India GO
Shigmo in Goa
Drums at every door, then floats of gods and heroes rolling down the main street
Stand on a town main street in March while carved floats of Ramayana and Mahabharata scenes roll past behind folk troupes with ghumot drums, in the Hindu Goan spring festival that has nothing to do with the beach.
Where to watch
Nineteen town centres in rotation, each with its own evening: Ponda, Panaji, Mapusa, Margao, Vasco, Bicholim, Curchorem, Canacona, Pernem and others. In Panaji the parade runs from the Old Secretariat along the riverfront to the Campal ground (16:00–22:00 in 2026).
🎟 Free viewing
- The parades are free and on the open street:
- Panaji: the riverfront road between the Old Secretariat and the Campal ground, from about 16:00 on the city's parade evening
- Other towns: the main road on the evening the government schedule gives that town
- Village naman evenings are community rites, not shows: go only with someone from the village, and ask at the temple first
🗓 Programme
Village phase
Villagers assemble at a fixed place and sing naman in chorus; drummers with dhol and taso go house to house, and the households pay them with a song called tali. Talgadi, Hanpet, the lamp dance and Gopha are danced
Villages across Goa, different days for different areas
Parade phase
The Goa government stages float parades in the main towns on successive evenings: hand-built floats showing mythological scenes, with folk troupes walking between them. Each town gets its own night
Panaji, Margao, Mapusa, Ponda, Vasco, Curchorem, Valpoi and others
Final day
The gade padap, when a spirit is held to enter the dancers, and afterwards the mand davarap, a collective bath that closes the festival
Village mands