Goa Festival News
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Festa do Povo: Festival to Showcase Goan Heritage, Food, & Culture
The well-known community festival, Festa do Povo, returns to Panaji again, to promote Goan culture and heritage. The festival is coordinated through community involvement, with assistance from the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) and Imagine Panaji, along the pedestrian walkway lined with mangroves at Patto Plaza near the Spaces building. Residents from various wards in the city, who reside in heritage homes and blocks, participate in the festival’s planning. What food can you expect here? It ranges from Goan-Portuguese to Hindu Saraswat to Muslim dishes, cooked by local home chefs, Panaji restaurants, and even international chefs. The food section of the festival showcases Goa’s rich culinary diversity across various religious communities. Additionally, a special Feni bar and beverage station featuring local drinks will enhance the festive atmosphere. Day one (December 14) will feature traditional Shigmo dances and children’s craft activities curated by Bookworm, a -book store for children. Participants can enjoy a variety of performances, including the Kaustubha Ballet, the beloved Stuti Choir, the traditional dekhni dance, and enchanting melodies by the Sound of Music. On the second day, December 15, there will be brass band performances, percussion displays, and carol singing by students from Nirmala School. This […]
São Mathias Bonderam to flag off on Aug 17
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 54th IFFI has a VFX and Tech Pavilion!
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 […]
XII Lusophone Film Festival from September 29
The Consulate-General of Portugal in Goa, Fundação Oriente, CLP-Camões, and Semana da Cultura Indo-Portuguesa (Goa) are all set to organise the first edition of ‘Momentos Indo-Portugueses 2023’. The inaugural ceremony will be held on September 29, 6 p.m. at ESG, Maquinez Palace, Auditorium I, Panaji. Consul General of Portugal in Goa Isabel Raimundo will deliver the opening address. This will be followed by the first movie screening of the XII Lusophone Film Festival, ‘A Costa dos Murmúrios’ (2004) by Margarida Cardoso at 6.30 p.m. Based on a novel by Lídia Jorge, ‘A Costa dos Murmúrios’ tells the story of a young woman Evita who arrives in Mozambique at the end of the 60s and finds herself in a country devastated by the colonial war with Portugal. The film festival will be held from September 29 till October 1 and includes ten films and documentaries, all having English subtitles. September 30 will have the screenings of ‘Alentejo, Alentejo’ (2 p.m.), ‘Chuva é Cantoria na Aldeia dos Mortos’ (4 p.m.), ‘O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis’ (6 p.m.) and ‘Mar’ (8 p.m.). The last day will see the screenings of ‘Fordlandia Malaise’ (2 p.m.), ‘Daniel & Daniela’ (2.45 p.m.), ‘O Pai […]
Miracle Lyrics – A session with Prasoon Joshi
“I feel that all of us as human beings have to express something. We’re all bubbling with something,” said Prasoon Joshi, Indian lyricist, screenwriter, and poet. He gave a master class at the prestigious film festival Iffi on the topic ‘The Art and Craft of Lyrics’. He started off with a story of how a girl narrated to him that someone shouted at a house and the house shouted back. She didn’t know the word ‘echo’. He said that if the word goes extinct, the whole narrative of the experience is gone. An interesting fact Joshi revealed was that artificial intelligence (AI) has entered the world of scriptwriting. He acknowledged the importance of data and data processing but there was something that bothered him. “Imagine you’re standing in front of a funeral pyre feeling the heat and smelling the body burning. Everything you subliminally experienced can’t be captured by AI. Humans have so many dimensions. So, AI has a lot to catch up on,” he said. He went on to talk about the market. “The market has one thing very clear – if it doesn’t sell then it stops getting made. I don’t completely agree with the market philosophy. Different […]
Experience the beauty of birds
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.
