Community, culture and tradition take centre stage on February 13 at Porvorim People’s Carnival Parade 2026
Porvorim, Goa | 2 February 2026: The Porvorim Carnival Committee announced the return of the People’s Carnival Parade 2026, a community-led, people-powered celebration that aims to revive the original spirit of Goa’s Carnival, where culture, creativity and public participation take precedence over spectacle.
The People’s Carnival Parade will be held on Thursday, 13 February 2026, from 3:30 pm onwards at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Marg, Art Park, Porvorim. The parade is built around a simple but powerful idea: No Engines, No Generators, Only Joy, reinforcing a return to Carnival as a walking, dancing, people-driven celebration as in the past.
Outlining the vision behind the initiative, Rohan Khaunte said that Carnival has traditionally been an expression of Goa’s social and cultural fabric, rooted in satire, music, humour and collective joy. He said that over the years, the increasing use of motorised floats, generators and excessive amplification has altered the character of the celebration. He added that for Goans who once enjoyed Carnival, there was now little appeal, and that initiatives such as the People’s Carnival Parade, along with people coming forward, would help restore Carnival to its original form while keeping it inclusive, environmentally conscious and rooted in community participation, with the revival beginning in Porvorim.
Reena Fernandes, representing the organising committee in Porvorim, stated that the parade is designed as an open platform for citizens, families, institutions and performers to actively participate rather than remain spectators. She said that early bird incentives are being awarded in various categories to encourage participants to revive the past with innovation.
This year, a new precedent will be set with participation being strictly people-powered, with no motorised or fuel-driven vehicles, no generators and no large sound systems. Only acoustic and portable music will be permitted, encouraging creativity through costumes, storytelling, live music, dance and movement.
Committee members added that the People’s Carnival Parade has, over the years, evolved into one of Goa’s most distinctive Carnival initiatives by prioritising participation over performance and people over props.
Abigail D’Mello, who is playing a key role in overseeing participation and rules, said that by removing engines, excessive noise and commercial floats that often lack meaning, the celebration aims to create space for interaction, cultural expression and genuine community bonding. She added that it reflects the Carnival many Goans remember and hope to pass on to future generations.
The parade will feature people’s floats with a minimum of 20 participants, a family category with a minimum of four members, as well as individual performers including clowns and jokers.
Another committee member, Martha Pinto, emphasised that the People’s Carnival Parade 2026 would be a breath of fresh air. She said that Goans over the years have missed the cultural and traditional aspects of what Carnival once was. While it attracts tourism, she said there is a need to safeguard what is special to Goans, adding that it is a good start and that there has already been a positive response.
To encourage wider participation across age groups and communities, the People’s Carnival Parade 2026 features a structured prize scheme across multiple categories, including Traditional, Club or Institution, Family and Clown or Joker. Cash prizes will be awarded up to the fifth position in each category, along with consolation prizes, recognising creativity, cultural expression and collective effort rather than scale or spectacle.
In addition, an early bird incentive has been introduced, with the first 25 registered People’s Floats with a minimum of 20 participants receiving Rs 6,000 each, and the first 25 family entries with a minimum of four members receiving Rs 3,000 each, reinforcing the committee’s focus on early community engagement and people-led participation.
The event is open to all and invites citizens to walk, dance and celebrate together in a safe, inclusive and noise-free environment.
The People’s Carnival Parade 2026 continues this tradition by holding on to what Carnival has always stood for while allowing it to grow with each new generation. Keeping it people-powered and inclusive ensures that Carnival remains something the community creates together, not just something to be watched.
