Goa gears up for carnival festival in February

Goa will host the annual carnival festivities between February 25-28 during which float parades would be hosted across various cities of the state.
"Goa is gearing up to celebrate its much awaited Carnival from February 25- 28 February 2017," Sanjeev C Gauns Dessai, Director of Tourism, told PTI today.
Like every year, the festival will bring a lot of excitement with live song, music and dance that is uniquely Goan. Thousands of tourists gather each year to witness the colourful floats and troupes in gorgeous costumes singing and dancing to lively music, he said.
Goa Tourism is trying to promote the traditional essence thatisdisplayedthroughthe float parades, performances and activities and also improve the quality and standard of the Carnaval float parade, the director said.

"This time too we are expecting a large number of tourists to experience this unique festival celebrated annually in different cities. Themain floatparade will be held in thecapital city of Panjim on February 25, followed byfloat parades inother citiesof Margao on February 26, Vasco on February 27 and Mapusa on February 28, 2017," he said.
Gauns said King Momo, the legendary character who declares the Carnival open, will be chosen shortly.
The process of selecting the person who plays King Momo is an elaborate one and sees enthusiastic participation from young men in Goa.