Getting down on on the beaches of Goa at the debut GOAT Festival ’17

14 Dec, 2017 | Festival Reviews, Festivals in Asia, India

A state wide booze ban for election week, no wifi, a broken foot, licensing issues, resizing of venue two weeks before the festival, drastic downsizing, cutting artists, haggling, delhi belly, another change of venue 1 week before the festival, a case of typhoid, language barriers, power cuts and more licensing issues… literally all of the problems that could have happened, happened. GOAT festival going ahead was nothing short of a miracle.

During my travels in India earlier this year I was lucky enough to work with a UK company who were putting on their first festival out in Goa (one of the reasons I ended up staying put in Arambol for so long!) Getting to start festival season in January was a pretty exciting prospect for me…

GOAT festival Goa India
Door gal duties

Setting up!

After many ups and downs – the final festival venue was Marbela Beach resort in Morjim, North Goa. A venue popular amongst the Russian resort crowd and usually known for it’s high-end white clothing parties I wasn’t sure how we were going to make it work for GOAT! Luckily we had the incredibly talented Marbles and Ware girls on hand and a handful of willing volunteers I managed to pull in last minute who transformed the place into a festival paradise…

Fri-yay!

Watching Luke & Saskia’s incredible Goat head sculpture being carried into place was an amazing start to the day and my personal highlight was the opening DJ set from Andre of Afriquoi…

Saturday

Highlights of the day were the ever fantastic Turbans who’s afternoon set went OFF despite the weather being stiflingly sweaty!! Known for their high energy sounds from ‘manywhere’, as regulars on the festival circuit I’ve seen the Turbans a few times before but it was especially good to see them here as one of their members Cabbar had become my good friend over my time in Goa.

Afterwards I realised I could be a little bit cheeky and do some of my social media work from the pool…. is that the life or what?? Gilles headlined that evening and the vibe was lush <3

Sunday Funday

Classic Sunday vibes as everyone recovered from a heavy first few days… the Jungle garden area got the most use on Sunday as we all lolled about indulging in a spot of hula hooping and face painting. The Fish perked us all up with some classic disco vibes and Eleni provided everyone with a splash of face decor.

It was really great to be a part of such a special little feeling in such a special little place… Follow GOAT on facebook to hear about the next instalment next month! I won’t be back this year… but I am heading to Magnetic Fields in Rajasthan today! Follow me on Instagram to keep up with my adventures…

Me and my silly boys by Carys Lavin
The GOAT crew by Carys Lavin
GOAT festival in Goa India

64 Comments

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    Thanks for sharing about the Goat Festival! It sounds like a unique and fun experience. Can’t wait to learn more!

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    The Goat Festival looks like such a vibrant and unique experience!

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    A unique celebration blending music, arts, and culture in the heart of Goa. The Goat Festival offers an immersive experience with diverse performances, workshops, and local cuisine, making it a must-visit for festival enthusiasts.

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    Thank you for sharing information about the Goat Festival! It sounds like a fun and interesting event. I’m excited to learn more about it.

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    What an incredible journey transforming Marbela Beach into GOAT’s paradise! Your vision, Marbles and Ware’s talent, and last-minute volunteers created pure magic. Watching the majestic goat sculpture arrive and feeling Afriquoi’s opening set ignite the crowd – pure festival alchemy. What a triumph for January’s first beats!

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    The Goat Festival sounds like exactly the kind of event that makes travel worthwhile. Blending music, arts, and local culture into something genuinely unique is harder than it looks. The images captured the energy well.

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    This sounds like such a fun and unique festival! I love that you highlighted the beaches of Goa as the backdrop – it adds a whole other layer to the experience. For someone who enjoys exploring new festivals, this seems like a must-visit. By the way, have you tried using Image To Anime to turn your travel photos into cool anime-style art? It’s a fun way to remember your trips!

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    Wow, what a rollercoaster! Huge respect to the team for pulling off GOAT Festival despite every possible obstacle—broken foot, typhoid, venue changes, you name it. Sounds like an unforgettable debut!

