PANAJI
The party season has begun and so also, the season for rave and trance parties with loud music. The social networking sites are full of advertisements by organisers, most of whom are promoting late-night events using code words in a bid to allegedly hide the nature of the event.
Several advertisement banners under catchy titles are viral on online platforms with a focus on psytrance. What’s interesting is that some of these shows slated from mid-December till February 2023 will play non-stop music across two-to-three days.
“The first ever … festival on 31st Dec – 2nd Jan 2022 brought you 44 hours of non-stop music with over 50 international acts, showcasing their journey into the world of avant-garde psytrance music,” reads one of the advertisements.
The nightlife in Goa, during the peak season, has been a major hit among the young crowd of tourists who are lured by such advertisements. While the illegal rave scene was prevalent even during the pandemic year, courtesy – a high-profile raid at a villa in Vagator; in the current scenario, the organisers have not spared online apps to garner maximum attendees.
In another promo of an event slated from December 22-23, 2022 at Vagator, the organisers stated, “We have curated this special night for you all, The Official Wild things Records Label Night, alongside some South African Twilight tunes and world reknowned (renowned) artists. You dont (don’t) want to miss this old school gathering, If you know psy trance then you will never miss these legends!!”
Inquiries revealed that most DJs from Moscow and St Petersburg arrive on a tourist visa but instead work for these organisers the entire tourist season. Popular coastal villages such as Arambol and Anjuna are their temporary homes. DJs from Italy and Brazil are the new entrants.
“We have registered cases in the past wherein foreign nationals, quite a few from Russia are booked for violating their visa. They either work as DJs or entertainers at various beach parties. The upcoming dusk-to-dawn parties will be no different,” a senior police official told The Goan.
Parvati Tandav 2.0, Rahasya Tantra Mantra, Psycheout Goa 2.0, Ahoora Katayy are just a few events to name, whose organisers have already finalised the itinerary. With the party venues and their timings out in the open, sources told The Goan that each ticket starts from Rs 2,500 approx and goes up to Rs 5,000 or more depending on the popularity. The early bird tickets are priced at Rs 1,000 approx.
Here are the parties, where are the authorities?
PANAJI: Notwithstanding Goa government’s strictures banning the use of amplified sound beyond 10pm, beachside parties have announced events from dusk to dawn. Parvati Tandav 2.0, as per its website, will be held from 20:00 hours to 9:00 hours (the next day) while Symposium Festival, to be held in February, is slated from 18:00 hours to 5:00 hours (the next day). Another event Psycheout Goa 2.0 has announced the start date at 6pm on January 11, 2023 to 11:30pm on January 12, 2023. The R3SET 2.0 is expected to be 44 hours from December 31, 2020 to January 2, 2023. Most of these events are scattered around Vagator.
The Goan spoke to a senior bureaucrat at the North Collectorate, who maintained they have rejected permissions for events playing music beyond 10pm. “It is for the local police to check for compliance of the order. Our sub-district offices have been receiving applications to allow playing music beyond 10pm, which we have turned down. We are allowing them to use amplified music till 10pm strictly,” he said.
This is what SP North had said
PANAJI: Goa police have an arduous task ahead. Superintendent of Police (North Goa) Nidhin Valsan has warned of strict action against the violators. “We will take necessary legal action against the parties which are violating rules or without requisite permissions,” he said while replying to The Goan.
When politicians claimed rave parties do exist in Goa…
PANAJI: Then Siolim MLA Vinoda Paliencar had claimed that rave parties are in full swing in the coastal villages and that the police were bribed. He had also submitted a “secret document” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Goa government giving details of those involved in the drug trade and organising rave parties.
Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, during his previous stint as a minister in Goa cabinet, had also admitted that rave parties were happening in private villages in the coastal belt. “There are guest houses, resorts which are shut for the general public but rave parties are organised there in the name of birthday bash or some other functions during the pandemic,” he was quoted as saying after the raid at Vagator.
