Category: Events in Goa

Events in Goa

Malabar Gold & Diamonds Enters Goa with State’s Largest Jewellery Showroom in Panjim

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Malabar Gold & Diamonds announced its entry into Goa with the opening of its first showroom in the state at Dayanand Bandodkar Marg, Miramar, Panjim. The new store, which is also the largest jewellery showroom in Goa, marked a significant milestone for the brand as it expanded into a market shaped by strong family traditions, lifestyle-led consumption and consistent domestic and international tourism.

The showroom was inaugurated by Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor in the presence of Filsor Babu, Regional Head – Karnataka, along with senior members of the Malabar Gold & Diamonds management team, guests and well-wishers. Spread across more than 6,000 square feet over a Ground plus one floor layout, the Panjim showroom was designed as a large-format destination store with clearly defined category zones, comfortable browsing spaces and an organised service flow to enhance the customer experience.

Goa represents a distinct jewellery market supported by long-standing local demand and evolving lifestyle preferences. The Panjim showroom reflected Malabar’s strategy of entering high-potential markets with scale and depth, allowing customers to explore and compare a wide range of designs, price points and occasions under one roof.

The store showcased Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ extensive portfolio across bridal, festive and everyday jewellery. Customers could explore traditional wedding collections, heritage-inspired designs and contemporary styles across gold, diamond, platinum and gemstone jewellery, curated to suit diverse tastes and lifestyles. Alongside occasion-led jewellery, the showroom also featured modern everyday designs such as diamond pendants, bracelets, studs, cocktail rings and platinum pieces, offering versatility across age groups.

Commenting on the launch, M. P. Ahammed, Chairman of Malabar Group, said Goa was a market with a deep cultural connection to jewellery and customers who value variety and quality. He noted that the large-format store was created to bring the full breadth of Malabar’s portfolio together while continuing the brand’s focus on transparency, comfort and consistent quality.

As part of the 15th edition of its Brides of India campaign, Malabar Gold & Diamonds extended limited-period offers at the Goa showroom, including up to 30 percent off on making charges on gold, uncut and gemstone jewellery and up to 30 percent off on diamond value, valid until January 18, 2026. The showroom also offered Malabar’s standard customer assurances such as transparent pricing, lifetime maintenance, BIS-hallmarked gold, certified diamonds and detailed product disclosure, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to trust and quality as it entered the Goan market.

Events in Goa

Serendipity Arts Festival Transforms Panaji’s Art Park into a Hub of Art, Food, and Community

allycaralgoa

Panaji, December 2025: The Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF), Asia’s largest multidisciplinary art festival, has once again turned Panaji’s Art Park along the riverfront into a dynamic cultural hub. Visitors of all ages have been immersed in a vibrant blend of art, workshops, culinary experiences, and entertainment.

The festival space is thoughtfully designed to cater to varied interests. The western end features the photography exhibits in Feeling Home. Where is Home?, with works ranging from Assavri Kulkarni’s tribal portraits to Anurag Banerjee’s homage to Bombay, drawing visitors into diverse worlds through the lens. Moving inward, the buzz grows louder with interactive workshops, storytelling sessions, and a showcase of Goan culinary traditions.

SAF’s colourful stalls and installations make the festival appealing to schools and families alike. Surekha Gaonkar, a teacher from Bal Bharati Vidyamandir, Ribandar, brought 73 students from standards 1 to 3, saying, “We come to help students learn something new while having fun. There’s so much to do here.”

Students like Nisha Fernandes of Chubby Cheeks High School were equally enthused, exploring workshops such as Changing Charpai and creative storytelling sessions. “It was my first time here, and I had a lot of fun. The Hive workshop helped us learn limericks and poetry, and the charpai installation was fun to climb and play on,” she shared.

Parents, too, found the festival a perfect opportunity to engage with their children while enjoying a safe and relaxing environment. Upen Kumar from Margao said, “I registered my son for storytelling and workshops on emotions and musical instruments while browsing the stalls. Every amenity, from washrooms to guidance, was well taken care of.”

The Serendipity Arts Festival continues to offer an inclusive, engaging, and educational experience, blending celebration, learning, and community bonding in the heart of Panaji.

Events in Goa

Yin and Yang: A Celebration of Balance, Inclusivity and Inner Strength in Porvorim

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Yin and Yang – In Balance with Body and Mind, organised on December 14, 2025, in Porvorim by SoulSync founders Sridevi Badami, Monica Sirohi, Poonam Gupta and Komala Soares, unfolded as an evening rooted in empowerment, inclusivity and self-discovery. The event was envisioned as a safe and welcoming platform for women from diverse walks of life, many of whom stepped onto the ramp for the very first time, embracing fashion as a tool for healing, confidence-building and self-expression.

The evening was elevated by the presence of iconic Bollywood singer Hema Sardesai as the celebrity guest. Her warmth and soulful performance left the audience enthralled, adding an emotional and celebratory depth to the event. Around 150 women participated wholeheartedly, reflecting the strong sense of community and shared purpose that defined the gathering.

Choreographed by Nadia Khan, the fashion walk unfolded through four thoughtfully curated themes inspired by the concept of Yin and Yang. Nature’s Symphony invited participants to interpret natural dualities such as ice and fire or strength and softness through creative attire. Trails of Tradition celebrated India’s rich cultural heritage with ethnic wear, while Urban Harmony showcased confidence and modernity through western outfits. Balanced Soul brought together indo-western ensembles, symbolising the harmony modern Indian women embody in their daily lives.

