Festivals Of Goa Around The Year – A Travel Guide

Goa is a land of festivals. While festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, and Christmas are common to most of India, the state is home to some very unique festivals. Think of a mud festival in the middle of heavy monsoon season or a festival where cucumbers rule. Imagine celebrations with live music on the streets that will invite you to join the dance. Yes, you get all of that and much more in the state.

Guide to Festivals of Goa

Come with us for a year-long round-up of Goan festivals. Traditional & the modern Festivals of Goa, all the festival times to explore.

1. New Year Celebrations

Goa is a go-to destination for New Year Celebrations. Late December to Early January is the peak tourist season when the hotel and flight rates zoom up. The roads are blocked and the beaches are full. To top it up, the weather is just perfect. Just a bit of nip in the air but no need for any heavy woolens. A party is in the air around this time.

You must celebrate one new year in your life in Goa. While you can plan your parties, do not miss the fireworks on the beaches to bring in the new year. Once the new year is welcomed, go out looking for the floats that you would find everywhere in the state post-Christmas. I love the ones that literally float in the water.

This is also the best time to walk around quaint villages and admire the colorful homes in the middle of the fields. Our favorite villages are Moira, Aldona & Assagao.

Where – All over the state, especially the Beaches

When – Last week of December – First Week of January

Time – All day, but for lit-up the evenings is charming

2. Lokotsav – Celebrating the Folk Culture of India

Lokotsav is a showcase of arts, crafts, folk, and traditional music that is held every year in Panaji. Performers from all over India gather and perform every evening for 10 days.

The event is open to the public and no entry fee is charged. People look forward to their annual shopping sojourn at Lokotasava. Fold artists from across the country come with their creative designs to sell.

Where – Kala Academy & Football Grounds, Panaji

When – Roughly 2nd week of January

Time – Shopping through the day, performances in the evening

3. Viva Carnaval

Modern festival Viva Carnaval is how Goa makes merry and feasts before the fast season set in. King Momo orders his subjects to ‘Eat, Drink & Be Merry’. Who does not want a king like that? Alas, he is a king only for 3-4 days. Carnaval is an adaptation of Carnivals as they happen in Latin America.

Read More – Viva Carnaval

The parades with floats are based on various themes parade in the city. There is music in the air and not many can stop themselves from dancing. My only apprehension is that lately there are too many preachy floats that dampen the fun element. Nonetheless, this is a popular festival – unique in India. Many tourists travel to the state for Viva Carnaval.

When – Feb/March

Where – Multiple Cities of the state, Check local papers for exact dates

Time – Starts around 4 PM, but warms up by 5:30 PM and goes on till late evening

4. Shigmo or Shigmotsav

Shigmo is my favorite Goan festival. If there is one festival that you should visit Goa for, it has to be Shigmo. It is colorful, it is vibrant and it is rooted in the culture of Goa. It is like witnessing the cultural extravaganza on the road. The streets are decorated with flags.

There are traditional dances like Ghodi Modheni and Goff. The beats of dhols energize the whole environment. Different villages present different dances. The Gods are taken out on a Palki or palanquin. In the end, there are Jhankis or Floats that showcase historical and mythological scenes.

Read More  – Shigmo – Cultural Extravaganza

Where – Multiple cities, check local newspapers for exact dates. We recommend watching the Panjim one that happens on 18th June Road or D B Road.

When – March, Check the exact dates.

Time – Starts around 4 PM and goes on till late at night.

5. Sao Joao – Festivals of Goa

Sao Joao is a monsoon festival that literally celebrates the onset of monsoons when the wells and rivers are full of water once again. People celebrate Sao Joao by wearing flowers and fruits on their heads and by jumping in the wells. Yes, men jump in the wells. New sons-in-law are expected to jump.

Read More – Sao Joao- Celebrating the Onset of Monsoons in Goa 

Where – Everywhere in the state, but Siolim is special

When – Around the last week of June

What Time – Through the Day. Siolim Boat Festival happens in the afternoon.

6. Chikal Kalo – Festivals of Goa

Chikal Kalo is the most fun festival I have ever seen. Imagine all men of a village playing the mud, playing games that go back to ancient times. Add to it the free homemade food that gets distributed. The Dahi Handi tied high up on a tree in front of a temple. It is not just games. The festival begins with praying at the temple. It is monsoon time and the best way to enjoy all the mud around you.

Read More – Chikal Kalo – the Mud Festival

We highly recommend participating in Chikal Kalo in Goa. I am not aware of any such festival anywhere else in the country.

Where – Devaki Krishna Temple – Marcel Village

When – Ashadh Dwadshi that roughly falls in mid-July.