Feast of St. Francis Xavier (Schedule)
The Novenas for the feast of St Francis Xavier locally known as ‘Goyencho Saib’ began on 24th November 2019. The Novenas began on November 24, the last Sunday of the liturgical year. This year the feast has seen thousands of devotees in attendance, with the theme of the feast being, ‘Rooted in Christ like St Francis Xavier, go and do likewise’ During these ten days, most of the Masses were celebrated in Konkani, and other regional languages – Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi were also celebrated on different days. Masses were also celebrated in other European languages – Portuguese, French, Italian and Spanish. On December 3, Masses will be as follows: 4 am, 5 am, 6 am, 7 am, 8 am, 9 am, 10.30 am (Solemn High Feast Mass), 12.30 pm, 3 pm (Spanish), 4 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm (English). The Solemn High Mass on the feast day will be celebrated by the Bishop of Mangalore Peter Paul Saldanha along with the Archbishop of Goa Filipe Neri Ferrao along with other bishops and priests.
India’s Jazz Festival is back in Goa this year
The Jazz India Circuit (JIC) is all set to come to Goa on November 30th and December 1st at the International Centre Goa (ICG) Dona Paula. The JIC is a one-stop destination to hear the newest and most diverse jazz acts. The event is organized by Teamwork Arts and has a stellar line-up of jazz artists. Other than that a series of music workshops, interactive experiential spaces, a bustling flea market, and a vibrant food court with flavors from all over the globe and a feast of art and craft activities. Speaking about the Goa leg of JIC 2019, Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, said, “The JIC celebrates the best of contemporary jazz bringing new idioms and the innovative spirit of jazz to the forefront for Indian audiences. JIC Goa showcases experimental jazz that blends diverse genres like punk, funk, hip-hop, folk and world music.”
Celebrating the spirits of Goa
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 […]
Feast at Grape Escapade 2019
The Department of Tourism, Government of Goa will host its premier food and lifestyle festival, Grape Escapade from February 28 to March 3 at D.B. Bandodkar Grounds, Campal, Panaji. To be inaugurated on February 28 at 6 p.m., the 4-day festival will bring together a host of professionals from the tourism and hospitality industry; hoteliers, restaurateurs, wineries and manufacturers to showcase their premium offerings. Grape Escapade 2019 will showcase over 40 exhibitors which include wineries comprising of international, national and local wine producers. To complement the wines, several food stalls will be set up to offer gourmet delights. Some of the participating wineries include; Sula Vineyards, Grover Zampa Vineyards, Big Banyan Wines, Ocean King Distillers, Tonia Wines, Good Drop Wines, Santanse Wines, Pomar de Frutas, Fratelli Wines, Indus Wines, and others. Goychi Chul, Bay 15, Yellow Chilli, Anandashram, Temptations, Sua Casa Restaurant, Hungry Hatz Grill, O’ Coqueiro and Tinge, Toro Toro will also be participating in addition to many other food outlets. An exciting line up of entertainment has been chalked out. A fashion show by Anusha Shaikh, dance routines by Dance-o-Philia and Goa Institute of Performing Arts (GIPA), and musical performances by Shine On Duo – Sidney and Silvina, […]
Carnival is a medium to promote our cultural heritage: Tourism Minister
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 […]
Iffi ends with the hope of a grander festival
The much loved International Film Festival of India drew to a close on 28th November 2018. The closing ceremony ended with the promise of a bigger, grander Iffi the following year. The hosts of the evening were actress, Sophie Choudry, and actor, Arjan Bajwa. Many prominent dignitaries graced the event like Anil Kapoor, Mridula Sinha (governor of Goa), and Vijai Sardesai (Minister of Town and Country Planning). Sardesai said: “There couldn’t be a better place for Iffi. Goa has usually been on the minds of filmmakers. Regional cinema has to find a place in national cinema. We would like to encourage Goan filmmakers to come forward and make films.” He also apologized to all the delegates who suffered inconvenience. Indian celebrities such as Anil Kapoor, Rakul Preet, Chitrangada Singh, Diana Penty and Keerthi Suresh walked the red carpet. The ceremony had dazzling performances by X1X and Vipin Aneja. The 8 days of Iffi 2018 had various film screenings, master classes by celebrities, and panel discussions. The number of delegates for this year had increased a lot more. Mr KJ Alphons (Tourism minister of India) said: “People today are very fond of Indian cinema.” He encouraged the audience to tour India […]
49th edition of IFFI takes off
