The eagerly awaited Serendipity Arts Festival 2023 has made its grand entrance with a captivating video that encapsulates the vibrant spirit of South Asia’s most significant multidisciplinary event. Scheduled to run from the 15th to the 23rd of December in the picturesque setting of Panjim, Goa, this artistic montage sets the stage for the festival’s sixth edition. Let’s embark on a visual journey that celebrates the convergence of people, craftsmanship, and creativity.
Registrations Open on August 26
For those eager to be part of this creative extravaganza, the festival’s registration doors swing open to the public on August 26. Stay tuned for the release of details regarding this year’s dynamic programming, promising an array of exciting experiences that will fuel your artistic passions.
BeyondSerendipity: A Multi-City Campaign
Beyond the festival itself, Serendipity Arts Festival has initiated a multi-city campaign, #BeyondSerendipity. This initiative aims to foster meaningful interactions with art enthusiasts across various cities, connecting them with the world of creativity and innovation.
A Festival Rooted in Artistic Innovation
Serendipity Arts Festival’s core ethos is deeply rooted in nurturing artistic innovation, transcending the boundaries of traditional artistic disciplines, and encouraging collaborations that break new ground. With each passing edition, the festival’s programming has consistently aimed to defy conventional notions of art and devise inventive strategies to ensure inclusivity for all, both within the festival and the city it calls home.
An Event for All Ages and Backgrounds
Since its inception, this nine-day interdisciplinary festival has remained a free event, welcoming attendees from all walks of life and age groups. While this inclusive philosophy continues to be at the heart of the festival, this year introduces a limited number of ticketed performances due to the constraints of project and performance spaces. Art enthusiasts can start registering for the festival, granting them access to all events, workshops, and performances. Ticket sales for these performances will open in October, with early festival registrants receiving priority information about ticketed events. To ensure accessibility for all, these tickets are priced nominally.
Diverse Programming Across Disciplines
Spanning across disciplines of the Performing, Visual, Culinary Arts, and Craft, this year’s festival curators are poised to weave the rich fabric of traditional and folk cultures with contemporary expressions. Prepare to embark on a creative journey that knows no boundaries.
Expansive Venue Selection
This year’s programming unfolds across 16 venues throughout the city, including iconic cultural spaces like Nagalli Hills Ground, the PWD Complex, Old GMC, and the Art Park, among others. These venues will serve as canvases for artistic expressions that challenge and inspire.
Meet the Curators
Meet the curators shaping this year’s festival experience:
- Craft: Sandeep Kumar Sangaru and Anjana Somany
- Theatre: Quasar Thakore Padamsee
- Culinary Arts: Chef Thomas Zacharias and The Locavore Team
- Music: Bickram Ghosh and Ricky Kej
- Dance: Geeta Chandran and Mayuri Upadhya
- Visual Arts: Veeranganakumari Solanki and Vidya Shivadas
Additionally, special curators, including Zubin Balaporia (Music), Vikram Iyengar (Dance), Elizabeth Yorke & Anusha Murthy with Edible Issues (Culinary Arts), and Bhagyashree Patwardhan (Goan Market Project), will contribute their unique perspectives to the festival’s diverse offerings.
Founder’s Vision
Reflecting on the festival’s growth, Founder and Patron of the Serendipity Arts Foundation, Sunil Kant Munjal, remarks, “Over the years, Serendipity Arts Festival has consistently pushed the boundaries of creativity, imagination, and skill. It has fostered collaborations between and across art forms, and many of these go well beyond conventional templates.”
Beyond Serendipity: Taking Art to the People
In an effort to engage art enthusiasts beyond the festival’s geographic reach, the Serendipity Arts Foundation introduces “Beyond Serendipity.” This initiative will bring glimpses of past performances representing various art forms that have graced the Serendipity Arts Festival stage to cities across the country. The campaign kicks off in Pondicherry with a musical performance by Mir Mukhtiyar Ali on September 2, 2023, at Sri Ratan Tata Koothu Kovil, Adishakti Theatre. Mir Mukhtiyar Ali’s mesmerizing voice blends the Rajasthani folk idiom with refined classicism to bring to life the poetry of Kabir, Mira, and Sufi poets such as Bulleh Shah.
Serendipity Arts Festival 2023 promises to be a celebration of art, innovation, and inclusivity. Stay tuned for more updates as we countdown to this cultural extravaganza in the heart of Goa.
Serendipity Arts Festival’s Sixth Edition Spotlights Inclusivity and Regional Projects
Contributor