Time – Starts around 11 AM and goes on for 2-3 hours

7. Touxeachem or Cucumber Festival

This is a unique Goan festival. At St Anne’s church in Talaulim village, people offer cucumbers. You would see piles of cucumber as you head towards the church. Inside you will see people offering the cucumbers while other festivities are going on. It is believed that the patron saint was someone who had children after 40 years of age. So, offering cucumbers get the blessings of fertility or children.

No wonder, this festival is particularly popular with newlyweds.

Where – St Anne Church, Talalulim Village

When – End of July

Time – The morning around 11 AM is the best time to go

8. Bonderam

An island festival that takes place on the island of Divar. It is a flag festival where the villagers come out to re-enact the old territorial battles that used to be fought on the island of Divar.

Read More – Bonderam at Divar Island

Not very different from Viva Carnaval, but it brings the ethos of an island to its parade.

Where – Divar Island on Mandovi River

When – Third week of August

Time – Evening, go around 5 PM and plan to stay for 2-3 hours

9. Ganesh Utsav – Festivals of Goa

We usually associate Ganesh Utsav with Maharashtra. Goa also celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi with equal gusto. What is unique to Ganesh Utsav in the state is the Matoli that is made at the Ganesh Pandals.

Even today, Matoli is made with all the natural things including the herbs collected from the sacred groves and forests of Goa. Of course, there are fruits of all kinds and flowers. Some traditional Matolis are made up of as many as 400 items.

Where – All over the state

When – With the rest of the country, check Ganesh Chaturthi Dates

Time – Go Pandal Hopping in the evening

10. Narkasur Chaturdashi – Festivals of Goa

Goa like its neighboring Karnataka celebrates Narkasur Chaturdashi which falls a day before Diwali. You would see the giant effigies of the demon Narkasur on almost every street. Children collect funds from the neighborhood to create Narkasur. It is their creativity on display in almost every street in the state. Music announces where the effigy is. If you want to see it being burnt, you have to be awake early morning on Diwali day. Cracker sounds in the neighborhood will wake you up.

Where – Everywhere in the state

When – A day before Diwali, Check the exact date

Time – Late evening to view Narkasur & early morning to view the burning

11. Dev Deepawali or Tripurari Purnima – Popular Festivals of Goa

Kartik Purnima falls exactly a fortnight after Diwali. It is celebrated as Dev Deepavali in Varanasi, as Kartik Purnima across the country, as Guru Purab or Guru Nanak Jayanti by Sikhs, and as Tripurari Purnima in Goa.

Read More – How Goa Celebrates Tripurari Purnima!

Now the story of killing demon Tarakasur is common across India but Goa celebrates it in its own unique way. It celebrates it as a midnight boat festival on the Valvanti River at the Vithal temple of Sakhali Village. There are cultural programs like Lavni and a competition for the best-designed boat. For me, this was a midnight extravaganza. One of the very traditional Festivals of Goa.

Where – Vithal Temple, Sakhali

When – 15 days after Diwali, Kartik Purnima

Time – Starts late at night and peaks at midnight.

12. IFFI or International Film Festival of India

Do you know Goa is the permanent venue for the prestigious International Film Festival of India?  Come November and Panjim is all decked up like a bride to welcome the delegates of the film fraternity. Goans keep their diaries and calendars blocked for these days. Nothing should come between them and the films. One more modern festival of Goa.

If you are a film buff, this is the best time to visit the state.

Where – Various places in Panjim, but mostly INOX theater and Kala Academy

When – 2-3rd week of November, Check the Exact dates on IFFI Website

Time – Throughout the day, almost around the clock.

13. Goa Arts & Literature Festival

Like most cities in India, this place too has its own literary festival. It is called the Goa Arts and Literature Festival. It attempts to combine some art displays along with being the venue for authors, publishers, and bibliophiles to meet.

If you love books and if you happen to be in the state in December, it is a good opportunity to catch up with your favorite authors.

Where – International Centre Goa – Dona Paula

When – Around the first week of December

Time – Full 3-4 days

14. Serendipity Art Festival

Serendipity Art Festival is a relatively new but a state of the art festival held in Panjim. Various venues turn into art galleries, and new public art gets installed. Artists from various fields like performing arts, culinary arts, etc get a platform to showcase their work.

Not just Goans, we see tourists also loving this lovely art festival. It is one of the modern festivals of Goa.

When – Around Mid-Dec

Where – Various venues in Panaji, main exhibits at Adil Shah Palace

Time – Throughout the day

15. Christmas

Goa has a reasonable Christian population. Its landscape is dominated by churches. So, it is obvious that Christmas is celebrated here with great fervor. We usually step out to see the lit-up churches in the evenings or to see floats made by people on the church premises. Our favorite is Panjim Church which looks even more gorgeous during Christmas.

When – 25th December

Where – All over the state

There are many other smaller festivals that happen in the state, especially in its villages. We will keep updating this post as and when we discover a new festival in Goa.