This December, Panjim, Goa, will host the 10th edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival, transforming the city’s heritage spaces into a vibrant celebration of creativity across visual arts, theatre, dance, music, craft, design, photography, and culinary innovation. From 12–21 December 2025, the festival will occupy over 300,000 square feet across iconic venues, including The Old GMC Complex, Art Park, Kala Academy, and more, presenting a rich panorama of contemporary South Asian culture.
This milestone edition places a special focus on children, transforming the festival into an artistic playground where young audiences are active participants, creators, and storytellers. The carefully curated children’s programming spans themes from the environment and food to music, film, literature, and mindfulness. Activities include interactive workshops, storytelling sessions, film-making labs, animation projects, hands-on art and craft, and wellness experiences, ensuring every child discovers a unique way to engage with the arts.
Highlights include “Once Upon a Taste,” a food futures workshop led by Usha Chhabra and Thomas Zacharias, where children aged 8–12 explore the stories and futures hidden in food, culminating in their own creative “Cookbook for Tomorrow.” Other storytelling sessions explore Goan culture, wildlife conservation, folktales, and marine life. Artistic workshops introduce embroidery, weaving, terracotta, and crochet, while science and nature activities, architecture projects, and filmmaking experiences encourage curiosity and imagination. Mindfulness, emotional awareness, and musical exploration round out the festival’s immersive program for children.
Over the past decade, Serendipity Arts Festival has evolved into a platform that nurtures creativity in all its forms, fostering empathy, cultural understanding, and a lifelong love for the arts. Founder Patron Sunil Kant Munjal emphasizes that children are the greatest source of imagination, and the festival seeks to empower them to experience art joyfully and participatorily. Director Smriti Rajgarhia notes that the children’s programming is designed not only to engage but to give children confidence, creativity, and ownership of artistic expression. Co-Founding Patron Shefali Munjal reflects on ten years of impact, expressing gratitude for the artists, audiences, and partners who have helped build a movement that champions creativity as a force for social change.
Registrations for Serendipity Arts Festival 2025 are now open. Families and young creatives are invited to join this vibrant celebration of imagination and culture in Panjim, Goa, from 12–21 December 2025, and participate in what promises to be the festival’s most ambitious and joyful children’s programming yet.
The soulful spirit of Goa was on full display as the celebrated singer Smt. Hema Sardessai inaugurated the Monsoon Expression program at Sanskruti Bhavan, Patto, Panaji. This vibrant cultural initiative, organized by the Directorate of Art and Culture, aims to celebrate the essence of Goa’s artistic traditions during the monsoon season.
The program brings together diverse artistic expressions including music, theatre, dance, folk art, literature, and visual arts, culminating in a striking painting exhibition by local talents.
The inauguration ceremony witnessed the presence of notable dignitaries including Shri Sagun Velip, Director of Art and Culture, and Shri Milind Mate, Deputy Director, among others.
Addressing the gathering, Hema Sardessai applauded the Department for its sustained efforts in nurturing Goan heritage and creating platforms for emerging artists. The event was met with enthusiastic participation and appreciation from attendees across the cultural spectrum.
Monsoon Expression is not just a program—it is a movement to reinforce Goa’s vibrant artistic roots and create meaningful engagement between artists and audiences.
With its inspiring blend of performances and exhibitions, the event is set to run through the monsoon, turning rainy days into moments of artistic celebration.
By Maryanne De Souza || Team Allycaral In its largest-ever edition, the festival will have 35+ curators including Shubha Mudgal, Lillete Dubey, Ehsaan Noorani, Manu Chandra, Thukral & Tagra, and Geeta Chandran among others across disciplines like visual and performing arts, craft, culinary arts and accessibility.
Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) returns to Panaji, Goa in its landmark tenth edition, from December 12 to 21, 2025, with a renewed vision, expanded ambitions, and a vast roster of curators and grants. As one of India’s largest multi-disciplinary arts events, it will mark a decade of celebrating the arts and fostering creativity, collaboration, inclusivity, and cross-cultural exchange across disciplines.
To mark this significant edition, along with the recently concluded SAF Mini Edition in Birmingham, UK, the Festival will extend its presence beyond Goa, activating events in cities across India through the year, culminating in the main event in December. This anniversary edition will reflect on Serendipity’s past journey while also looking forward — with dynamic art-led interventions, deeper community engagements, and greater national and global presence.
