Fairs & Festivals

Goa celebrates a number of fairs & festivals around temples & churches commemorating early legends. There are about 12 Hindu festivals & 11 Christian Festivals celebrated in Goa.

1. Carnival - It is a three day festival of colour and fun at the arrival of spring in February/March, in Panaji, Margao, Mapusa and Vasco.

2. Shigmotsav - Like Holi elsewhere, it is the spring festival of colour celebrated on full moon day in the month of Phalgun (March). The occasion is marked by a procession of floats at Panaji, Mapusa, Vasco-da-Gama and Margao.

3. Food and cultural festival
It is a 5 day festival held during the month of November every year on a beach to showcase the rich experience of Goan cuisines. This is accompanied by cultural programmes and competitions.
Kala Academy in Panjim, on an on going basis have some form of cultural and musical programmes, plays and recitals.

4. Classical Musical festivals
The Samrat Club organizes a Sangeet Sammelan which is held at Shri Shantadurga Devasthan, Kavlem every December in memory of the late Master Dinanath Mangeshkar, father of the famous singer Lata Mangeshkar.

5. Monsoon festivals

Feast of St. Anthony, June
Feast of St. John, June
Feast of St. Lawrence, July
Feast of Novidates, August
Gokul Ashthmi, August
Ganesh Chathurti, September