Viva São João! is the chant that will ring through
the villages as people plunge into wells and water
bodies, to celebrate the feast of St John the Baptist.
However, there now seem to be pre- and post- events
that are allowing revellers to indulge in the fanfare
without realising the relevance of the day, making it
more a pool party fiesta, than a feast day.
Mackenzie Eudes Pereira, co-proprietor of Bullfrog
Entertainment, organises a number of big events
throughout the year, including their annual São João
bash. “We avoid using the words São João and pool
party for our parties as we want to keep away from the
traditional celebration of the festival. There are many
festivities held throughout the state, and we wanted to
change the scenario when we started our parties in the
beginning. Our party caters to the section of people
who like to party,” says Mackenzie, from Merces.
He further adds, “The party has been a hit from
the first year itself and we have 7-8 deejays who will
playing right from noon to night. People from across
Goa attend our event. In fact, we also have people
from Mumbai who have been attending the party for
the last five years.”
Clarence Fernandes of Red Entertainment has
been organising pool parties for the festival for the
last four years, making this the fifth edition. The key
to the great party is the music and EDM is the way to
go, according to this party organiser. “The response
has been good over the years and depending on
the venue, we get a house packed with party lovers.
The growth has been great and people from various
cities visit the state for the weekend and make it to
the party. Instead of the traditional São João festival
where 15 bands would play throughout the day,
we have deejays playing from 3pm to 10pm,” says
Clarence.
The success of the party also depends on the
line-up of performers. “Last year, we had Rohit Barker
performing at the party and this year we have Anish
Sood, who is originally from Vasco. The deejays come
with their own followers, adding to the revellers,” adds
Clarence, about the party that caters to the age group
of 18-40 years.
“We also want to keep the traditions of the
celebration alive. We serve fresh fruits at the start of
the party and decorate the arena with flowers and
greenery to give it the same vibe as a traditional
festival. Those who are new to the festival, meet up
and chat with Goans to learn more about it. This
helps spread awareness about the actual festival.
We support all music, but the crowd seems to prefer
modern beats,” adds Clarence.
Vishwanath Shelke of Jack Events wants to take
their São João party to a national level. This year,
the party line-up will include Deejays Shaan, Shaan
Joshi and Arra Pascoal, renowned deejays on the
international market. “No matter what day it is, I have
the party on June 24 itself and it is still attended by
nearly 2,000 people. You need big artists to make a
mark on a national level before going international,
and people from across India should know about
São João festivities in Goa. Our pool area is open
for anyone who wants to celebrate São João with
a jump in the pool and then the music starts from
2pm to 10pm,” says Vishwanath.
