Over the past year, Goa, for me, has meant moving away from the beaches and exploring the inlands. And even though I stayed in a quiet sleepy village of North Goa in my recent trip, I travelled to Arambol beach for a day, all in the quest to get feathered hair extensions.

Once I was done with my escapades, I walked towards the beach for a swim and a beer. By sundown, the weather became pleasant and I noticed more people gather around. While talking to my new acquaintances, I understood that every evening this place turned into a flea market of sorts with percussionists jamming in on one side. Apparently, this has been happening for a decade! There is no place I’d rather be during the breezy sunset. I waited as beach beds were pulled together for the jam session and people started setting up their ‘shops’.

In a matter of few minutes, the beach wore a different look. I walked across the mini flea market; where travellers from various countries Russia, Sweden, Norway, Italy and Israel sold various products or talent in very small mats, aligned together. These included jewellery, small artefacts, quirky feather and beaded trinkets, masks, stones, yoga, face painting and even a pair of boots! The sunset beach market is a way these people support themselves financially while they stay and travel in India. It’s simple: they pick a talent and put a price to it.

Soon the sound of multifarious instruments of percussion distracted me. Seated in a semi-circular structure, these musicians improvised and created rhythms that attracted a lot of dancing from their spectators. I saw a young Indian boy play the initial beats on a borrowed bongo and soon the rest of the musicians followed. The eclectic mix of people from all over the world added to the bohemian vibe of the place.

This sunset entertainment takes place only when Goa is in season and goes on for hours showing other activities like capoeira, martial arts, hula hoops, fire performances and juggling. I spent more than a couple of hours here and decided to leave before it became too dark into the night. My evening at Arambol beach left me refreshed and thinking how little we actually need to keep going in life.

Here is a video to give you an idea of the experience:

Have you been to this boho fair in Goa?

Amrita Das

I have been a travel and culture independent journalist. My bylines have appeared in many publications worldwide including National Geographic Traveller India, Lonely Planet Magazine India, The Indian Express and World Travel Magazine. A fellow of Media Ambassadors India-Germany 2019 program by Robert Bosch Stiftung and Centre for Media Competence, University of Tübingen. Currently, I am the photo editor for RoundGlass Sustain, a wildlife and conservation e-publication. I live in India.

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