This time around, the festival will begin on December 12 and will have over
35 curators across various disciplines
NT BUZZ
The Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) is set to return to Panaji, for its 10th edition, from December 12 to 21, 2025.
The festival, having just hosted a mini-edition in Birmingham, UK, will now hold events across cities in India throughout the year, leading up to the main celebration in December. This special edition will look back on its journey while also charting new directions through dynamic art-led projects, deeper community engagement, and a stronger national and global presence.
It will be held across multiple venues in Panaji, including the Old GMC Complex, Kala Academy, Excise Building, Directorate of Accounts Building, Azad Maidan, Santa Monica Jetty, Yoga Promenade Jetty, and The Arena at Nagali Hills Ground. Over 35 curators from various disciplines will present an array of projects.
The Visual Arts section includes curators such as cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote, artist duo Thukral and Tagra, and large-scale conceptual artist Sudarshan Shetty. Mumbai-based curator and writer Veeranganakumari Solanki will present site-specific artistic interventions, while director of the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) Vidya Shivadas, will curate exhibitions in pedagogical and material experimentation.
In the Craft section, ceramic artist Kristine Michael and textile designer Rashmi Varma, known for exploring identity, memory, and gesture through handmade fabric will lead curations. Art historian and researcher Anjana Soman will look into the subterranean worlds of step-wells through a craft showcase, while designer Sandeep Sangaru will showcase Kashmiri crafts through his work with indigenous materials.
Photography will be shaped by lens-based practitioners including Ravi Agarwal, whose work interrogates ecology and nature. Curator and publisher with the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts Rahaab Allana, will exhibit image-based works from the Indian subcontinent and Arab peninsula. Documentary photographer and co-founder of Nazar Foundation Prashant Panjiar, will focus on Goa’s occupational communities, as well as a separate project on preserving family histories through self-portraits, heirlooms, and interactive formats. Veteran photographer and educator Dinesh Khanna will curate works on migration and memory.
Dance curators include Bharatanatyam exponent Geeta Chandran; founder of Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Jayachandran Palazhy; writer and practitioner Ranjana Dave, and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee, Tanusree Shankar. Dave will focus on accessibility and inclusivity in dance, while Palazhy’s curation will show human connection and influence through AI, installations, and interactive performances.
Theatre highlights include an Ambedkarite opera curated by acclaimed playwright and director Mahesh Dattani, and a showcase of Marathi theatre’s 180-year-old legacy by Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Anuradha Kapur. Sankar Venkateswaran will present a classical Koodiyattam act on themes of justice, power, and love in an unequal world. Other curators include renowned theatre artists Lillete Dubey and Quasar Thakore Padamsee.
Music curators include Ehsaan Noorani, Bickram Ghosh, Aneesh Pradhan, Ranjit Barot, Shubha Mudgal, and Zubin Balaporia. Noorani and Balaporia will team up for a performance that will bring blues, funk, and jazz. Barot and Balaporia will present a tribute to tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, while Pradhan and Mudgal will feature folk percussion traditions in a high-energy act.
In the Culinary section, curators such as Odette Mascarenhas, Rahul Akerkar, Thomas Zacharias, and The Locavore will provide experiences that go beyond taste and aroma. The collective Edible Issues will showcase the cultural perceptions of smell, along with the effects of climate change on livestock and pastoral communities. Chef Manu Chandra will pay tribute to traditional Goan tavernas, while sommelier-restaurateur Prahlad Sukhantar will spotlight India’s diverse salt traditions.
To promote accessibility, writer and disability rights advocate Salil Chaturvedi will curate performances by deaf and mute artistes; conduct workshops tailored for people with special needs, and create inclusive spaces like Studio Me, where everyone can engage with art hands-on.
