Planning a trip to Goa this March? Don’t miss the Carnaval!

Just as the end of winter season threatens to squeeze the tourist footfalls, Goa plays another ace that is up its sleeve on the table. The Goa Carnaval.

The highlight of Goa’s annual calendar, the Carnaval is deliberately spelled with an ‘a’ to make it sound authentic – the Goan way of pronouncing it. But the change is not just superficial. Efforts are on to continuously improve on the event, to get it closer to the way a carnival was originally meant to be.

The dates for this year’s five-day carnival are from February 28 to March 4. Since it is a tribute to the state’s diverse population and heritage, it will showcase Goan food and culture through its music and dance.

At the press conference in Mumbai: (L-R): Nikhil Desai, MD of GTDC and Director of Tourism, Government of Goa, Tourism Minister of Goa Dilip Parulekar, and stars of the upcoming movie 'Youngistan' Neha Sharma and Jackky Bhagnani 

It will jumpstart the event with the Food and Culture festival that was such a hit last year and will also feature participation from other states. Specifics for this have not yet been revealed though.

To add an element of glamour, a Brazilian troupe will be especially flown in for an electrifying Samba performance. Prominent music bands including the Raghu Dixit Project and Strings along with some famous home-grown bands will also perform at the festival.

This year’s novelty however will be the street performances by musicians at vantage points across the state, a King Momo contest and increased prize money. Goa Tourism is also planning to include a fashion show in the celebrations but nothing is confirmed yet.

If you are seriously planning to go during this time though, you need to book your flight/train tickets and accommodation immediately. Goa gets completely booked close to the Carnaval. This year round, it is geared up to accommodate over 2.5 lakh tourists!

The press conference to announce the Carnaval was held at Mumbai's Bungalow 9 that made for a fantastic venue with it's old-world Goan charm located in a leafy Bandra neighbourhood. Read a review by Mumbai Boss.

And just in case, you were wondering what the Bollywood "stars" were doing at this press conference, 'Youngistaan' is the official movie partner for Goa Carnaval 2014!