THE GOAN NETWORK| LONDON
Thousands of Goans attended the UK Goan Festival hosted by the Goan Association UK at the Cranford Community College grounds on August 6.
The event began with a Eucharistic celebration by Fr Stephen Dias sfx (Local Superior of the Pilar Fathers in UK) and Fr Alexander Da Costa-Fernandes. The Southall Choir, conducted by Jose Mendes, led the congregation with Konkani hymns.
In his homily, Fr Stephen Dias emphasised the importance of holding on to values. At the end of the mass, G.O.A UK President Ravi Vaz addressed the congregation and thanked the priests, altar servers and choir for their participation in the celebration of the Mass.
The Mass was followed by entertainment from local talents, and to kick things off was a performance of Goa Day’s introductory song composed and sung by Pio Agnelo Fernandes, followed by a variety of cultural presentations in song and dance performed by local talents, the youngest being Ariana Fernandes.
The UK band ‘Shades’, DJ Flaccid, DJ Curly (from Goa) and DJ Claudio (from Goa) kept the huge crowd dancing to the music.
Shannon Fernandes and Toni Coelho brought in a new dimension for the youth with their Konkani rap music. Guest artiste O’Luv from Goa went off stage and engaged with the crowd.
There were several stalls offering various services, cuisine and games at the festival.
The kids enjoyed the fairground rides, while Tropical Sun gave away free tote bags and goodies to the attendees. Tilda had free face painting, the wheel of fortune, and a photo booth to capture festival memories.
Among the many guests included Mayor of Southwark Sunil Chopra, Deputy Mayor of Swindon Imtiyaz Shaikh, Councillor Pritam Grewal and Councillor Ajmer Grewal, Crystelle Pereira (Great British Bake Off finalist and author of ‘Flavour Kitchen’) and opera singer Oscar Castellino.
Congress leader & former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes and Tony Dias flew down from Goa, specially for the festival. A special message was also delivered by Home Secretary Suella Braverman through her father.
Closing the event was Goa’s leading band ‘Tidal Wave’, which had the crowds dancing to popular tunes.
Deputy Mayor of Swindon Imtiyaz Shaikh said the UK Goan Festival was a “great experience to see Goan culture, food and an enjoyable evening.”
“It is a pleasure to attend the festival in London. I have been coming here for the last 20 years. At this meet, we are able to meet Goans from Manchester, Birmingham, London, etc. under one roof,” said Shaikh, who added that several Goans from Swindon travelled in buses to celebrate the festival.
When contacted, G.O.A UK President Ravi Vaz said the event was very successful and took place peacefully with no untoward incident.
“We would like to convey our thanks to the Hounslow Council, The Met Police, The First Aid services, the residents and the team of volunteers who have worked with us to ensure the success of this event,” said Vaz.
“This event will continue to create a platform to encourage and promote upcoming talent and businesses within the community. All proceeds from the UK Goan Festival go to the G.O.A UK to subsidise various social, sports and religious events for the community.”
“A special thanks to my Board of Directors, Juliette De Menezes D’Costa (Vice President), Richard Fernandes (Finance Director), Bella Fernandes (PR & Social Director) and Savio D’Souza (Sports Director), and their families who have worked selflessly towards hosting this event for the benefit of the wider community,” Vaz added.
