In the thick, lush monsoon of Dona Paula, Goafest 2025 kicked off at the Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon. The theme for this year, ‘Ignite ___’, is intentionally open-ended, inviting speakers to interpret it through the lens of what they believe matters most—be it creativity, innovation, sustainability, or social impact.
In spite of the current grey-skies-and-grey-seas visuals across Goa, if one was feeling rather blue about the weather, Mika Singh’s performance hit it right out the park. His hit songs including ‘Subha Hone Na De’, ‘Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita’ and ‘Aankh Marey’ got the crowd grooving. He even extended his platform to two young girls from the audience whose melodious singing-along caught his attention. His generous move, coupled with the genuine talent of the duo, was received by a standing ovation from the audience.
Next up was Rishad Tobaccowala’s session themed ‘Ignite The Human’. The former Publicis executive and innovative thinker opened with a warning: “AI is still underrated and we don’t fully understand its potential.” But ended with an optimistic context no one saw coming: “AI will help us to become more human.” Essentially, now that skills like computing, analytics and coding have been taken care of by AI, we can focus on working our more human capabilities—creativity, connection, conversation and convincing.
Kareena Kapoor Khan took the stage next in conversation with Atika Farooqi, reinforcing the value of authenticity and self-awareness in brand longevity. She spoke of how her now-iconic line ‘Main apni favourite hoon’ is more than a movie dialogue—it’s a personal philosophy. “Only when you love and care for yourself first can you truly give to work, relationships, and family,” she shared. The reigning queen of Bollywood, as Farooqi noted, was celebrating self-love well before it became a buzzword.
At the Abby One Show Awards later that evening, Wavemaker won the coveted title “Media Agency of the Year” with a total of 19 medals including a Grand Prix for their campaign with Dream11.
In line with innovation and adaptation, Goafest, this year, has also debuted ‘Advertising Plays’ for sporting and wellness activities like yoga and pickleball. And ‘GoaFresh’, an initiative that offers students from premier institutes like MICA, SIMC and Miami Ad School an opportunity to learn and unlearn under the mentorship of industry experts.
