Goa Festival News

The people of São Mathias, Divar will celebrate Bonderam on August 17. Preparations are in full swing for the grand celebration which will begin at 11 a.m. with the Patoinchem Fest curated by Festakar Marius Fernandes. Sharing the details, Fernandes said that the Patoinchem Fest will be held at the São Mathias Sports Club. “The fest will feature workshops and talks for all. The annual ‘jevonn’ and ‘pasoi’ will follow with active participation from the locals,” he said. A special addition to the festivities is the GED Talks. “This stands for Green Educational Talks and will feature eminent environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar talking about the tigers and Malarkar Ross Picardo,” said vice-president of Sao Mathias Sports Club Remy Almeida who appreciated the collaborated efforts of the locals, Goa Tourism, and the Department of Arts and Culture in ensuring its success. Further elaborating on the festivities, president of the Sao Mathias Sports Club, Seby Crasto stated that the evening will showcase the traditional float parade. “Lynx will be the band in attendance along with DJ Macattack, and the legendary Seby Fernandes of ‘Mira Mira’ fame with RJ Joed Almeida setting the mood for the day’s events,” he said. Bonderam promises to be […]

The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, inaugurated the VFX and Tech Pavilion at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. This is the first time that the VFX and Tech Pavilion has been established as part of Film Bazaar history by NFDC at IFFI. The pavilion will showcase some of the most dynamic, immersive, and cutting-edge advances in filmmaking technology in the fields of animation, visual effects, virtual reality, and CGI. During the inauguration, the Minister inspected various sections of the Pavilion, including the Cine Museum, Viewing Zones of Amazon Prime and Netflix, among others. He also took a demonstration of full-frame Cinema Line Cameras of Sony and interacted with young filmmakers selected under the 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow initiative. Additionally, he interacted with selected authors in the Book to Box section of the Tech Pavilion. I&B Minister taking a live demonstration of full frame Cine Camera n a recent statement, Shri Thakur highlighted how India has grown from being the 10th to the 5th largest media and entertainment economy, which he described as phenomenal. He also expressed confidence that with the talent and volume of film and media content produced […]

The much-awaited Goa Food and Cultural Festival 2020 was officially inaugurated on 21st  February at the hands of Pramod Sawant -Goa’s chief minister, in the presence of Babush Monserrate – MLA Panjim Constituency, Dayanand Sopte – GTDC’s Chairman, Parimal Rai, IAS – Chief Secretary, and Uday Madkaikar – Mayor, CCP. The venue had a carnival theme and even the beloved carnival character, King Momo, was present. There are a variety of food stalls put up selling items like wines, popcorn, shakes, urak, Goan and Indian food, kebabs, tandoori, shawarma, sizzlers, biryani, classic Goan snacks, barbeques, fish n chips, kebabs, ice-cream, honey, and more. Famous brands like Fratelli wines, Ripples, Gastro pub, Planet Hollywood, Fish by 11, Zakis biryani, Bay 15, Mog Asun, etc, have their own stalls here.   The entertainment line-up: 22nd February – ‘Latin Connection with Konkani Greats’, ‘UZO- The Global Music Project’, ‘5-minute canvas painting by Sank Creations’. 23rd February – ‘Masala Coffee- Indian Folk, Rock, Blues, Reggae’, ‘Shine On’ band   Venue: Campal Cricket Ground, opposite Parade Ground, Panaji Timing: 6 pm onwards on all days   Picture Credit – SHIVANG MISHRA II NTGOGOANOW

The Goa Forest Department, Goa Tourism Department and Goa Bird Conservation Network are organizing the 3rd Bird Festival of Goa from January 17th to 19th 2020 at Forest Training School Complex, Valpoi. The attendees can participate in workshops by experienced photographers, enjoy guided bird walks, and watch art shows by prominent artists. Renowned ornithologists will deliver talks. Bird watching will start early morning at the Valpoi reserve forests, Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary.  There will be interactive sessions and open discussions, besides a photo exhibition, live birding related demonstration and also live demonstrations on the art of drawing and painting birds. The objectives behind the festival are to promote bird watching, educate the public about birds, come up with ways to decrease the negative impact of climate change on the environment and concentrate on bird conservation. Sattari, Goa is home to various bird species like the Nilgiri wood-pigeon, Malabar parakeet, Malabar grey hornbill, grey-headed bulbul, rufous babbler, white-bellied blue-flycatcher, crimson-backed sunbird, Ceylon Frogmouth, Malabar Trogon, Black-backed Dwarf and Blue-eared Kingfishers, White-bellied Woodpecker and many others.