Commenting on the milestone 10th Edition, Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder and Patron, Serendipity Arts says, “Ten years ago, when we conceived the first Serendipity Arts Festival, we imagined a place where canvasses, workshops, stages, cuisines, cultures, and audiences could come together in a seamless mix…and where everyone felt welcome. We also visualised a platform where technology and tradition could blend and reflect on our reality. At that time, it seemed like a difficult, if not an impossible, goal. It is a delight to see that a decade later, this very place has become a thriving city of ideas where we are not merely celebrating art—we are redrawing its map and reaffirming our belief that when the arts come together, society moves forward. Many have played a part in this evolution: our own teams, the Government of Goa, the people of Goa, our amazing partners from many counties, the thousands of artists, the millions in the audience over ten years and our curators with their rich imagination and boundless energy. Each of these stakeholders are deserving of a big thank you from all of us.”
Mayor of Panaji, Rohit Monserrate, lauds all the past editions of the Festival which have added to the cultural vibrancy of Panaji. He says, “In each of its past nine editions, the renowned Serendipity Arts Festival has brought Panaji, the state capital of Goa, alive, nurturing creative expression, supporting our local economy and putting Goa on the world map as far as cultural and artistic expression are concerned. The festival’s diverse programming and inclusive spirit bring life to public spaces and boost tourism, helping create jobs and support Goa’s local economy. SAF is a stellar illustration of how art and culture are the soul of our city and the backbone of its growth. On behalf of the citizens of Panaji, we offer best wishes to the organisers of SAF on the occasion of their landmark 10th edition.”
Curators for the 2025 edition
In celebration of its grand 10th edition, Serendipity Arts Festival has brought together its largest-ever line-up of 35+ curators across disciplines like visual arts, dance, music, theatre, design, and culinary innovation amongst others. It features some of the most accomplished voices including actor-directorLillete Dubey, musicians Ehsaan Noorani, and Zubin Balaporia, Padma Shri Geeta Chandran, art historian Anjana Somany, artist Sudarshan Shetty, curator-publisher Rahaab Allana, tabla maestro Aneesh Pradhan, celebrated chef Manu Chandra, acclaimed poet and cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote, multi-disciplinary designer Sandeep Sangaru, theatre director and recipient of Sangeet Natak Award Anuradha Kapur, amongst others.
Speaking about this year’s robust curatorial mix, Smriti Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Foundation & Festival says, “As we step into our 10th year, Serendipity Arts Festival remains committed to creating spaces for artists, audiences, and communities to meet in meaningful and inclusive ways. With a stellar line-up of curators and an expanded set of grants and initiatives, we hope this edition catalyses new ideas, questions and connections that continue to energise the arts in South Asia.”
The Visual Arts section includes curators like cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote, artist duo Thukral and Tagra and large-scale conceptual artist Sudarshan Shetty. Mumbai-based curator and writer Veeranganakumari Solanki known for her narrative-driven practice spanning public and private spaces will take the visitors on an interesting site with her artistic interventions. Vidya Shivadas, Director of Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA), and has a practice deeply rooted in critical art discourse, will curate exhibitions based on pedagogical and material experimentations.
The Craft section has curators such as ceramic artist Kristine Michael, and textile designer/artist Rashmi Varma who is known for exploring identity, memory, and gesture through the language of handmade fabric. Art historian and craft researcher Anjana Somany, committed to showcasing living craft traditions, will curate a project exploring the subterranean worlds of step-wells with a craft showcase. Designer Sandeep Sangaru, who works with indigenous materials will spotlight Kashmiri crafts in his curation.
The Photography section will be curated by several lens-based practitioners including Ravi Agarwal, an artist and environmentalist whose lens-based work interrogates ecology and nature. Rahaab Allana, curator and publisher of the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, will curate an exhibition of image-oriented works from the Indian subcontinent and Arab peninsula. Documentary photographer and co-founder of Nazar Foundation, Prashant Panjiar’s curation will spotlight various occupational communities from Goa. Another of his curations will be a display on preserving family tales woven through self-portraits, inherited material, workshops, listening booths and talks. Dinesh Khanna, a veteran photographer and educator will curate projects on the theme of migration and memory.
The Dance section will have curators including the iconic Geeta Chandran, founder of Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Jayachandran Palazhy, writer and dance practitioner Ranjana Dave, and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Tanusree Shankar. Dave’s curation based on dance and movement will focus on a wide range of accessibility needs. Palazhy will curate projects that explore the strength of human connections, the concept of influence, and daily urban challenges through AI interventions, visual installations and interactive performances.
The Theatre section’s curations are poised to ignite the socio, political and cultural consciousness of the society. Award-winning playwright, director, and filmmaker Mahesh Dattani known for bringing contemporary issues to the stage will curate an Ambedkarite opera. Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Anuradha Kapur will spotlight the 180-year-old rich legacy of Marathi theatre. Sankar Venkateswaran will bring a classical touch to his curatorial work around a Koodiyattam act which will let the audience reflect on the themes of justice, power, and love in an unequal world. The other curators in this section also include popular actor-theatre director Lillete Dubey, and theater actor-director Quasar Thakore Padamsee.
