Goafest 2025 Doesn’t Just Celebrate Creativity, It Challenges It to Evolve

Goafest, South Asia’s largest creative festival is back, taking place from 21-23 May 2025 at the Taj Cidade de Goa. As well as the hallmark keynote sessions and prestigious ABBY Awards, powered by One Show, this year comes with a few surprises.

From a move to more immersive experiences such as a brand new pre-festival vote allowing delegates to choose the topics they want discussed most, to the debut of ‘Goafest Village’, attendees can expect diverse elements that reflect the multifaceted nature of the industry.

To find out more, LBB’s Sunna Coleman interviews Goafest creative mentor, Rohit Ohri; chairman of the organising committee and founder of Another Idea, Jaideep Gandhi; and The ABBY Awards chairman and managing committee member of The Advertising Club, Ajay Kakar.

LBB> Tell us about how you came up with this year’s theme 'Ignite __' and how you envision it shaping the festival's content?

Rohit> Every year, we aim for a theme that doesn’t just reflect where the industry is – but where it needs to go. With ‘Ignite ___’, we wanted a theme that was both powerful and fluid – a spark that could take different shapes.

The blank was intentional. It’s an open canvas – an invitation for each delegate, speaker, and session to fill it with what matters most to them and the industry. Ignite Creativity. Ignite Growth. Ignite Culture. Ignite Innovation. This theme allows for a multitude of perspectives while still anchoring the festival around one core idea: that transformation always begins with a spark.

This year, one of the sessions, titled ‘IGNITE Your Voice. Shape the Conversation.’, is a first-of-its-kind interactive initiative at Goafest 2025 where delegates don’t just attend sessions – they choose them through a live pre-festival voting platform. Delegates can vote for the topics they want to hear discussed most and the top-voted topic will become a featured session on the main stage – brought to life with expert speakers and real-time audience interaction.

LBB> What are you expecting some of the biggest themes and conversations to be this year?

Rohit> I think we’ll see a few dominant threads run through the festival this year:
AI and the Human Imagination: not just as a tool, but as a co-creator. The conversation is shifting from fear to potential, and we’re bringing in voices who are experimenting, not just theorising.

The Creator Economy: how individuals are becoming brands, and what that means for traditional agency models and storytelling frameworks.

Culture as Currency: in a polarised, fast-moving world, brands that understand nuance and context will lead. Expect sessions on cultural intelligence, storytelling with purpose, and marketing in moments.

Creative Leadership Reimagined: what it means to lead in a time of complexity, speed, and ambiguity. Not just the what, but the how of creative leadership.
This year’s festival isn’t just about celebrating creativity. It’s about challenging it to evolve. That’s what we hope to ignite.

LBB> The ABBY Awards, powered by One Show, have been integral to Goafest. How does this partnership enhance the recognition of creative excellence, and what new elements can we anticipate in this year's awards?

Ajay> The ABBY Awards at Goafest truly bring to life the idea that when the right pieces come together, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

The ABBYs have long been considered the gold standard in Indian advertising. Often referred to as the ‘Cannes of Indian advertising’, they are recognised by the industry, for the industry, and of the industry. This makes them incredibly unique. They have stood the test of time and shifting environments for over five decades.

In recent years, the partnership with One Show has elevated the ABBYs by adding international standards, repute, and perspective. On one side, you have the ABBYs, a brand carefully nurtured for over 50 years. On the other, you have Goafest, a melting pot of ideas, insights, and inspiration. When these come together, the result is something truly exceptional.

By day, Goafest offers learning and inspiration. By night, the ABBYs celebrate outstanding work and the people behind it, leaving everyone creatively recharged and motivated to push boundaries.

LBB> As Goafest gains prominence beyond South Asia, how are you positioning the festival to appeal to a more international audience while retaining its core essence?

Ajay> South Asia shares strong cultural similarities, making the ABBYs a natural connector across the region. We've seen participation from countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, along with international jury chairs and attendees from overseas. This reflects the fact that creativity knows no boundaries. With the right cultural context, the creative landscape extends beyond India. South Asia becomes the natural next frontier for the ABBYs.

LBB> This year introduces the 'Goafest Village', featuring multiple venues and experiences under one roof. What motivated this initiative, and what can attendees expect from this immersive experience?

Jaideep> For years, Goafest has operated in a more traditional, ballroom-centred format. While that structure allowed for impactful keynote sessions and award functions, we began noticing a shift in delegate expectations. People don’t want to just sit and absorb, they want to move, engage, explore.

With this in mind, we began gradually expanding the festival’s physical and experiential landscape. We introduced elements like the ‘Walk of Work’, masterclasses, and outdoor activations. This year, with a venue that truly allows for spatial and thematic multiplicity, we’re going all in.

The introduction of the Goafest Village is our way of creating a parallel Goafest, one that offers variety, freedom, and surprise. Think of it as a festival within a festival. Attendees can wander from learning sessions to sport zones, creative showcases to networking lounges. It’s about play, learning, unlearning, and celebrating all at once. The Goafest Village is our most immersive and inclusive format yet.

LBB> Reflecting on Goafest's journey, what do you consider its most significant contributions to the creative community over the years?

Jaideep> Goafest has always been, first and foremost, a platform to honour and celebrate the best in creativity. The awards spanning craft, media, digital, and beyond are a way of formally acknowledging outstanding work and giving it the stage it deserves.

But beyond that, Goafest has evolved into a community catalyst. It brings together people from across disciplines, generations, and geographies. It has created a space where young talent can meet legends, ideas can cross-pollinate, and creative energy gets renewed year after year.

It’s not just about awarding great work. It’s about nurturing the ecosystem that makes great work possible.

LBB> For anyone who hasn’t been before and is interested in attending this year, what advice would you give them for making the most of the festival?

Jaideep> First, know that this is the largest festival of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region and it’s not to be missed. If it’s your first time, come with an open mind and a pair of walking shoes!

This year’s new Goafest Village format will allow you to chart your own festival journey. Whether you want to catch masterclasses, participate in sports activities or just meet like-minded folks by the beach, there’s something for everyone.

The best way to experience Goafest is to immerse yourself. Don’t over-schedule. Wander. Discover. Talk to people. And most importantly, let the energy of the festival guide you.

With sundowners, live music, and after-parties, the celebration never really stops.