Holi vibes lift tourism stakeholders' spirits in Goa

Holi may be one Indian festival that does not draw tourists to Goa, but when it coincides with the weekend, the State is the place to be for that’s where the party continues hour upon hour.

“It’s going to be another bumper weekend. Flight prices have rocketed, room bookings are up and in some cases rooms have become more expansive for the weekend,” admits travel agent Franco. He’s not wrong, for Goa is filling up.

For Lino from Italy, this is not the first Holi in Goa. “It is nice to play Holi because for us getting coloured is psychedelic,” says the DJ, as he sources colours in Mapusa market.

“We normally start getting coloured in the market (tinto) and end up on the beach to dance and colour others. I have been joining the fun for the last many years that I have been here,” says the DJ, who claims he has been coming to Goa since 1999.

Holi in Goa is celebrated with colour, music, drinks and dance, and to the few in the know, a bit of bhang. The parties that normally start by 10 am end way into the night in certain parts.

The festival for the locals begins in the morning, gains crescendo in the afternoon and normally ends after sunset. It’s different along the coast with most pubs starting celebrations in the evening and a few winding up early next morning.

“We expect a lot of crowd after sunset and we normally finish late in the night or early morning. We have artistes from different parts of the country to entertain our guests and hence there is an entry fee,” explains Hiten, who manages a club in North Goa.

Unlike regular parties, the line up of artistes in most clubs along the northern coast consist of DJs from across the country for Hindi pop and trance are the beats that keeps guests on their feet, confesses Hiten.

“I normally go around ten to the market, get myself fully painted, try to splash colour on the locals before returning to my room and having a good shower,” admits Dina from Holland, another regular.

“Holi is when there is noise the entire day. The drum beats begin in the morning and go on all night and it is nice to see the women folk enjoy with children and men together,” she admits.

“We normally use organic colour during the festival as it does not affect the skin and this is one festival where plenty of colour is used. Vendors will be selling colour but not all sell organic colours or ones that are safe to splash,” observed Ramakant as he sourced colours at Mapusa market.

“I normally join the festivities at Azad Maidan. All of us friends meet there and dance to the music that is played till after sunset. It is one time of the year that people of all nationalities meet and dance together,” admits Yatin from the city.

Despite being a day of fun, it is advisable not to throw caution to the wind as there have been occasions when excess of intoxicants have left a few with not so fond memories, a reason why caution and carefreeness need to be blended for creating lasting and colourful memories.