150 projects, 12 venues putting Panaji in global spotlight
Smriti Rajgharia - Director of Serendipity Arts Foundation, Rohit Monserrate, Mayor, CCP and Ankita Mishra, CEO, ESG. and Curators of the festival at a press conference on Monday.
PANAJI
With a line-up of 150-plus projects, lectures by experts and public art interventions spread across 12 venues, the 6th edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) 2023 will begin in Panaji on December 15. The festival will be held till December 23. This year the festival is supported by the Government of Goa, in partnership with the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) and Corporation of The City of Panaji (CCP) along with the Directorate of Art and Culture, Tourism Department, Forest Department, and Smart City Panaji.
“This is the biggest edition of the festival so far – a wonderful confluence of amazing multidisciplinary artists showcasing their talents and offering audiences immersive, lifelong experiences,” said Sunil Kant Munjal, founding patron, Serendipity Arts Trust at the curtain raiser event on Monday.
Stating that the city of Panaji has a history like no other, CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate added, “Through festivals like Serendipity Arts Festival, we want to make the city the cultural capital of the country.”
The 12 venues are Art Park (16 events), Excise Building (11 events), Old GMC Complex (57 events), ESG complex (21 events), Santa Monica jetty (one event), Old PWD complex (six events), Multi-level parking (two events), Samba Square, The Arena at Nagalli Hills Ground (16 events), Promenade, Dinanath Mangeshkar Kala Mandir (eight events), Azad Maidan (one event) and more.
According to Shrinivas Dempo, SAF Patron and president, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) SAF 2023 will put Panaji in the global spotlight. “SAF has provided ample footfalls in Panaji aiding the city’s economy, while adding heft to the city’s profile in national and international art circuits,” said Dempo.
This year 300 plus artists conducting 150-plus projects (not including workshops and talks) under various categories like dance, visual arts, music, culinary arts, theatre and craft. Also, 15 special projects and four SAF initiatives are included.
Ankita Mishra, CEO, Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) spoke about the impact of the festival on the people of Goa, “SAF has made strides in achieving our vision of making Goa into an art, culture and entertainment hub on the national and international platforms.”
The festival is inclusive with facilities like ramps, tactile braille artworks, braille guides, sign language experts and wheelchair-accessible venues,” said Smriti Rajgarhia, director, Serendipity Arts Foundation and the Serendipity Arts Festival. The festival is free to all visitors upon registration except 51 projects have a nominal registration fee of Rs 99 per head.