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    Loved this — a goat festival in India is exactly the kind of offbeat event I’d plan a trip around. The photos and local color are great. I’m slowly building a list of festivals to catch, and this one just jumped a few spots! Thanks for sharing.

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  23. texttospeech

    What an incredible recap of the GOAT Festival’s debut! Your storytelling really captures the chaotic magic of pulling off an event against all odds in Goa. The transformation of Marbela Beach resort sounds stunning, and the personal touches—like the goat head sculpture and poolside social media sessions—make it feel so authentic. For fellow festival lovers planning their next adventure, I’ve been using a tool that converts travel notes or blog posts into natural voice narrations, which is perfect for reliving memories or creating audio guides. Check it out at speechgeneration.net – it’s free and surprisingly handy for capturing that festival vibe on the go.

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    Your GOAT Festival recap totally captures that chaotic, magical energy of first-year festivals in India—so relatable! The Marbela transformation sounds wild, and I love how you highlighted the local volunteers and artists. If you’re ever looking to turn those Goa memories or festival stories into a custom rap track for a throwback video or blog soundtrack, you might enjoy playing around with an AI rap generator I came across—it turns lyrics into full songs with beats and vocals, perfect for adding a fun twist to travel content. Keep the festival adventures coming!

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    Your GOAT Festival recap is such a wild ride — from the venue chaos to those stunning beach vibes, it really captures the true spirit of grassroots festival culture in India. The Turbans set sounds like it was pure magic, and the pool-side social media work? Living the dream!

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    Keep chasing those sunsets and festival dust! 🌞

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    The photos of the debut GOAT Festival really capture how the beach setting changes the whole festival vibe—sand, sunset, and music all blending together. It makes me want to experience Goa beyond the usual tourist spots and time a trip around a live event like that. play the game

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    Pulling off a debut festival amidst last-minute venue swaps and sudden bans must have been completely chaotic, so it is fascinating to read such an honest recap. When looking back at event management retrospectives or tracking industry updates from organizers on professional networks, being able to decode LinkedIn timestamp details really helps piece together the exact sequence of past announcements. Thanks for sharing the real hurdles that happen behind the scenes of festival production!

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    Great write-up on the debut edition. Festival notes like this are exactly what I look for before booking, especially the practical bits about transport and the venue. I keep a short journal of the festivals I attend and laya AI helps me tidy up the wording before I publish each entry.

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    What a great recap of the first GOAT Festival! The beach setting, the music, and your photos really capture that free-spirited Goa vibe — it sounds like the perfect blend of sunsets and sound. Festival fashion is half the fun too, and accessories like crystal bracelets always feel right for that boho beach look. By the way, as the brand behind LUMERUNE, I’d love to share our crystal bracelets collection: crystal bracelets.

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    The first GOAT Festival in Goa sounds like an amazing experience — the beach party vibes and live music must have been incredible! Thanks for the vivid photos and write-up; it really makes me want to plan a trip to Goa. On a side note, as a brand rep for Petting.club, a pet lifestyle brand, I’d love to share our GPS + Activity Tracker + Camera + AI Daily Recap for pet owners: GPS + Activity Tracker + Camera + AI Daily Recap.

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    This matches what I ran into last year, especially the part about small steps beating one big push. I changed how I plan the week and the difference showed up within a month. Worth keeping the list short enough that you actually finish it.

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    Funny how the summary here is basically just someone’s comment raving about the photos rather than actual festival coverage — makes me wonder what the lineup even was. Beach festivals in Goa always make me think about what jewelry survives that environment; I wore a golden citrine ring in a princess cut on a trip there years ago and the sand and salt water never touched it. Anyway, would love to hear from anyone who actually attended GOAT ’17 about how the first edition went.

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    The beach setting is what makes this festival different from the usual arena shows. Reading it back now, the first edition still sounds like the most relaxed one.

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    Goa in December is hard to beat for a music weekend, and the photos capture that well. I would have liked a bit more about the line-up itself.

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    Reading this makes me want to plan a December trip to Goa. The description of the crowd is the most interesting part.

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