Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral
The Serendipity Arts Festival 2025 drew to a memorable close in Panaji, marking the conclusion of its landmark 10th edition with a sweeping celebration of artistic expression across disciplines. Over ten days, the festival transformed Goa’s public spaces, heritage buildings, and cultural venues into hubs of creativity, dialogue, and community engagement, reaffirming its place as one of India’s most significant multidisciplinary arts festivals.
As the festival concluded, the Hon’ble Governor of Goa, Shri Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, accompanied by Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron of Serendipity Arts, visited several festival venues across the city. Their walkthrough included Azad Maidan, the Old PWD Building, the Directorate of Accounts, the Old GMC Complex, and Art Park, where they interacted with artists, curators, and members of the festival team. The visit highlighted the festival’s expansive programming and its meaningful engagement with public and heritage spaces, underscoring its role in enriching Goa’s cultural landscape.
The closing day featured a series of standout performances across music and theatre. The Arena at Nagalli Hills hosted a vibrant finale curated by Sneha Khanwalkar, bringing together artists including Mulla Altaf Raja Ebrahim, Jasbir Jassi, Sunetra Banerjee, Maithili Shome, Zoheb Husain Khan, and Gaurav Pawankumar Khullar. The concert blended beloved tracks with bold sonic experimentation, delivering a colourful, playful, and energetic conclusion that left audiences exhilarated.
Theatre programming concluded at the Old GMC Complex with Bob Marley from Kodihalli, curated by Sankar Venkateswaran. The Kannada production drew inspiration from the legacy of reggae icon Bob Marley to examine questions of identity, freedom, and caste through a compelling mix of Brechtian theatre and musical interludes, inviting audiences to reflect on marginalised voices and social realities.
Music continued to resonate across venues with the Nagaland Madrigal Singers performing at Dinanath Mangeshkar Kala Mandir. The 19-member choir presented a repertoire spanning classical sacred works, Naga and Asian folk music, international folk songs, and contemporary compositions, showcasing their artistic versatility and cultural heritage. The same venue hosted Spirit and Harmony: A Christmas Special, curated by Ranjit Barot, which ushered in the festive season with a grand big-band production celebrating iconic holiday music in a visually rich setting.
The River Raag series concluded with Manganiyar Parampara at Santa Monica Jetty, where Manganiyar musicians from Rajasthan performed against the backdrop of the Mandovi River. The sunset cruise performance wove together folk traditions, nature, and spirituality, offering a poetic and reflective conclusion as music flowed alongside the river.
Throughout the final day, visitors continued to engage with exhibitions and installations that remained open across venues. These included Multiplay 02: Soft Systems, The Culinary Odyssey of Goa, What Does Loss Taste Like?, Home is Where the Heart is, Infinite Drape, Stepwells: Poetry in Craft, and Hands, Tools, and the Living Thread, among many others. A photography exhibition exploring the evolving idea of home brought together five photographers whose works reflected personal and intergenerational perspectives on belonging.
The festival’s commitment to inclusivity remained central until the very end. The Children’s Programme at Art Park concluded with storytelling sessions, workshops, and interactive experiences, while accessibility initiatives at The Access Village continued through exhibitions, sensory spaces, and workshops designed to ensure an inclusive festival experience for all.
As Serendipity Arts Festival 2025 came to a close, it left behind ten days of artistic exploration that celebrated diversity, innovation, and dialogue. Spanning theatre, music, visual arts, craft, photography, culinary arts, and accessibility programming, the festival once again demonstrated the transformative power of the arts to bring people together and reimagine shared cultural spaces.
