World Goa Day 2023 – Dubai

Dubai Goans, an association of Goans based in Dubai, will be celebrating World Goa Day 2023 on 11th November 2023. The event will be held at Estrellas Rooftop at The Canvas Hotel by Sofitel, and promises to be a memorable evening celebrating Goa’s rich culture and heritage.

The event shall see some of the biggest names from Goa’s entertainment scene in attendance to set the vibe and keep people entertained. These include Goa’s top band – A26 along with Lui ‘n Lindsay, and DJ Joel aka DISCOBAR. They will be supported by Dubai’s most popular DJs – DJ Manfred, DJ Daenan, and DJ Ryan. The event will be compered by MC Chriselle and MC Nifty.

Apart from this, there will be food stalls at the event serving an amazing array of Goan dishes. There will also be various competitions that attendees can participate in and a host of prizes up for grabs. The organisers have also planned out a special surprise for kids attending the event.

The World Goa Day celebration is the one common Global Goan event that reminds Goans of their unique identity. The day was conceived to commemorate the inclusion of Konkani in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution by the Indian Parliament on August 20, 1992. The first World Goa Day was celebrated on August 20, 2000, with the primary objective to unite Goans from all over the world and promote a sense of belonging with Goa and the happenings in Goa. The event is a day for Goans worldwide to celebrate ‘Goenkarponn’ by taking pride in Goa’s culture, language, traditions, music, and cuisine.

Speaking about the event, Mr. Neville Menezes, the WGD event organizer says that this year’s event will be the 4th edition of World Goa Day in Dubai. He explains that it all started in 2018 when Mr. Rene Barreto, the global coordinator of World Goa Day celebrations approached him to assist the team in planning and designing the artwork for the global celebrations. “It was at that time when I personally felt that it was time for Dubai to be part of the global celebrations”, he says. Neville was then introduced by Rene to well-known cartoonist Billy Fernandes (BillyToons), who helped take things forward. Allen Patrick Fernandes joined Neville and Billy and played an active role in collaborating and making the World Goa Day event in Dubai a huge success.

Neville goes on to add that Dubai Goans are well-known in the entertainment industry for organising various Goan cultural events in the Emirates. “The association was established with the mission to enhance the standing of the Goan community in Dubai and to promote social, cultural, and sporting aspirations of Goans in the UAE. After three successful and power-packed World Goa Day Editions, Dubai Goans are back again and all geared up for the World Goa Day DXB 2023”, he says.