Goa Tourism in association with the Goa Feni Distillers and Bottlers is all set to organise the second edition of The Spirit of Goa Festival 2019 from April 26 to April 28. The three-day event revolves around Goa’s much loved possessions: the coconut and cashew, in a variety of products, cuisines, beverages, handicrafts, etc showcasing the traditional aspects and the goodness associated with this produce including homegrown spirits ranging from local brews, homemade wines and more. The festival will also have live demos on distilling of the cashew juice into Goa’s much relished heritage brew, feni. Besides authentic Goan food, coconut and cashew will also be the key ingredients in the cuisines and beverages prepared and served during the three-day festival. A cashew stomping competition will also be organised along with masterclasses and cooking demos conducted by mixologist Karl Fernandes and chef Avinash Martins and Tiz Martins who will showcase some authentic yet innovative Goan cuisine. A variety of exciting programmes, workshops, competitions and more will be scheduled to enthrall the audience. From timeless Konkani and Portuguese classics to modern day English Latin styles with jazz and funk rhythms, the festival’s lineup boasts of well-curated large format ensembles with full […]

People of different nationalities and ages flocked to Miramar to get in on the carnival festivities. Manohar Babu Ajgaonkar, tourism minister, flagged off the parade.  Over 50 floats gave a splash of colour to the streets and one could see that a lot of thought was put into the making of them. This year, many floats backed up social causes like formalin fish, Kerala floods, the inclusion of differently-abled people, suicide, terrorism, and more. People sang songs, danced, sold carnival masks, and dressed up as characters like Mahatma Gandhi, superheroes, and Narendra Modi. King Momo (William Anes) told everyone to enjoy and be merry. Pics Credit – Shivang Mishra I NT GOGOANOW.COM

Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar on Wednesday released the official theme song ‘Carnival Sobovya’ for the annual four-day Carnival float parade to be held in Goa from March 2 to 5, 2019. The theme song is composed, mixed and mastered by Mukesh Ghatwal, who has also sung the song with Queeni Fernandes. The lyrics of the song are written by Ghatwal and Roque Lazarus. The main float parade of the festival will be held in the capital city of Panaji on March 2 followed by parades in other towns across the state. The float parade will be held in Margao on March 3, Vasco, Ponda and Curchorem on March 4, while in Mapusa, Morjim, and Shiroda, the float parades will be held on March 5. “We are promoting Carnival worldwide with fun and fervor; tourists should come to Goa to witness our unique culture. They are invited…Khao piyo aur majja karo (eat drink and be merry),” said Tourism Minister while addressing a press conference in Panaji. Ajgaonkar appealed to Carnival revelers to stay away from drugs and instead enjoy ‘cashew feni’ claiming that it has medicinal importance. He informed that well-known entertainment icon and ace dance performer, William Anes has been […]

Every year on 3rd December, people flock to Old Goa for the feast of St Francis Xavier- the patron saint of Goa.  He was a God-fearing man who spread the Gospel and served the sick and poor. He is dotingly hailed as ‘Goencho Saib’ as his life story inspires people even today. His relics are in the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This year, the theme of the feast is to live life according to the Beatitudes which Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount. Living according to the beatitudes means always longing to know more about God, being merciful, bringing peace wherever you go, etc.  ‘Like St Francis Xavier, let us live the Beatitudes and be Holy’- those at the feast were taught that it’s not enough to just follow certain religious duties, but you have to have a loving relationship with God and obey His commandments.  There were masses in Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, French, Italian, Portuguese, Marathi, Telugu, and Spanish. The feast fair was buzzing with activity and sold items like sweets, accessories, toys, etc. The St Francis Xavier 2018 feast also had a 3D stage which made the people feel like they were in an indoor cathedral […]

The delegate registrations for the 49th edition of IFFI will commence on October 8 from 7.00 p.m. onwards for all cine enthusiasts and professionals on payment of Rs. 1000, whereas the students will be registered free. The applications of the delegates who are registered with IFFI for the last 2 years will be approved within 24 hours and new applications will be approved within 48hours. While briefing the media about the preparations of the festival, vice–chairman of ESG, Rajendra Talak said that: “all our activities are going as per the schedule and this being my second term as the vice–chairman of ESG; I can say that we are much ahead of the schedule. The entire programme will be finalised by October 30.” There will also be a Goan section for the unreleased Goan films in this edition of IFFI, added Talak. The opening and closing ceremony of the festival will be held on November 20 and 28 respectively at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium, with the opening film being screened at Kala Academy, Panaji. While Bhupal Ramnathkar who has offered his service to assist Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) for décor finalisation of the festival is appointed as a design […]

