All across Goa, Carnival brings out big crowds

After Panaji, other Goan cities rolled out the red carpet for Goa Carnival 2019. Margao played host to the grand parade on Sunday. Revellers were seen enjoying the float parade from old market circle to Fatorda all evening. The following day, the parade moved to Vasco and Ponda, followed by Mapusa, Curchorem and Morjim.
Floats in six different categories which included family, sponsored club/ institution, clown/joker fun/junk and traditional enthralled the crowd — with some depicting culture and traditions, and some using the platform to create awareness about social causes like wildlife conservation, garbage, sanitation and so on.
Though not as extravagant in the smaller towns, one could soak in the Samba spirit with intricate décor lining the streets to welcome King Momo and the floats. The four days of entertainment was cancelled as a mark of respect to MLA late Francis D’souza, but thousands flocked the streets of Mapusa to witness the grand parade that took place with 45 floats on Tuesday. Apart from the thousands of people who attended, the carnival parade in Morjim saw Bollywood actor Chunky Pandey in attendance.
Revellers of all ages, sporting colourful masques and headgear, took to the streets during the four-day gala — dancing, enjoying themselves and even taking selfies with the lookalikes of Mahatma Gandhi and Narendra Modi and impersonations of fictional characters like Ironman and more. “The seagod float which pulled King Momo’s chariot, and the tiger float were the most interesting. Like every year, the carnival was a lot of fun just before lent,” says Melisia D’souza, who attended the parade in Mapusa.