Shopping under the stars

By: Sheryl Gonsalves

A must-have underrated experience in Goa is visiting night markets! One such night market is The Goa Collective Bazaar, at HillTop Goa, Vagator, which covers various shopping aspects, thus enabling you to take your shopping experience to another level.

Upon arrival, what hits you is the ambience, which is rocking yet calm at the same time. The well-known pink and white buntings along with warm lighting is perfect for setting the mood to enjoy the night. Stalls, lights, music, products, and environment – everything is so well thought out. The founders of the market are Eva Luna Terzaghi, her husband Starling Richard D’Souza, and Asha Rao.

Let’s dive into the delicious food here…The aromas emanating from various food stalls hit your nostrils, tantalising your taste buds. Take your pick from sushi, Indian tandoors, Thai dishes, smokey barbeques, khow suey, pizzas, momos, and even Indian pani puri and other chaats. For the vegans, scrumptious vegan meats, vegan micro green wraps, etc, are available. Notable restaurants such as Luna’s ristorante, La dolce Luna, Sublime, Coco Thai, Handmade by Namrata, and Artjuna are present here too.

Hey shopping enthusiasts! You can satisfy your shopping cravings with the wide array of products on sale. The diversity of the fashion section will surely cater to many of your style requirements which covers beautiful jewellery, shoes, and more. Pottery, home décor, candles, soaps, etc, are a part of the market as well. Charming local women sell goods which they have crafted themselves such as chocolates, decorations, toys, and macramé.

There is a ‘Holistic Health Area’ with interesting items like essential oils, organic creams, bee pollen, and so on. Another much-loved space in the bazaar is the ‘Arts Area’ where every week different talented artists are present with sketches, paintings, sculptures, tattoos, live portrait drawings, and even fire and poi equipment!

Kids are definitely not left out. The Kids Corner makes it almost impossible for the tiny tots to get bored. There are tons of activities related to arts and crafts, and quiet spaces for the ones who want to read. The ones with too much energy can spend it on the slide 😉

Night markets are amazing for a different kind of shopping experience coupled with the cool, calm atmosphere of Goa at night. Don’t hesitate to visit the Goa Collective Bazaar – one of the most happening night markets in the state. It’s a great blend of art, food, fashion, music, community time, and free-flowing creativity all in one place!

Goa Collective Bazaar timings: End of November/ Beginning of December till around the Easter weekend. (4 or 5 pm till 2 am approximately).