The streets of Panjim have come alive with the launch of the 9-day Serendipity Arts Festival. An initiative by the Serendipity Arts Foundation, this inter-disciplinary art festival takes place between the 15 and 23 of December in Panjim, Goa.
In its fifth physical edition the festival remains true to its core values and, at the same time, envisages propagating art and culture, ushering in ways to explore and enhance public involvement and engagement. Taking place across 14+ venues, and 120+ programs, with 1000+ artists the festival is committed to creating a sustainable, collaborative, and collective platform to highlight the shared cultural heritage of South Asia and create a global outreach.
Hosted by Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron Serendipity Arts Foundation, the evening was inaugurated by the Guest of Honor, Pramod Panduranga Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa, who was joined on stage by other dignitaries and officials.
Speaking on the occasion Pramod Pandurang Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa, said, “We are glad that Serendipity Arts Festival is coming back after a gap of 2 years. Goa is the melting pot for culture, and we want people to enjoy community and the arts. While it is the responsibility of the state to boost tourism in Goa we need Foundations and patrons like Serendipity Arts and Mr. Munjal to provide impetus to the arts movement and to strengthen culture. I hope that this festival will inspire the arts community at large to make Panjim and Goa the culture hub for the region.”
The august gathering included eminent personalities from Goa, luminaries from the art industry, and this year’s Festival curators representing culinary arts, exhibitions, talks and symposia, craft, music, dance, and theatre.
This year the programme is in association with GMR, and supported by the Government of Goa, the Corporation of The City of Panaji, the Directorate of Art and Culture, Goa, Entertainment Society of Goa, Goa Tourism Department and the Goa Forest Department, along with Technology partner Microsoft, and Logistics Partner Delhivery.
The programming for the festival promises unforgettable experiences, including exhibitions, culinary delights, craft, and music that will reflect Indian classical, fusion, folk, indie pop, rock, and other genres, to projects intersecting dance, drama, music, and storytelling and much, much more. The festival this year is more interdisciplinary in format and spread across the Exhibitions, Performances, Talks, Workshops, Public Arts Projects, Accessibility and Children’s Programmes.
The curatorial line-up for this edition will include Bickram Ghosh, Ehsaan Noorani, Sudarshan Shetty, Veerangana Solanki, Pramod Kumar KG, Anjana Somany, Prahlad Sukhtankar, Mayuri Upadhya, Geeta Chandran & Quasar Thakore Padamsee.
Speaking at the event, Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder and Patron of Serendipity Arts Foundation, said, “It gives us great joy to be back in Goa with for its fifth physical edition after a gap of almost three years, and I would like to thank the government of Goa, CCP and ESG who have stood by us and all the curators who’ve put the projects together” Adding further he said, “ This year we are also trying to take interdisciplinarity to a different level. We have experimented with different forms and intersections, hoping it will leave a lasting impression with audiences and visitors with the quality of projects, diverse art practices and creative experimentations within the arts.”
Addressing the evening, Smriti Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Foundation & Festival, introduced this year’s Festival to the guests iterating the importance of art in a post-Covid world and the Festival’s commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, accessibility, and arts education. She mentioned, “The Festival promises to enthrall patrons, enthusiasts and new audiences alike with its many offerings from the world of the arts and its expanding boundaries. This year’s programmes continue to be inclusive and experimental in reflection of our values. We have stood by our beliefs and have brought more and more interesting and intriguing experiences within the fold of the Festival. We are excited with the fifth edition, coming as it does after a two-year gap, and want the people of Goa to partake in the nine-day fiesta.”
In its fifth physical edition, Serendipity Arts Festival will feature engaging projects in some unique venues, carefully chosen for their sense of history, natural beauty, or intrinsic connection to the arts. The previous editions of India’s biggest multi-disciplinary arts event have been committed to ushering in a change and bringing to the fore how art is essential in the current scenario.
The festival also promises an engaging and immersive line-up of Special Projects, curated by Shyamant Behal, Dr. Jyotindra Jain and Jutta Jain-Neubauer, Rahab Allana and Pascal Beausse, Lina Vincent and Akshay Mahajan to name a few.
The Festival will also have the following amenities available during the festival:
- ● Free shuttle services from all the venues
- ● 300+ Volunteers and art guides to help visitors with queries regarding the festival and registration requirements
- ● Special accessibility volunteers for the differently abled
- ● Emergency medical help and first aid available on site
- ● Fire Safety Measure at all sites
- ● Free water stations available on all venues
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