They have been drawing a huge number of fans and revellers, but Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals have had their share of proponents and opponents.
While the EDM advocates have argued that such festivals add reputation and revenue to the tourism industry, the opponents insist that EDM festivals have not only put an undue pressure on the existing infrastructure, but they have also antagonised the local community.
However, a growing number of people find themselves in a third group, which has evolved around the two opposing groups. They contend that while EDM festivals can be permitted in the State, these events should not be conducted during the peak Christmas season.
Subscribing to this group is Calangute Sarpanch Geeta Parab. “EDM festivals like ‘Sunburn’ should not be held during December and more specifically during Christmas and New Year, as it creates traffic chaos in the coastal villages,” insists Parab.
“The music festival should ideally be planned to attract tourists during other times of tourist season to provide a boost to Goan economy. The festival during December causes a lot of inconvenience to locals and tourists alike, as the huge demand for travel and stay leads to a surge in prices. Tourists who used to visit Calangute during Christmas are forced to move to other relatively cheaper destinations,” said Parab.
“No doubt, music events like Sunburn attract thousands of young tourists, but tourists all over the world prefer Goa as a tourist destination for its natural beauty, including beaches, culture, food and a pleasant surrounding.”
Supporting Parab’s views, Calangute Panch Joseph Sequeira admits that mega musical events like Sunburn have caused a lot of hardships to villagers of Candolim, Calangute and surrounding areas.
“Such mega music events should not be held during Christmas season, as it affects the Catholic community and forces them to remain indoors during the festive season. These musical events should be re-scheduled and well planned at an ideal place, without causing any hardship to locals,” added Sequeira.
Former Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes, who has been the brain behind the Sunburn EDM fest at Candolim, said, “Staging any mega musical event automatically leads to traffic jams. This has been the general trend across the world and you cannot avoid it. The event this year was pretty well managed, except for traffic jams. However, I would also prefer holding the event at some other time and not during the Christmas season.”
On the other hand, those supporting the EDM festival during Christmas include Calangute MLA Michael Lobo.
“I was against two EDM festivals being staged at a time, but such festivals are needed to bring in high spending tourists. However, I would prefer these festivals during the Christmas week, as this is the right time to attract high spending tourists and to generate revenue for the State.”
Going a step further, Anjuna-Caisua Deputy Sarpanch Savio Almeida said such EDM festivals would also benefit the local community.
When asked to justify his claim, Almeida said, “The government can utilise the revenue generated from such EDM festivals for developmental activity across the State. In fact, we will be writing to the government to release a certain portion of funds from the event to develop our village infrastructure like widening of roads.”
When Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar was contacted for comments on the benefits and drawbacks of EDM festivals, he claimed that he was at a meeting with party leaders and assured to discuss the issue at a later date.
