Goa Festival Season 2026–27: Dates from Diwali to Carnival

Goa’s season runs from Diwali to Shigmo, and for five months there is a festival of some kind almost every week. The fixed points for 2026–27 are Diwali on Sunday 8 November, IFFI from 20 to 28 November, the Feast of St Francis Xavier on Thursday 3 December, the Serendipity Arts Festival from 13 to 20 December, Christmas and New Year, Carnival from 6 to 9 February 2027 and Shigmo around Holi on 21 and 22 March. This guide sets out what is confirmed, what is tentative and what has left Goa, as of 12 October 2026.

The calendar

“Confirmed” means the date comes from the organiser, the state holiday list or the religious calendar. “Tentative” is how Goa Tourism’s own 2026–27 calendar describes its dates.

Date	Event	Where	Status
Sat 7 – Sun 8 Nov 2026	Narkasur night and Diwali	Statewide	Confirmed; 8 Nov is a public holiday
14–15 Nov	Goa Swimathon	Venue to be confirmed	Confirmed by organiser
20–28 Nov	57th IFFI	Panaji, with screens in Porvorim, Margao and Ponda	Confirmed
20–24 Nov	WAVES Film Bazaar	Goa	Confirmed
Tue 24 Nov	Tripurari Poornima	Sanquelim boat festival	Full moon confirmed; festival date tentative
24 Nov – 2 Dec	Novena of St Francis Xavier	Old Goa	Traditional dates; 2026 schedule awaited
Thu 3 Dec	Feast of St Francis Xavier	Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa	Confirmed; public holiday
Tue 8 Dec	Feast of the Immaculate Conception	Panaji	Confirmed
Sun 13 Dec	SKF Goa River Marathon	Vasco da Gama	Confirmed by organiser
13–20 Dec	Serendipity Arts Festival	Panaji	Confirmed
Sat 19 Dec	Goa Liberation Day	Statewide	Public holiday
Dec	Sea Food Festival; Ramponkaranche Fest	To be decided; Arambol	Tentative
Thu 24 – Fri 25 Dec	Christmas	Statewide	25 Dec is a public holiday
Thu 31 Dec	New Year’s Eve	Statewide	—
Wed 6 Jan 2027	Feast of the Three Kings	Reis Magos, Chandor, Cansaulim	Fixed date
16–17 Jan	Goa Sunsplash	Ashwem	Confirmed by organiser
Jan	Food and Cultural Festival	Margao	Tentative
Sat 6 – Tue 9 Feb	Carnival	Panaji, Margao, Vasco, Mapusa and others	Dates fixed by Lent; schedule awaited
Fri 19 Feb	Shiv Jayanti	Several towns	Tentative
Sat 6 Mar	Mahashivratri	Temples statewide	Confirmed
21–22 Mar	Holika Dahan and Holi; Shigmo begins	Statewide	Holi confirmed; parade schedule awaited
Fri 26 – Sun 28 Mar	Good Friday and Easter	Statewide	Confirmed
Apr	Heritage Festival; Spirit of Goa	Saligao; Colva	Tentative

November: Diwali and the film festival

Diwali, 7–8 November. Goa’s Diwali is about Narkasur. On Saturday night, effigies of the demon are paraded in every town, and they are burnt before dawn on Sunday, when families take the ritual bath and eat fov. Our Diwali guide has the dates, the circuit and the rules.

IFFI, 20–28 November. The International Film Festival of India has been held in Panaji since 2004, and for nine days the riverside at Campal becomes a film town. To see films in the theatres, register as a delegate on the festival’s website; the 2026 fee is ₹1,180 including GST, and students are free. Screens are listed at INOX Panaji, Maquinez Palace, INOX Porvorim, Ravindra Bhavan in Margao and Magic Movies in Ponda, with free open-air screenings at Miramar Beach and other sites. Stay in Panaji and walk. Details are on our IFFI page.

Tripurari Poornima, 24 November. On the full moon of Kartik, the temple town of Sanquelim holds a boat festival, with model boats floated on the Valvanti river after dark. Goa Tourism lists it for November without a confirmed date; by the calendar, the full moon is on Tuesday the 24th.

Late November to early December: Old Goa

The novena of St Francis Xavier traditionally begins on 24 November, and for nine days pilgrims fill Old Goa for masses held through the day beside the Basilica of Bom Jesus. The feast itself is on Thursday 3 December, a public holiday. A fair lines the approach roads for the whole period.

This is an ordinary year, not an exposition year. The saint’s relics were last brought down for public veneration from November 2024 to January 2025, and the next exposition is expected around 2034. Mass timings for 2026 had not been published when we checked. Go by bus, since roads into Old Goa are diverted on the feast day. More on our feast page.

A few days later, on Tuesday 8 December, Panaji’s own church celebrates the Immaculate Conception with a fair in the square below its steps.

Mid-December: Serendipity

The Serendipity Arts Festival runs from Sunday 13 to Sunday 20 December 2026, eight days of exhibitions, music, theatre, dance, craft and food projects across Panaji’s heritage buildings and public spaces. The venue list was not out in October. In past editions entry was free with online registration; confirm this year’s arrangements before you travel.

For visitors, this is the best-value week of the season. The city is lively, the weather is at its best, and hotel prices have not yet reached their Christmas peak. The Goa River Marathon in Vasco is on the opening Sunday, 13 December.

Christmas and New Year

Midnight mass on Thursday 24 December is held in every parish, often outdoors. Villages hang star lanterns and build cribs, and clubs and hotels hold Christmas dances with live bands on the 25th and 26th. See Christmas in Goa.