The Music section will have an exciting lineup of curators like Ehsaan Noorani, Bickram Ghosh, Aneesh Pradhan, Ranjit Barot, Shubha Mudgal and Zubin Balaporia. Balaporia and Noorani will curate a performance that will bring the magic of blues, funk and jazz. Barot with Balaporia will curate a musical tribute to the iconic tabla player and composer Zakir Hussain. Pradhan and Mudgal’s curatorial performance will enthral the audience with a percussion act spotlighting folk instruments.
The Culinary curators including Odette Mascarenhas, Rahul Akerkar, Thomas Zacharias and The Locavore will create a sensorial experience that will extend beyond taste and smell. The collective Edible Issues focussed on Indian food systems, will curate projects that probe the cultural perceptions of aroma, as well as those around climate change’s effect on livestock and pastoral communities. Influential Chef Manu Chandra who has helmed several award-winning restaurant brands will pay an ode to old Goan tavernas in his curation. Sommelier-restaurateur Prahlad Sukhantar will spotlight India’s diverse salt traditions in his curation.
As Accessibility of arts forms the core of Serendipity Arts Festival, writer and disability campaigner Salil Chaturvedi will curate acts led by deaf and mute artists, workshops tailored to audiences with special needs, and create an inclusive space like Studio Me where everyone at the festival can try their hand at art.
These curated programmes will be spread across age-old heritage venues in Panjim including the Old GMC Complex, Art Park, Promenade and Gazebo, Kala Academy, Excise Building, Directorate of Accounts Building, Azad Maidan, Santa Monica Jetty, Yoga Promenade Jetty, The Arena at Nagali Hills Ground amongst others.
Below is a sneak peek into the much-anticipated 10th-year edition
Serendipity Arts continues its commitment to supporting emerging and mid-career practitioners through an expanded portfolio of grants in 2025. These initiatives are designed to provide financial, infrastructural, and mentorship support to practitioners across regions and disciplines through the following grants and residencies:
Futures in Formation | Public Art Programme (in partnership with FICA)
Serendipity Arts Residency 2025
Senior Artist Residency (in collaboration with Royal College of Art)
Enduring Traditions Grant
Serendipity Arles Grant
Folk Arts Grant
Independent Music Production Grant
WAC (Write | Art | Connect)
Arts Journalism Grant
With such an exceptional curatorial team, an expanded grants portfolio that will be showcased at SAF 2025, along with a commitment to year-round multi-city engagement, the 2025 edition promises to be its most exciting edition yet for the Serendipity Arts Festival. The Foundation invites audiences, practitioners, and patrons to be part of this milestone celebration as it reaffirms its belief in the transformative power of the arts.
Overview:
Serendipity Arts
Serendipity Arts is a not-for-profit collaborative platform based in Delhi, fostering empathy, curiosity and cross-cultural dialogue by supporting emerging artists across South Asia. The Foundation’s aim is to nurture artistic practice, promote research, and provide sustainability and education in the field of the arts. Over the past decade, Serendipity Arts has encouraged cultural heritage projects alongside contemporary art practices with extensive residencies, grants, collaborative projects, art writing initiatives and a multi-disciplinary arts festival.
~ The 9th edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival will be held at Panaji in Goa from December 15 to December 22.
~ 1,800-plus artists from across the globe will be participating in the festival this year.
~ Over 22 venues are accommodating the Festival’s extensive programming across Panaji.
Panaji, December 2024: Goa is set to roll out the red carpet for the ninth edition of Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) 2024 which returns to Goa with its biggest edition yet. Featuring over 1,800 Goan, national, and international artists and 200-plus projects, panels, workshops, and public art interventions across 22 venues, it promises a vibrant celebration of creativity and culture.
South Asia’s largest multidisciplinary arts festival will convert its long-time home, the vibrant capital city of Panaji, into a hub for artistic endeavours and creative pursuits from December 15 to December 22.
“We are proud to host the ninth edition of SAF 2024, set to take place in the historic city of Panaji, its primary venue since inception. A popular part of Goan culture and a fixture in the state’s December event calendar, SAF 2024 returns on a much grander scale, aiming to strengthen community engagement through relevant conversations, further enhance accessibility in the arts and make the Festival an exciting, immersive experience for all,” said Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron, Serendipity Arts.
The Festival is supported by the Government of Goa, in partnership with the Entertainment Society of Goa and the Corporation of the City of Panaji, along with the Directorate of Art and Culture, Goa, Goa Tourism Department, Kala Academy Goa, Goa Forest Department and Imagine Panaji Smart City Development.
SAF 2024 will be conducted across 22-plus venues spread across the culturally rich city of Panaji — the Art Park, the Excise Building, the Old GMC Complex, ESG Building, Santa Monica Jetty, Samba Square, Mala Pump House, the Arena at Nagalli Hills Ground, Kala Academy, Azad Maidan, Directorate of Accounts, Caranzalem Beach, Dona Paula Parking Lot and more.
