Poll liquor ban: Easter parties look for way out

With Goa voting on April 23, Easter should be a

dry day

. As venues have been prohibited from serving alcohol after 11 pm on Saturday and post 6 pm on Sunday, event curators are exploring other options — shifting locations or timings, among them — to stay within the law and still provide party-goers with some cheer. Some say the notification may be revised keeping Easter in mind, but there’s no official word on it yet.
Fred D’souza from Major Milkshake has decided to not take any chances and has shifted his

party

to Dubai. “I decided on this shift as Easter is one of our main showcase events and it felt really odd not doing it this year,” says Fred. “We have done multiple shows in

Dubai

and all our gigs have been huge successes. Shifting there happened like clockwork and I’m sure this one is going to be another banger.”
Aaron Desouza, from a nightclub chain in Baga, says, “Since we can’t do much on Easter Sunday, we are hosting an Easter gig on Saturday called Bunny Nights, which will end by 11 pm, since that’s the mandate. We are working on a day event on Sunday, but nothing is finalised yet.”
While some are exploring day event options, some have decided to not have any Easter event. The manager of a nightclub chain in Candolim says, “The notification clearly states that Easter is a dry day, leaving us with no options. We aren’t hosting any party on Saturday or Sunday, though we have been curating one every year.”
Mackenzie Pereira from Bullfrog Goa who has been organising the annual Bullfrog Bunny for the past eight years, had to call the party off. “Since we were getting many calls about our Easter party, we decided to do a retro-themed brunch on Easter. We will have retro music, barbecue and a specially curated menu that will include Goan favourites like sausage pulao, sorpotel and beef roulade, since many will break their fast,” he said.