The usually tranquil Divar Island turned into a place of celebration for the famous ‘Bonderam’ festival.  Years ago, the Portuguese tried to prevent villagers from taking over nearby land by putting up flags to mark those areas. The villagers started knocking down these flags. The ‘Bonderam’ festival celebrates their protests. The festival started with a flag parade followed by a fancy dress competition where children and adults entertained everyone by acting out the character they were dressed up as. Many colourful floats were brought out for public viewing. Whoever took part in this celebration had a great time. Pic Credit – Shivang Mishra I NT GOGOANOW.COM

The Sao Joao festivities were celebrated with great pomp and enthusiasm across the state. On this day the Catholics enact the biblical tale of -John the Baptist leaped for joy in his mother, Elizabeth’s, womb when she was told of Jesus’ conception. The tradition of jumping into the well is considered to be a representation of the saint leaping into Elizabeth’s womb. NT GoGoaNow captured the traditional festive celebrations of the Saints birth at Siolim.   Pic Credit – Shivang Mishra I NT GOGOANOW.COM

The annual feast of Our Lady of Milagres (Our Lady of Miracles) was celebrated at St Jerome’s Church, Mapusa, on April 16; the feast is celebrated on Monday following the third week of Easter. The feast portrays the communal nature of the state wherein a Hindu’s along with other devotes throng to St. Jerome’s church to venerate and seek the blessings of Milagres Saibinn. ‘Milagres Saibinn’ is also believed to cure various ailments and many devotees from different religious communities make vows, pour coconut oil over the statue of our Lady of Milagres and offer wax figurines in repayment of favors received by them. Pic Credit – Shivang Mishra I NT GOGOANOW.COM

The annual floats parade for this year’s Shigmotsav in Panaji were held on March 10. The float parade were held from Goa Science Centre, Miramar, to Harley Davidson showroom, Caranzalem.   Pic Credit – Shivang Mishra I NT GOGOANOW.COM

Holi or ‘Dhuli Vandan’ the festival of colour, was celebrated in Goa along with rest of the country on March 2. The main city function, ‘Gulalotsav’ –organised by the Panaji Shigmotsav Samiti, began at 9:30 a.m. with a prayer offered to the city deity, Mahalaxmi, at Shree Mahalaxmi Temple, Panaji. This was followed by a procession of Romtamel from the temple to Azad Maidan. The ‘Gulalotsav’ marked the beginning of the Shigmotsav festivities in the capital city. The floats parade for this year’s Shigmotsav in Panaji will be held on March 10 and the cultural activities organised by the Panaji Shigmotsav Samiti will be held from March 7 to March 11 at Azad Maidan from 7 p.m. onwards. Pic Credit – Shivang Mishra I NT GOGOANOW.COM

On Saturday King Momo, Bruno Azaredo, along with his queen and colorful royal entourage announced his reign by proclaiming the mock rules of Carnival festivities i.e Eat, Drink and Enjoy over the next four days.The floats in the capital city were held on Dr. Jack Sequira road, Miramar. The Panaji carnival witnessed a total number of 48 floats based on various themes such as preservation of Bondvall lake, gender equality, Goan folk festivities and other social issues.   Pic Credit – Shivang Mishra I NT GOGOANOW.COM

Alleging that politics’ is being played by a group of people opposing Carnival parade in Pernem, Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar, on Monday, said that the government’s decision to hold Carnival parade in Pernem is aimed at promoting tourism in the Med. “There is a section of people who are spreading the rumors. Carnival is not about casteism. We are holding the Carnival in Pernemwith an aim to promote tourism. But unfortunately some people are relating other issues with Carnival,” said the tourism Minister while speaking to pressmen in Panaji. “Carnival parade is being held every year in Panaji, Margao, Mapusa, Vasco. Besides these, another parade is held in Shiroda, which will not be held this year there and as such we want to hold it in Pernem. As Tourism Minister and representative of Pernem taluka, I want to put Pernem on tourism map by holding the Carnival parade there,” he said. A group of people has labeled the Carnival parade as the legacy of the Portuguese and has warned that it will take to the streets if the government does not cancel the parade in Pernem. Meanwhile, Ajgaonkar held a meeting of the State Level Marketing and Promotion Committee (SLMPC) in […]