Beyond fashion, Indian culture came alive through vibrant dance performances presented by participants themselves, ranging from classical and fusion to Bollywood and Gidda. The event stood out for its inclusivity, welcoming women of all age groups, senior citizens and differently abled participants, reinforcing SoulSync’s belief that empowerment knows no boundaries.

Women entrepreneurs were also given a platform to showcase their products through dedicated stalls, adding another layer of support and visibility to women-led initiatives. Importantly, the event was tied to charity, with a portion of the proceeds directed towards a meaningful social cause, underscoring the organisers’ commitment to giving back to the community.

Well received and widely appreciated, the event was applauded for being punctual, thoughtfully organised, visually engaging and deeply inclusive. Yin and Yang – In Balance with Body and Mind emerged not just as a fashion showcase, but as a heartfelt celebration of balance, resilience and the collective strength of women.

Events in Goa

Young Culinary Talent Brings Goan Food Traditions Alive at Serendipity Arts Festival 2025

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Students and faculty of the Verna-based Kamaxi College of Culinary Arts brought Goan culinary heritage to the forefront at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2025, curating an immersive food experience as part of the festival’s Culinary Odyssey. Centered on Gaud Saraswati Brahmin cuisine, the initiative offered festival-goers a rare opportunity to engage with one of Goa’s lesser-known yet deeply rooted food traditions.

Guided by Chef Anjali Prabhu Walavalkar, students Kotha Krishna Sai, Nihal Naik, Aaditya Verlekar and Parshuram Chalwadi stepped out of the classroom and into a high-energy festival environment. They not only prepared and served time-honoured dishes but also interacted closely with visitors, explaining ingredients, techniques and cultural contexts behind each preparation. The live setting challenged them to manage service, maintain consistency and communicate stories through food, mirroring the realities of professional culinary spaces.

For visitors, the stall became more than a place to eat—it became a space of discovery, where flavours opened conversations about tradition, memory and identity. The warmth and confidence with which the young chefs presented the cuisine reflected both pride in their heritage and the depth of their training.

The initiative underscored Kamaxi College of Culinary Arts’ experiential learning approach, where education extends beyond textbooks and kitchens into real-world platforms. By placing students at the heart of a major cultural festival, the college reinforced the idea that preserving regional cuisines goes hand in hand with nurturing the next generation of culinary professionals. Through skill, curiosity and storytelling, these young chefs demonstrated how tradition can thrive when passed on with care and creativity.

Events in Goa

SAF 2025 Culinary Curators Spotlight Disappearing Salts and Vanishing Fish-Fry Aromas from Goa’s Kitchens

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Goa’s culinary heritage is steadily thinning under the pressures of tourism, urbanisation and changing lifestyles, according to experts presenting their work at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2025. While the erosion may appear gradual, its signs are increasingly visible — from drying salt pans and fading neighbourhood aromas to the quiet disappearance of everyday food knowledge from modern kitchens.

This year’s culinary section brings together four curators — Thomas Zacharias, Prahlad Sukhtankar, Odette Mascarenhas, and the Edible Issues duo of Anushka Murthy and Elizabeth Yorke — who collectively turn the festival into a living archive of what Goa still remembers, and what it risks forgetting.

Chef Prahlad Sukhtankar’s project, Salt, confronts one of Goa’s most tangible losses. Once home to more than 75 salt pans, the state today has barely five main areas of salt production, he says, pointing to generational shifts and land-use changes that are erasing a craft central to Goa’s khazan landscapes. Expanding the lens nationally, Sukhtankar notes that while India once had around 130 indigenous salts, only 30 to 35 are available today, with his team able to source just 18 varieties for the exhibition. Goa’s marine salts, he explains, stand apart for their brininess and the unmistakable scent of the sea — a sensory quality inland salts cannot replicate.

While salt traces what is disappearing from the land, Edible Issues’ Smell Rooms captures what is vanishing from the air. Murthy and Yorke attempt what may be Goa’s first olfactory archive of food heritage, mapping the state through scents that once shaped everyday life. Asking residents what has changed over the past decade, Yorke says many spoke of how fish frying once announced itself across neighbourhoods, making it easy to tell who was cooking what. In today’s air-conditioned homes and sanitised kitchens, those smells are fading, turning scent into memory — one that now needs preservation.

For chef Thomas Zacharias and The Locavore, the focus shifts to imagining the future through absence. His installation asks what India might taste like in the year 2100, when food traditions and agricultural diversity thin out further. Collaborating with Immerse and Quasar Thakore Padmasee, the project reflects on loss at both the farm and cultural levels, questioning how much flavour and knowledge can disappear before it is noticed.

Odette Mascarenhas turns attention inward, excavating Goa’s pre-chilli culinary history across five communities — Hindu artisans, Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, Muslim families, Christian kitchens and Indo-Russo homes. By cooking Goan food without chillies, she reconstructs what the cuisine looked like before Portuguese influence, while also highlighting how everyday home-cooked dishes are steadily disappearing from public spaces as tourism and urban tastes reshape the state’s food narrative.

Together, the four curators transform Serendipity’s culinary showcase into a powerful ledger of loss and possibility — documenting what Goa stands to lose, while quietly asking whether it is still willing to listen, remember and reclaim its edible past.