Tag: Goan Cuisine

Events in Goa

Goa Food & Cultural Festival 2026 Opens in Margao, Celebrating Goa’s Culinary Heritage and Cultural Diversity

rencygomes02

Written by Intern Rency Gomes ||Team Allycaral 

Margao, January 23, 2026: The Margao Cricket Club at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Stadium came alive on Thursday evening as the Goa Food & Cultural Festival 2026 commenced, marking the beginning of a three-day celebration dedicated to Goa’s rich culinary heritage and diverse cultural traditions. The festival brings together authentic flavours, traditional art forms and contemporary performances, offering a shared cultural experience for residents and visitors alike.


The festival was inaugurated in the presence of Minister for Tourism Rohan A. Khaunte; Minister for PWD and Captain of Ports Digambar Kamat; Chairman, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) Kedar J. Naik; MLA of Navelim Constituency Ulhas Tuenkar; Chairperson of Margao Municipal Council Damodar Shirodkar; Director of Tourism Kedar Naik; Managing Director, GTDC Kuldeep Arolkar, along with other dignitaries.

The occasion also saw the felicitation of prominent local personalities including Shubham Naik, Nilesh Shirodkar, Harish Deulker, Sudha Kudalkar and Vishwas Chari for their notable contributions to the fields of cuisine, art and culture.

Addressing the gathering, Tourism Minister Rohan A. Khaunte said that this was the second Food and Cultural Festival being organised in Margao and highlighted Goa’s diverse culinary traditions. He noted that from North to South Goa, travellers can experience a wide range of flavours, making the State a unique destination for food lovers.

He further stated that Goa, as a creative capital, could also be regarded as a culinary capital due to the richness of its cuisine. Emphasising the State’s focus on regenerative tourism, he said that all stalls at the festival are operated by Goans, including self-help groups offering home-made products. He added that the festival also provides a platform for local artists to showcase their talent, ensuring inclusivity and community participation.

PWD Minister and Captain of Ports Digambar Kamat observed that tourism continues to play a vital role in Goa’s economic growth and said that festivals such as the Goa Food & Cultural Festival add vibrancy to the State’s tourism calendar and contribute to increased visitor footfall.

GTDC Chairman Kedar J. Naik recalled earlier editions of the festival and stated that it continues to benefit self-help groups and local communities by offering a platform to showcase authentic Goan delicacies while preserving cultural traditions. He also highlighted the importance of providing opportunities for folk dancers and musicians.

MLA Ulhas Tuenkar said that the festival is organised with the objective of strengthening local livelihoods, with the majority of stalls run by Goans and self-help groups, enabling them to earn through their skills while celebrating Goa’s food and culture.

Director of Tourism Kedar Naik described the festival as a celebration of flavours, traditions and the vibrant spirit of Goa, and expressed gratitude to all stakeholders involved in making the event a success. He invited residents and visitors to experience the festivities over the coming days.

The opening day featured cultural performances by the Kanta Gaude Troupe, followed by live performances by Anson, Chelsea & Jeliska Trio, Sonia Shirsat with her Band, and LYNX, setting an energetic tone for the festival.

Alongside cultural performances, the festival features a wide range of stalls offering authentic Goan cuisine, traditional delicacies, local crafts and handmade products, providing valuable exposure to local artisans and entrepreneurs.

The Goa Food & Cultural Festival 2026, part of the Department of Tourism’s ‘Goa Beyond Beaches’ initiative, will continue until January 25, 2026, with a diverse line-up of cultural programmes and culinary showcases planned over the next two days.

Events in Goa

Festa do Povo Returns to Panaji with Goan Cuisine, Music and Community Spirit

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Traditional flavours, lively music and community spirit will take centre stage as the third edition of Festa do Povo returns to Panaji on January 24 and 25 at the mangrove-lined pedestrian spine at Patto Plaza.

Designed as a people’s festival — “of the people, by the people, and for the people” — Festa do Povo celebrates Goa’s culture, environment, heritage and camaraderie through food, music and shared experiences. The two-day event brings together local home chefs and established city restaurants, offering an exciting culinary journey that reflects Goa’s rich food traditions alongside international flavours prepared by accredited Goan chefs.

Adding to the festive experience will be a dedicated Feni Bridge Bar and beverage stations highlighting local drinks and spirits, reinforcing the festival’s focus on celebrating Goa’s identity and produce.

Music and cultural performances form the heart of Festa do Povo, with a vibrant line-up that includes the Kids Choir (Choir of Angels), a celebrated brass band, a jazz band, and headline performances by popular bands Purple Rain Band and Forefront Band. Visitors will also witness traditional cultural displays such as a temple drum medley synonymous with Shigmo, the graceful Divli (lamp) dance, and captivating performances by the Vyomi Dance Troupe and Samba dancers.

By blending cuisine, music and community, Festa do Povo continues to strengthen Panaji’s cultural fabric, offering residents and visitors a space to come together, celebrate Goa’s living heritage and experience the city through the warmth of its people.

Events in Goa

Raponkarcho Sea Food Festival 2025 Celebrates Goa’s Fishing Heritage in Arambol

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

The Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, will organise the Raponkarcho Sea Food Festival 2025 from December 28 to 30 at the Main Parking Area, Arambol, highlighting Goa’s rich seafood heritage, traditional fishing culture and vibrant coastal lifestyle. The three-day festival aims to offer visitors an immersive cultural experience rooted in local cuisine, music and community participation.

The festival will feature traditional Goan seafood cuisine stalls, cultural programmes and live musical performances, with entry free for all visitors. Programmes will begin daily from 6.00 pm, while the inaugural ceremony will take place on December 28 at 5.30 pm in the presence of Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, Tourism Minister Shri Rohan Ashok Khaunte, senior government officials and representatives from the tourism sector.

Speaking ahead of the festival, Tourism Minister Shri Rohan Ashok Khaunte said fishing has been central to Goa’s way of life for generations and continues to shape its coastal communities and food culture. He noted that the festival provides a platform to honour the skills of the fishing community while promoting authentic Goan seafood and strengthening cultural tourism through community-led initiatives.

Director of Tourism Shri Kedar Naik stated that the festival has been curated to bring together cuisine, music and cultural engagement in a festive setting, with Arambol serving as an ideal venue to showcase Goa’s cultural diversity and local traditions.

The opening night on December 28 will feature a musical line-up led by iconic Goan singer Lorna, along with performances by Purple Rain, Black Slade and Afroz Sayyed. December 29 will see performances by Gravity, Brainwash, 24K India and Teri Miko, while the festival will conclude on December 30 with performances by Forefront, The Imperial, Usman and Sartek.

Through initiatives like the Raponkarcho Sea Food Festival, the Department of Tourism continues to promote Goa’s traditional cuisine, cultural expressions and community participation, enhancing the festive tourism experience during the year-end season.

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.