It’s time for VIVA CARNIVAL!

Bright and beautiful masks, colourful buntings, decorative lights and a general festive cheer all over town — Panaji is geared up for the annual celebration of fun, frolic and entertainment today at the Carnival 2020. With groups preparing months in advance, the day when they will showcase their talent, hard work and creativity is finally here.
This year, the parade in Panaji will start from Santa Monica Jetty and end at Kala Academy.“We have decided to charge people who want to relax and see floats for their seats. Each seat has been sold for ₹500. We also have special arrangements to help differently abled citizens get a good view of the floats. This year we have 28 registered participants but overall, there may be 50-60 floats in Panaji,” says Uday Madkaikar, city mayor.
In Vasco, which will host the carnival on Monday, the chairman of the carnival committee, Cosme Mendes, informed that all the preparations were in place. “The floats will proceed from St Andrew’s Church towards Vasco da Gama railway station, where the stage has been set up. While the parade will be held on one side of the city, the other side will be free for traffic.”
CARNIVAL FLOATS SET TO DAZZLE
From traditional to individual floats, this year’s carnival should be a great show. “We are a group of architects and designers passionate about the environment. Our carnival float is on the theme of mangrove ecology. There is so much to learn from the unique plants and creatures in this habitat,” informs Vishal Rawlley, who have been working on the float for almost a month ago. “Mangroves also provide us with climate resilience. Their importance for Goa cannot be overstated. We hope to spread this message through our carnival float,” he added.
PARTICIPANTS GEAR UP TO CELEBRATE THE CARNIVAL
Raul Pereira, who has been putting up floats every year for over 20 years, says, “I like to take up topics which are rare and yet very close to Goans’ hearts. This year I have decided to depict the profession of blacksmiths in Goa. With people taking up jobs abroad or going into white-collar professions, artisanship is slowly disappearing. Portraying such professions to our younger generation is important.” He tells us that he thinks of topics for the parade in September, does his research and also comes up with a theme song. “By February, the team is completely ready. We will be showcasing the float at various places like Panaji, Vasco, Margao and Ponda.
Melvin Fernandes, who is participating in one of the floats, tells us that he is excited about the Carnival and is looking forward to celebrate it with great enthusiasm. “This is the first time I’m participating and we have been working on it for almost a month,” he said.