Tag: Music Performances

Events in Goa

The Spirit of Goa Festival 2025 Concluded Celebrating Goa’s Distilling and Culinary Heritage

allycaralgoa

Panjim, 9th May 2025 — The Spirit of Goa Festival, held on 2nd, 7th and 8th May 2025 at the scenic SAG Grounds, Colva, South Goa concluded with an overwhelming response as thousands of locals, tourists, and enthusiasts gathered to immerse themselves in Goa’s rich distilling and culinary heritage. The last two recorded a great turnout of visitors, reaffirming the festival’s stature as one of the state’s most anticipated cultural and tourism events and offering a renewed platform to celebrate Goa’s evolving spirit and culinary landscape.

The festival opened with grand performances by folk dance group Kala Samrajya Kudchade Goa, followed by lively sets from the bands Shine On and the Band Ambassadors. Day two, held on 7th May, featured performances by Neon, Tidal Wave, and Lavina and the Ensemble, captivating the audience with dynamic music and stage presence. The final day concluded on a high note with energetic performances by Pure Magic, Alcatrazz, and the popular A26 Band, leaving festivalgoers thrilled and uplifted.

Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Shri Rohan A. Khaunte, stated, “The Spirit of Goa Festival exemplifies our government’s commitment to promoting Goa’s culture and heritage in South Goa. We have created a platform that highlights local cuisine, music, dance performances for people to enjoy and immerse themselves in the real Goa. Our government will continue to support platforms like these that take Goa’s story to national and global audiences.”

Director of Tourism, Shri Kedar Naik, remarked, “By blending tradition with creativity, the festival presented a vibrant showcase of our rich heritage to the world. We are committed to strengthening such platforms that empower local artisans, distillers, and culinary talent, while also offering visitors an authentic taste of Goa’s evolving story.”

This year’s festival showcased over 40 vibrant stalls, featuring a dazzling range of locally distilled beverages, from the traditional GI-tagged Cashew Feni and innovative Feni infusions to exotic spirits, and promising ventures in wines and agave-based distillations. The diversity of raw materials both imported and domestic emphasized the innovation shaping Goa’s beverage industry.

The festival’s culinary offerings delighted guests with a journey through authentic Goan flavors, moving beyond coconut and cashew to embrace banana flower, kokum, raw jackfruit, bimbli, mango, and other regional delicacies. Dishes reflected the depth of Saraswat, Konkan, and Christian cuisines, complemented by contemporary Goan fusion and expertly curated cocktail pairings.

Festivalgoers enjoyed masterclasses on traditional cooking and exotic mixology, immersive sessions at the Feni Experience Centre, live demonstrations of Goan arts and crafts, a lively cashew stomping activity, and interactive photobooths. The entertainment lineup featured local talent showcased on a globally benchmarked stage powered by the world-class Coda audio system (Germany), elevating the festival’s cultural atmosphere.

The Department of Tourism extends its heartfelt thanks to all stakeholders, artisans, distillers, chefs, performers, and visitors who contributed to making the Spirit of Goa Festival 2025 a grand success. This event stands as a testament to Goa’s vibrant spirit — one that honors its past while confidently embracing its future.

#AllycaralFeature 👒

Breaking Barriers: Serendipity Arts Festival 2024

allycaralgoa

A unique experiential programme at the ongoing Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) 2024 has given a different twist to the concept of ‘blind dating’. 

Among the highlights of the festival’s 9th edition is the innovative ‘Blind Date with Friends,’ an experiential programme designed to foster deeper connections and mutual understanding. Participants are paired with visually impaired individuals for a journey through the festival’s exhibits, sharing conversations, meals and art experiences. “The process itself is the art,” explains Salil Chaturvedi, the programme’s curator, emphasising how such encounters break barriers and celebrate the richness of diverse perspectives.

Goa-based Salil Chaturvedi, an acclaimed writer, poet and disability campaigner, has virtually redefined the intersection of art and accessibility at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2024. Known for his poignant works in poetry and fiction, as well as groundbreaking advocacy, Salil has steered SAF 2024’s accessibility-focused initiatives, creating inclusive spaces where creativity and community meet.

This year’s accessibility interventions aimed to set a benchmark for inclusive art spaces, which included tactile exhibits and ramps to outdoor rest areas and wheelchair-friendly installations. A professional access audit guided these changes, ensuring thoughtful infrastructure upgrades across heritage venues. Additionally, initiatives like a deaf poetry jam and tactile art workshops brought artists with disabilities to the forefront, challenging traditional notions of visibility in art.

Salil’s collaboration with differently-abled artists has been transformative. “For the first time, we prioritised their presence not just as participants but as curators and creators,” he shared. Projects like ‘Nature’s Symphony: A Bird Watching Adventure’, where visually impaired individuals explore nature, and others where they create art from beach waste and the tactile design programme, ‘Touched’, crafted with input from blind schools, highlighted how sensory and emotional experiences can redefine art.

Through these efforts, Salil envisions a future where inclusivity is the norm, rather than the exception. “The mindset shift is key,” he stressed, advocating for leadership roles for people with disabilities in cultural institutions. By blending empathy, technology and innovative programming, his vision offered a roadmap for inclusive art, fostering a space where everyone can contribute and experience its transformative power.