According to the people and organisers of the event, while they were given no reasons to cancel the festival, it is understood that the move is part of a larger effort led by the government to shut down events that could rival the official state-organised events
Goemkarponn desk
MAPUSA: For the first time in 20 years, the Arambol Carnival– a free for all informal costume parade held annually on the Arambol beach in North Goa– will not be organised this year after permission to hold the event was denied by the local administration.
The unique festival and parade that drew participants from all over the world was abruptly cancelled and is the latest in the series of independently organised carnival events that were denied permission by the Goa government.
“For the first time in 20 years, we will not have a carnival. It’s an extraordinary effort and I’m proud of all the effort that so many people have put in over so many years. It’s a voluntary effort of the entire community working to share the joy and creativity of everyone. It’s unique and we have no admission prices,” the organiser, who identified himself only as Zouzou, said.
The Arambol Carnival evolved into a niche but popular event visited and celebrated every year by hundreds of foreign tourists, mainly European and Russian.
According to the people and organisers of the event, while they were given no reasons to cancel the festival, it is understood that the move is part of a larger effort led by the government to shut down events that could rival the official state-organised events.
Much like the traditional Goan Carnival, which involves costumes, fancy dresses, and cross-dressing, the Arambol revellers bring their own variations as they march along the sands of the Arambol beach, pulling along a giant float, stopping at various predetermined spots along the beach for everyone to sit around while dancers, acrobats, jugglers and other performers engage the crowds as the entire parade culminates in an open concert along the beach.
According to the locals, what sets the tourist carnival apart from the local ‘government’ organised carnival is the levels of participation and impromptu nature it brings much like the old traditional Goan carnival.
The present government-organized carnival mandates a screening process and every participant is vetted by a committee put together by the local municipality where the parade takes place. It is not the tourist carnival, which is free, uncensored, and brings back the whacky vibe that Goa’s carnival has long lost.
Goa’s Carnival, though formalised with the arrival of the Portuguese, owes its origins beyond the Iberian version of events and its roots to a spring festival that predates the Portuguese and involved parades in each village known as ‘Intruz’.
(Source HT)