New Year’s Eve is a Thursday. It will be crowded and expensive, and the rules matter: open-air amplified music stops at 10 pm unless a venue has a specific permission, and fireworks inside clubs, bars and shacks were banned after the Arpora fire of December 2025. Our New Year’s Eve guide covers areas, costs and transport.

January: feasts, reggae and food

On Wednesday 6 January 2027, the Feast of the Three Kings is celebrated at Reis Magos, at Chandor, where three boys ride in on horseback, and at Cansaulim.

Goa Sunsplash, the reggae festival, is confirmed for 16 and 17 January at Thalassa Beach Boutique Resort in Ashwem. The state’s Food and Cultural Festival is listed for January in Margao, tentatively; see food festivals.

Two regulars of the first quarter had not announced dates when we checked: the Goa Arts and Literature Festival, held at the International Centre Goa in mid-February in 2026, and Fundação Oriente’s Monte Music Festival at Old Goa.

February: Carnival

Carnival runs for the four days before Lent. Ash Wednesday in 2027 is on 10 February, so Carnival falls on Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February. Goa Tourism’s calendar lists it for February in Porvorim, Panaji, Margao, Vasco, Mapusa and Morjim, and the parade schedule is released a few weeks ahead. By long custom, King Momo’s main parade is in Panaji on the Saturday, with Margao, Vasco and Mapusa on the following days. In 2026 it ran from 13 to 17 February, with a curtain-raiser in Porvorim.

Book rooms in Panaji early if you want the opening parade. Our Carnival page will carry the schedule.

March: Shigmo and Holi

Holika Dahan is on Sunday 21 March 2027 and Holi on Monday 22 March. In Goa these belong to Shigmo, the Hindu spring festival, whose public face is a series of evening float parades, one town at a time, with drummers, folk dancers and illuminated floats. Ponda usually opens the series. The schedule had not been announced; see our Shigmo page.

What is not in Goa this season

• Sunburn. The 2026 festival is on 18 and 19 December at Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai. Its last Goa edition was in December 2024. See Sunburn 2026.
• India Bike Week. The 2026 edition is on 4 and 5 December at Panchgani in Maharashtra.
• Ironman 70.3 Goa. We could not verify a 2026 date. The last race was on 9 November 2025 at Miramar.

Planning notes

• Where to stay. Panaji for IFFI, Serendipity, the Old Goa feast and Carnival’s opening day. Ashwem or Mandrem for Sunsplash. Margao for the southern parades and tiatr.
• When to book. Rooms for 22 December to 2 January and for Carnival weekend sell first. Late November and the second week of December are easier.
• Getting around. Festival roads close in the afternoon. Use Kadamba buses into Panaji, Old Goa and Margao, and walk.
• Sound and safety. Outdoor music ends at 10 pm on ordinary nights, and clubs were audited after the December 2025 fire. Check that a venue is open before you travel to it.

We update dates as organisers announce them. For what is on right now, see festivals in Goa.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main festivals in Goa between November 2026 and March 2027?

Diwali on 8 November, IFFI from 20 to 28 November, the Feast of St Francis Xavier on 3 December, the Serendipity Arts Festival from 13 to 20 December, Christmas and New Year, Goa Sunsplash on 16–17 January, Carnival from 6 to 9 February and Shigmo around 21–22 March.

When is IFFI 2026?

The 57th International Film Festival of India runs from 20 to 28 November 2026 in Panaji. Delegate registration is ₹1,180 including GST, and free for students.

When is Goa Carnival 2027?

From Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February 2027, the four days before Ash Wednesday. Goa Tourism lists it for February 2027; the day-by-town parade schedule had not been announced as of October 2026.

Is Sunburn part of Goa's season this year?

No. Sunburn Festival 2026 is on 18 and 19 December at Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai. India Bike Week has also moved, to Panchgani on 4 and 5 December.

What is the best month to visit Goa for festivals?

Late November to mid-December packs in the most: IFFI, the novena and feast at Old Goa, and the Serendipity Arts Festival, before the Christmas price peak. February is the choice for Carnival.

Which Goa festival dates are still unconfirmed?

As of 12 October 2026: the Carnival and Shigmo parade schedules, the state's food festivals, the Tripurari Poornima boat festival date, the Goa Arts and Literature Festival, the Monte Music Festival and Ironman 70.3 Goa.

Sources checked

• www.iffigoa.org/
• www.iffigoa.org/delegate-registration
• www.iffigoa.org/festival-venue
• films.wavesbazaar.com/
• www.serendipityartsfestival.com/
• www.serendipityarts.org/
• www.goa.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/List-of-Holidays-2026.pdf
• goatourism.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/State-Festival.pdf
• www.drikpanchang.com/diwali/diwali-puja-calendar.html
• www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/holi/festivals-holika-dahan-timings.html
• www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/maha-shivaratri/maha-shivaratri-date-time.html
• www.drikpanchang.com/calendars/indian/indiancalendar.html
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa_Carnival
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigmo
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus
• skfgoarivermarathon.com/
• www.endurosportsgoa.com/schedule
• www.goasunsplash.com/events
• goaartlitfest.com/
• sunburn.in/the-19th-edition-of-sunburn-festival-moves-to-mahalaxmi-rac
• www.indiabikeweek.in/
• yoska.in/event-schedule-ironman/
• cpcb.gov.in/noise-pollution/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Arpora_nightclub_fire

Researched and written by the goa2go editors. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.