Festa de Diu: The secrets are out. Get packing!!!
Diu is quiet, different and mesmerizing in all seasons. But what if I tell you that next three months are gonna be super amazing there. I have never visited Diu, the town that lies at the eastern end of Diu Island and I am really looking forward to be a part of the fun that the island is preparing for. If you have been planning to go to Ilha de Calma, I am gonna give you a bucketful of reasons to be there and embrace the tranquility. Here is an interview with the administration where they reveal everything about the LONGEST BEACH FESTIVAL OF ASIA.
Take a break from the monotony of life, anchor your sail by the serene waters of Diu. #IlhaDeCalma pic.twitter.com/col0XBRlrm
— Diu Tourism (@VisitDiu) October 9, 2015
What is Festa de Diu?
We are trying to create a special experience for all those who visit Diu – It will be a unique blend of heritage, culture, adventure and nature which would make it memorable for all those who come to Diu. Our website festadiu.com gives the complete week wise thematic breakup and provides an avenue for online booking too.
I am really very excited about world’s longest beach festival. What will be the highlights of the event?
The President of India will launch the festival on December 1. A special festival village has been created on the beach with 60 modern tents, and an adventure zone with Bungee jumping, zip lining and hot air balloon. A rich cultural extravaganza has been planned at various locations of the city for the entire duration.
Is Diu all set and ready to delight the domestic and international travelers? What are the special preparations?
We have created an experience which will have something for everyone. A restro-bar and spa in the festival village will add to all the other amenities mentioned above. A new air connection with a tie up with Air India has enhanced the connectivity options.
I can see that this event has all the potential to pitch Diu as a global tourism destination. How many tourists are you looking at?
Well, being the first year, I wont like to put a number to the festival but we estimate that on the whole tourist arrivals in Diu will touch 25 lakh this year.
Tell us one reason why one should not miss this Diu festival?
As I said earlier, the festival has something for everyone – and Diu, being the pristine Isle of Calm – our own “Ilha de calma” has always been a destination which draws the people away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
At the fest, will the travelers be pampered with the local delights or you are looking to offer a global feel?
Largely it will be a mix of Indian classical, folk and Bollywood dance and music this year. May be next year on we take it to a new level.
What is one thing that is unique and special to Diu? Will the festival showcase it?
Diu has a rich heritage going back to Portuguese times and stunning moments, baroque architecture adds to the charm of whole place. Apart from being “Ilha de calma”– it has a distinct feel which you wont find anywhere else. A modern cycle track, to encourage green mobility will also be a distinct feature.
What does Diu have that Goa does not. The Sun Burn festival gets a huge inflow. Can this festival stand in competition?
Diu is a well laid down city and street architecture, has streaming moments, pristine beaches and a pervading sense of calm. It is also 90 minutes away from Gir and Somnath which make it an interesting part of religious circuit and also a destination for the nature/wildlife enthusiast. We are not competing with any other festival and don’t aim at the EDM space at all.
The festival needs to be promoted really well. How is the administration looking at this important aspect?
We have launched a national branding campaign on all TV channels and are also roping in social media and conducting road shows.
What other initiatives are being taken to promote tourism in Diu?
We are inviting bids to set up luxury resorts in Diu on a PPP basis and taking concrete measures to enhance connectivity.
Hope this was helpful! If you have any queries around the fest, do put them in the comment below. Also do let me know if you are planning to come along. Lets gang up!
TRAVEL WRITERS/BLOGGERS– Lets spread the word around this fest. If you were inspired to travel and you wanna go for the fest, do back-link this post and tell me why? You can further inspire more people to build a chain.
Seems like Diu is the place to be. Thanks for sharing.
xoxo
Style.. A Pastiche! . – Diwali OOTD
Sounds like an exciting tips! Will definitely explore this. 🙂
Super! Lets plan sometime during the winters. Would be an amazing break from the cold, dark, monotonous days 🙂
This looks amazing! I will be at Diu in the last week of December and looking forward to this! Any more info on tickets, entry, per person cost of attending the fest for one day, more details about the line up week wise, activities in the last week of December, etc.?
Hi..we are a group of 40 coming over to diu but really facing a hard time booking hotels as nothing is available. Can you help us. We need 14 rooms in a good property
#festadediu #festadiu #asiaslongestbeachfestival #diu #fun #party #thebeach #Diuholidays Diu Holidays…. .
Book Luxury sea view cottages on a first come first serve basis and get Discounts. Also get Free entry to live events.
Call: +917405847757
Do mention ur details
contact for group booking +919924610029
Terrible experience of Fest de Diu.
We joined on the day1 ie Dec 1st and experienced a great disappointment. As the president was to inaugurate we the guests became unwanted. There was problem for Parking our vehicles and we were asked to park 2 km away on the main road just because the organizers had not given passes to us. During The inaugural function also no one allowed us to enter the function as we did not have Passes. Even the inaugural function was attended mainly by school children who were compulsorily brought all the way from Daman (400 km +). Finally after a lot of fight with police persons we were allowed to sit in the last row behind he school children.
Such great respect for the Guests who paid through the nose.
The Hot Air Balloon ride costing Rs 2000 per person took us to 25 feet above ground for 3-4 minutes. Thatis for all the marketing where they write “Enjoy a blissful balloon ride over the endless Arabian sea and tranquil Diu.” Drinking Water was scarce and only 2 bottles per day provided.
No one at the village knew about where and what time the cultural programs were to be held. We had to find it on our own with great difficulty. In the Classical dance program only 2 of us were present from amongst the Festa guests, rest were all parents of the participating children. In the morning Raga program ONLY 2 of us were there as listeners. All others were organizers. We have Photo proofs of all this.
Kitchen services were very good.
If you want to just pay for the tent please go there. There is absolutely no coordination or information or programs except one hour per day from organizers. You are on your own or just spend whole day in nice AC tents watching TV.
Feeling Cheated.
Hi SP Bhatnagar,
Thanks for your feedback!
I was an inch away from booking my tickets when I came across your post. Needless to say, I am reconsidering my options now. Could you possibly give me some more details about it?
The fest has been marketed so well that I knew I had to be a part of it the moment I saw it. But after talking to these guys over the phone, I realized that the fest itself is absolutely free of cost for who ever decides to visit. The exorbitant charges are mostly for accommodation only. They say we’ll get access to “VIP areas” if we are booked with them, I am not too sure what that means.
Would be great if you could throw some more light on this since you have already been there/are already there. How is Diu otherwise, apart from the fest? I have heard that the beaches are quite nice. I wouldn’t mind going even if the fest itself is not that great.
Thanks again for your post!
Hi guyz, I am also planning a trip to Diu Fest Please tell me your experience and if i dont book accomodation through the authorities is it possible that i can get access to all the events
Thank you waiting for your reply
I have forwarded your feedback to the administration.
They replied that ‘during VVIP visit there is a challenge .. First day and yes the feedback is most certainly important and will invoke correctives.’
Do we have any entry tickets for the festival??
ENTRY FOR EVENTS IS FREE, SO YOU CAN STAY ANYWHERE IN ANY HOTEL, AND YOU CAN GET BIKES AND BICYCLE ON RENT AS WELL IN DIU. ENJOY
Very informative post. I attended the Diu festival during the Patriotic week and had an amazing experience. Diu is very happening city which is not much explored, this festival will surely help the travelers to do so.