Serendipity Arts Festival 2025 drew to a memorable close with extraordinary performances across all disciplines, celebrating ten days of artistic exploration, cultural dialogue, and creative innovation that defined the festival’s landmark 10th edition.
As the Serendipity Arts Festival concluded its ten-day journey, the festival welcomed the Governor of Goa, Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, accompanied by Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron of Serendipity Arts, during a visit across several festival venues in Panaji. Their walkthrough included Azad Maidan, the Old PWD building, the Directorate of Accounts, the Old GMC Complex, and concluded at Art Park.
During the visit, they interacted with artists, curators, and the festival team, gaining insight into the festival’s expansive multidisciplinary programme and its engagement with public and heritage spaces. The visit underscored the festival’s role in enriching Goa’s cultural landscape while fostering dialogue, creativity, and inclusive public participation.
The 10th edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival concluded at The Arena at Nagalli Hills, featuring Mulla AltafRaja Ebrahim, Jasbir Jassi, Sunetra Banerjee, Maithili Shome, Zoheb Husain Khan, Gaurav Pawankumar Khullar.
Brimming with colour, curiosity, and sonic experimentation, the final performance brought together much-loved tracks such as Tain Tain To To, the iconic Womaniya, and the gentle shimmer of Pehla Pehla Pyaar Hai from Agra. Bold, playful, and joyously unpredictable, the concert served as a fitting finale—leaving audiences energised and perfectly capturing Sneha Khanwalkar’s unmistakable musical magic as the festival drew to a close.
Bob Marley from Kodihalli, curated by Sankar Venkateswaran, concluded the theatrical programming at The Old GMC Complex with two powerful shows. This Kannada production, inspired by the spirit of Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley, examined the burden and politics of identity in a caste-ridden society through a mix of Brechtian theatre and Kannada musical interludes encouraging audiences to engage in questioning what “freedom of existence” truly means for marginalized voices.
The Nagaland Madrigal Singers graced Dinanath Mangeshkar Kala Mandir with their gold medal-winning ensemble. The performance showcased their repertoire spanning classical sacred works, Naga and Asian folk music, international folk songs, and contemporary pieces. The 19-member choir brought immense pride to both Nagaland and India through their artistic versatility and cultural heritage.
Ranjit Barot’s curation, Spirit and Harmony: A Christmas Special, celebrated the incoming Christmas season with a Hollywood/Vegas-style big band production at Dinanath Mangeshkar Kala Mandir. Setting the stage for the holiday season, the concert presented the most iconic and beloved Songs of the Season. Each performance was crafted to evoke nostalgia, celebrating the joyful spirit, hope, and warmth of the holiday season with elements of glittering ‘wonderland’ achieved with festive LED backdrops and special lighting.
River Raag: Manganiyar Parampara, curated by Ranjit Barot, brought the hypnotic music of Manganiyar musicians from Rajasthan to the final sunset cruise at Santa Monica Jetty. The performance brought together ancient traditions of Manganiyar folk music with the timeless flow of rivers, weaving a powerful narrative of nature, spirituality, and preservation.
As the cool breeze blowing across the Mandovi river carried the notes of the artists and their jugalbandi one final time, audiences reveled in the rays of the setting sun, providing a poetic conclusion to the River Raag series.
Throughout the final day, ongoing exhibitions and installations remained open, including Multiplay 02: Soft Systems, Not a shore, neither a ship, but the sea itself, The Culinary Odyssey of Goa, What Does Loss Taste Like?, Home is Where the Heart is, Infinite Drape, Stepwells: Poetry in Craft, Hands, Tools, and the Living Thread: From Kashmiri Craft Ateliers, and numerous others. These exhibitions, which opened throughout the festival, offered final opportunities for visitors to engage with the diverse artistic expressions that defined this year’s programming.
Feeling Home. Where is Home? A photography exhibition brought together the work of five photographers whose practices engage with the ideas of home in distinct and personal ways. The genesis of this project stemmed from curator Dinesh Khanna’s reflections on the evolving nature of home, shaped both by intergenerational memory and contemporary family dynamics.
Reflecting on the exhibition, Dinesh Khanna said, “This project emerged from a personal questioning of what home means today — how it shifts across generations, memories, and changing family structures. Each photographer approaches the idea from a deeply individual place, yet together their works reveal home as something constantly negotiated rather than fixed. The exhibition invites viewers to reflect on their own sense of belonging and the spaces that shape it.”
The Children’s Programme at Art Park concluded with storytelling sessions including “Folktales of Goa” by Usha Chhabra, craft workshops, and interactive experiences that engaged young visitors throughout the festival’s run.
At The Access Village in the Old GMC Complex, accessibility programming continued with Therefore I Am exhibition, the Sensory Room, and various workshops designed to make the festival experience inclusive for all visitors, demonstrating the festival’s unwavering commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
As the 10th edition of Serendipity Arts Festival concluded, it left audiences inspired by ten days of extraordinary artistic exploration. The diversity of programming—spanning theatre, dance, music, visual arts, craft, photography, culinary arts, and accessibility initiatives—demonstrated the transformative power of the arts in addressing crucial issues while celebrating India’s rich cultural heritage and bold contemporary innovations.
