Fiesta of Flavours
As the calendar rolls through January, the festivities show no sign of letting up. The Wine and Lifestyle Festival in late Jan is an opportunity to indulge in hedonistic delights. This festival brings out the best in Goa’s F&B professionals, as hotels and restaurants outdo each other in laying out exotic spreads that leave foodies in a veritable trance.
But the festival goes beyond epicurean indulgences spilling over into music, dance, drama and activities such as grape stomping. The highlight is a fashion show and the crowning of The Grape Escapade Queen.
Revelry on Parade
It’s all set up then for arguably Goa’s biggest and most loved festival. The Carnaval rules Goa for four days preceding the austere observance of Lent Elaborate parades snake through the streets, complete with resplendent floats, bands, dancing and cacophonous music. Borrowing from European and Latin American celebrations, troupes of masked revellers dressed in exotic, even garish costumes, sing and dance in gay abandon.
The highpoint of the frenzied merriment is the appointment and arrival of the allegoric King Momo, figuratively throwing the festival open. In 2017, the Goa Carnaval is scheduled to unfold from 25th to 28th February.
A Splash of Festive Colour
Come March, and it’s time for a different kind of parade. Shigmo begins on 13th March, the first day of Holi. Celebrated over ten days, it honours the homecoming of warriors. Colourful parades with modern floats depicting Hindu mythology and graced by traditional dances wend their way through various cities. Rommatamel and Fugdi dances enthral onlookers. The best dancers and floats are also felicitated.
Activity Unlimited
Even as the seasonal festivities play themselves out, Goa’s year-round activities continue to keep tourists occupied and enthralled. There’s never a dull moment in Goa – what with Motorised Paragliding, Scuba Diving, Hot Air Ballooning, Jet Skiing, Parasailing, Duck Boats, Guided PTV Tours (Segway), Cycling Tours and lots more. For those seeking quiet, blissful tranquillity, the opportunity to take in picturesque beach sunsets presents itself every day.
Love is in the Air
A wedding is for a day, but marriage is for a lifetime, goes the clich6 But if you celebrate your wedding in Goa, it’s a memory to last a lifetime! Choose from a bouquet of setting options that give your special day an exotic touch… Beaches, historic and heritage sites, cruises, waterfronts as well as lavish hotel ambiences. With professional wedding planners freeing you of the entire logistical anxiety, you II virtually have to just turn up on your big day.
It’s always a good time to holiday in Goa. But with the peak tourist season dotted with festivals as well as non-seasonal activities, Goa becomes a not-to-be-missed vacation destination this time of the year. Whatever else life may be throwing at you, there’s always Goa!