Since its first edition in 2016, SAF has ensured that it has made the arts universally inclusive and accessible across creative disciplines, factoring in holistic sustainability and cultural place-making.
“As we unveil the 9th edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival, we reaffirm our belief in culture as a transformative soft power that can invigorate economies and bring meaningful change to society. Over the years, symbiotic relationships, collaborations, and partnerships have been at the heart of our journey, creating a multiplier effect for communities,” said Smriti Rajgarhia, Director of Serendipity Arts and the Serendipity Arts Festival.
This year, 13 expert curators are breathing life into the Festival’s disciplines. Bickram Ghosh and Zubin Balaporia are curators for Music; Veeranganakumari Solanki and Thukral & Tagra come together to curate Visual Arts; Theatre is curated by Quasar Thakore Padamsee and Sankar Venkateshwaran; Geeta Chandran and Jayachandran Palazhy are curating Dance; Culinary Arts is being curated by Elizabeth Yorke and Anusha Murthy of Edible Issues; Kristine Michael and Sandeep Sangaru are curating Craft; Salil Chaturvedi is heading the Accessibility quotient.
This year, visitors can explore sustainable food alternatives, delve into climate-conscious craft practices, and engage with multisensory exhibits as part of the Visual Arts curation. They can also groove to global music beats, experience a somatic symphony through Dance programming, and reflect on human experiences in Theatre, all while participating in accessibility and sustainability endeavours in the art space. AI interventions, curated by Mathieu Wothke (Somewhere Arts) and Joel Ferree (LACMA), will be prevalent across the visual, culinary, and performance disciplines, adding a layer of innovation and exploration to the festival.
Additionally, special curators like Preethi Athreya for Performance Art, Comedy Wagon for Stand-up Comedy, Gaya Tideman for Music in the Art Park, Zainab Wani (Zequenx) for the B-Side Project, and Damian Christinger for Ghosts in Machines bring fresh perspectives to this edition. Key exhibitions such as Eternal Echoes: The Resonance of Heart with Heritage, curated by Helen Acharya at Azad Maidan, and Carbon, led by Jahnavi Phalkey in collaboration with Ravi Agarwal, promise compelling and thought-provoking experiences.
Prioritising Goan and Goa-based artists in the festival’s programming, SAF has granted them a platform where their talent can put themselves on the global art map and garner international acclaim. The Goa Familia – Archive of Potential (Goan) Futures project, curated by Lina Vincent and Akshay Mahajan, also returns, offering a heartfelt exploration of Goan heritage through oral histories, photography, and archival materials. This year, eminent names in Goa’s cultural space like Assavri Kulkarni, Shankar Turi, Divesh Gadekar, Manashri Pai Dukle, Aldona Video Club, Bookworm Goa, Prashanti Talpankar and others are bringing their expertise to the Festival.
According to Pallavi Dempo, SAF Patron, the Serendipity Arts Festival plays a pivotal role in nurturing creativity and talent. “The Serendipity Arts Festival is the most sought-after cultural event in Goa, and we are truly fortunate to host it here. My heartfelt gratitude and congratulations to Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron of Serendipity Arts, for gifting Goa this incredible festival,” she said.
The Festival is free to all visitors upon registration. However, owing to popular demand and limited seating, some projects have a nominal fee per head. SAF 2024 also continues with dedicated programming for children, ensuring the next generation of artists is set up in good stead.
Quick Takes from Curators and Artists:
“We are extremely excited for the Visual Arts section. This year, as part of our project ‘Multiplay’, expect everything from getting your hair braided to a ‘book massage’ as a multisensory experience. ‘Poems on the Move’, curated by us and Salil Chaturvedi, will have poets grace the ears of SAF shuttle passengers, among many other public interventions,”
Thukral and Tagra, Visual Arts curator
“At ‘A Haptic Score’, visitors can come and explore how sound and sight, as synaesthesia invoke feelings that are deeply personal, and most of the works bring you back to yourself in some way,”
Veerangana Solanki, Visual Arts curator
“Since ceramics are a huge part of Goa’s history, from the terracotta roosters and lions, to the Azulejos. The idea was to combine the Goans and Goa-settled artisans, craftspeople with other parts of the country, especially West Bengal, as they share a colonial background. People can look forward to seeing these intertwined histories visually represented at the festival.”
Kristine Michael, Craft Curator
“Life in areas like Ladakh has several lessons to teach us, represented in the project ‘Abundance in Scarcity: Exploring Ladakh’s Sustainable Ingenuity’. People can come see how limited resources drive creativity and sustainability, cultural resilience and the significance of environmental stewardship.”
