Goa Carnival was first started in Goa in the year 1961. It was initially celebrated by King Momo, one of the legendary Chaos kings of the state and is one of the Portuguese festivals.

This festival is celebrated before the starting of Lent that is believed to be the time when Lord Jesus Christ spent 40 days in wilderness.

As per tradition, during the period of Lent, people are neither supposed to indulge themselves in any kind of celebration nor consume rich foods like meat, fats, dairy products etc. so people thought of celebrating before that.

The different kinds of celebrations in the Goa Carnival include singing, dancing, drinking, feasting and various other types of merry making.

A number of acrobats, brass bands, clowns, dancers, fire eaters, jesters etc. are seen to be performing in the streets of some of the major cities of Goa. The celebrations are carried on throughout the nights of those festival days.

The major locations for this annual celebration are

Panjim

Mapusa

Margoa

Vasco da Gama