The much hyped opening ceremony of the 49th International Film Festival of India got off to a delayed start sans the glitterati at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium. After much anticipation, it began with a Bollywood dance sequence, beating of the dhols, some aerial stunts on numbers from Bajirao Mastani, Bahubali, etc. Secretary of Information and broadcasting, Amit Khare welcomed the dignitaries and cine enthusiasts present for the 49th edition of the film festival that first began in 1952. He also congratulated the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Dan Wolman. Praising Indian cinema’s progress, with films like Padman and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, he said: “films are becoming strong messages of social change. The entertainment industry is providing revenue and growth and generating employment.” It was at least half an hour into the ceremony at this point, when superstar, Akshay Kumar and producer and director Karan Johar walked in to some cheering from the audience. The cast and crew of the opening film, ‘The Aspern Papers’ were called up onto the stage after a trailer of the film – it will have its world premiere here. Playback singer, Shilpa Rao with her troupe enthralled the audience with some romantic […]
Registrations for 49th edition of IFFI gets underway
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 […]
Following in the footsteps of the Saints
The procession of saints, also known as ‘Santachem Pursanv’ or ‘Ordem Terceria’ will be held at St Andrews Church at Goa Velha on March 19, the 5th Monday of the lent season. There will be a Eucharistic celebration at 4.30 p.m. which will be followed by the procession. Since this event is held during the lent season, it is actually referred as a ‘Penitential procession’. This is only of its kind procession in the world which is carried out with life size idols of the saints. The procession was also observed in the Portuguese colony of Bahia de Todos os Santos in Brazil, but was later banned. Though there were 65 statues when the procession was first started their number has been reduced to 31 now as some of them got damaged due to disuse after Queen Maria II of Portugal along with Portuguese ruler, Marquis of Pombal, banished all religious decrees from Portuguese colonies in 1835. The procession was thereafter revived in the late 19th century. The procession of saints is led by a frame carrying the ‘Veil of Veronica’. The 1st charol that comes out of the church is the ‘Tau cross’, the insignia of the Franciscan order, […]
Shigmotsav festivities to begin in Ponda from February 27
Ponda, the cultural capital of the state will witness Shigmotsav programmes from February 27 to March 4 The festivities will begin with paying obeisance to Goddess Mahalasa at Mardol-Priol. The Shigmotsav float parade will be held on March 3, Informed president of Shigmotsav commit-tee Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar. Addressing the gathering after a meeting in Ponda recently, Dhavalikar said that this is for the first time that a meeting is held with the sarpanch and panch members of all the village panchayats in Ponda and Zilla Panchayat members along with the members of the Ponda Municipal Council. “When we say ‘Ponda Shigmotsav’, it should include everyone. From this year, panchayats will play an active role informed Dhavalikar. While informing about the competitions, Dhavalikar said that the prize money has been increased in order to give credit to the creativity of the ar-tistes. Ponda taluka values art and artistes, hence, the prize money is revised. There will be three com-petitions. For Chitrarath float competition, the first prize is Its 85,000, second prize of Its 65,000, third prize of Its so,000 along with consolation prizes and honorarium. For Romtamel competition, the first prize will be Its 65,000, second prize Its 45,000 and third […]
Ajgaonkar: decision to hold Carnival parade in Pernem is aimed at promoting tourism
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 […]
Soulful Music at Monte Music Festival
For over 16 years, Fundação Oriente along with Cidade de Goa have been initiating the Monte Music Festival that takes place at the Chapel of Our lady of Mount, Old Goa. This year as Fundação Oriente completes 30 years. They are putting efforts in taking the festival to the next level and as part of the occasion. There will a be performance by internationally acclaimed Portuguese fadista’s – Pedro Moutinho accompanied by Andre Dias (guitar), Tiago Silva (fado guitar) and Daniel Pinto (acoustic bass) who will give voice to 25 poems that explore the various dimension of fado. The opening performance for the festival will be a traditional Odissi dance recital by Mitali D’Souza and her two daughters, Diya and Risa. The day will end with a performance by the Aradhon Choir from Goa who will give a new perspective to Konkani hymns by creating vocal and instrumental arrangements around the melody. Giving details of the performance during a press conference held on Monday, director of Fundação Oriente, Maria Inês Figueira says: “On February 3, folk singer Mangka along with the Laihui Ensemble will delight the audience with traditional songs from the State of Manipur and also a programme of sacred music […]
