What is GOAT festival?
GOAT Festival, a property of GOAT Music, is a three-day international music and arts festival that is debuting in Goa this year. The artiste line-up of this new festival that is happening on Janaury 27-29, 2017 features a really broad mix of styles and genres across the three days that includes the likes of Gilles Peterson, Kiasmos, Sarathy Korwar, Henry Wu, James Priestley of secretsundaze, BLOT! (live), Delhi Sultanate, Aqua Dominatrix, Sandunes, The Turbans, Afriquoi (DJ set) and Medlar. There will also be Kumail, MMAT, Moniker, Eng, Shyo, Iggy, Ez Riser, The Fish, DJ Lion, Boom Baba, Calm Chor and others.
Why ‘GOAT’?
A few years ago, when Dave Gaydon (now, CEO of GOAT Festival) was deciding on a name for his company, he apparently came across a great photo of a really happy looking goat – a sign that Dave thought is good enough to go ahead with, and that is how GOAT Music, a London-based music and events agency that Dave heads now, was born. However, it was only after the launch of the company that someone pointed out that GOAT could stand for ‘Greatest Of All Time’. The coincidence couldn’t have been sweeter!
Why in January?
Contrary to the makers of Sunburn and Supersonic, the organisers of GOAT wanted to market the festival to a European crowd that has just been though a cold, grey and rainy month after Christmas as a getaway for some winter sun. Add to that the big appetite for festival tourism currently, GOAT Festival expects to attract an equal mix of Indians and music lovers from the rest of the world. The last week of January seemed to be just the right time.
What about the Code of Conduct?
The makers of the festival had planned it going by the thought that the elections would take place sometime in April or the end of March at the earliest. The festival was initially supposed to feature two main stages alongside three alternative performance spaces in Ashvem. After 10pm, the festival was supposed to slip into the afterparty mode and move to two night-time venues close to the festival grounds. However, with the poll dates being scheduled for February 4 coming as a rude shock, the organisers did find themselves thrown off balance. As a result, a few things had to be modified and changed adhering to the Code of Conduct guidelines implemented by the Election Commission of India.
The venue was the first to be affected and had to be shifted to Marbela Beach in Morjim which allows combining the day and night time programme effectively. All the action shuts at 10 pm sharp, which means there is no afterparty.
What else’s there?
There’s yoga, alternative exercising (mental and physical) in addition to onsite spa and therapies to nurse those dancing feet. Art, design, fashion and gastronomy will be in abundance. The festival has organised a medley of wellness workshops including sound bathing with Yin and Yang yoga by Ali Gunning, alternative music therapy through sound and sound waves, storytelling and movement workshops with experience specialists Marbles and Ware Collective, dance and art workshops, live painting and a ritualistic burn on the beach. Adventure junkies can indulge in water sports such as surfing and paddle boating that will be an attractive option.
