding by hotelier Geoffrey Dobbs, first held in 2005 and formally established under its current identity in 2007.