Five glorious and eventful days of global music, dance, art and cuisine from 10 Countries, 200 Performers at Ferriswheels’ Worldfest 2014 at Lavasa went by in a blink of an eye. Close to 19,000 visitors to Lavasa city experienced this global extravaganza. The participating countries experienced Garba, Diwali, Neon Holi and got a glimpse of India. There were tears of joy as the countries bid adieu to each other today, during the closing ceremony – the finale!

The performers of each country in the ‘Closing Ceremony’ put forward their best three minutes of performance wherein the audience got a final glimpse of what these countries stood for. Representatives/artists from Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, Lithuania, Maldives, Nigeria, Poland, Slovenia, Sri Lanka and Thailand who have won so many hearts over these days, were felicitated during the ‘Closing Ceremony’ on ‘Day 5’ of the festival. This was not the end, as teams and the audience will take home with them a bag full of wonderful memories and friendships.

Shubhra Bhardwaj, Founder and Creative Director of Ferriswheel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and Worldfest, while addressing the closing ceremony said, “I would like to thank all the participating countries for being a part of Worldfest 2014 and the Lavasa team for their tremendous support in believing in this festival and welcoming us at Lavasa. Each country present here represent their culture, heritage, ethos and tradition. It is lovely to have them here. The beautiful memories of Worldfest will always resonate with us forever. Worldfest is all about encouraging people to travel, building friendships today for better tomorrow. I believe that the world is a better place to live in, when you have friends all over the globe.”

Rajiv Duggal, Sr. Vice President-Tourism Hospitality and Leisure said, “We are extremely happy with the overwhelming response to Worldfest’14 that showcased not only diverse genres of music and dance from 10 nations but also their culture. Lavasa city is fast emerging as a popular tourist destination with its expanded and novel cultural offerings. The city has successfully planned and executed many signature events like Lavasa Women’s Drive, Lavasa Hill Run, Indian Martial Arts Festival, F.A.M.E and Freedom 2014 in its endeavor to promote Lavasa city as a vibrant art and culture hub. The association with Ferriswheel to promote Worldfest’14 is in line with this objective.”

The 2014 Edition of Worldfest at Lavasa saw the performers captivating the audience’s attention with a combination of mesmerizing dances with lovely music. It was not only about countries performing on one stage, it was also about cheering one another. A great deal of camaraderie was seen among the performing countries.

There was something for everyone. Shopaholics had a gala time picking up traditional artifacts; foodies were stalled at the Food Festival; dance enthusiasts had a great time witnessing ‘out of the world’ performances and the music lovers enjoyed the global music that the participating countries played throughout. It was an absolute world tour in every way, right here in Lavasa. There was life, energy and a heady mix of beautiful cultures! The highlight of each day was the “Carnival Parade”. Speaking of shopping, let us give you a sneak peak of what each country brought to the table.

Dance performances by Egypt were breathtaking and the food was to die for. One of the cuisines that the food specialist from Egypt dished out was their traditional cuisine ‘koshari’. It date backs to 19th century, made of rice, macaroni and lentils mixed together, topped with a tomato-vinegar sauce. Mouth watering, isn’t? Speaking about the dance, Tanoura is an Egyptian folk dance derived from the whirling dance performed as a Sufi religious practice. The Tanoura dervish dance is originally a religious cultural contemplative practice, to give the feel of a spiritual connection behind all these swirls and turns, the groove, the music and the colours are just overwhelming. The audience indulged in retail therapy on the artifacts from Egypt. There were traditional sling bags, mint, medicines, local spices, hibiscus, bean bags, dried spinach and much more to shop from.

The dance performers from Poland intrigued the audience with three different dance forms. The first dance form - Beskid – It is performed by people living in the mountains of southern Poland. The soloist started the show by playing on the instrument typical for this region called “trąbita”. During the dance boys are showing-off in front of the girls. The second dance form is Krakowiak - It is a fast, Polish dance. The third and the final dance by Poland was Trojak. It is performed in a trio - one boy and two girls. The Polish food was the highlight of Worldfest 2014. Talking about the food, the hot “Zur Soup” served at Poland Food Festival was welcoming, delicious, appetising and went down with relish. It perfectly blended with the nippy weather here in Lavasa. The key ingredients of soup are boiled potato and garlic pods with a speck of pepper. “Zur Soup” served with a healthy chunk of boiled egg made it even more luscious. Also on the platter was “Oblaty”, one of the most traditional recipes of Poland. A sweet and vanilla flavored wafer made for a sumptuous snack. Poland Food Festival was nothing but heavenly perfection. Acoustic guitar music by a Brazilian performer at the food festival was a double treat. At the store, shoppers enjoyed buying Polish unique Carbon accessories like earrings, necklaces, stylish tote bags and much more.

The performers from Brazil stole our hearts away! “7 Estrello” was everyone’s favorite. Their contemporary music natural of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais left the audience wanting for more. During the shows, psychedelic visuals made using the technique of video mapping was breath taking. Local Brazilian cuisine with key ingredients of Banana, Kidney beans, Crushed Corn and Rice made for a sumptuous meal and a gastronomical delight to indulge in. All participating countries danced, sang songs and played musical instruments at the food festival. Straight from Brazil is a conventional head gear worn by tribes, beautiful beads, wish bands and stunning necklaces.

The performers from Slovenia played their musical instruments and mesmerized the audience. The musicians created magic with the use of violin, accordion, clarinet, button accordion, and double bass. There was love in the air at the Slovenia stall with the people laying their hands on ‘Love Cookies’ and a heart shaped token with a message of love. Also a ‘Horse Shoe’ that signifies Happiness was an interesting buy.

Nigeria also brought their local bazaar to the Worldfest. There were traditional beads, attractive figurines, amazing fibre brass, beautiful bracelets and much more. The Nigerian performers displayed their rich culture and heritage through their traditional folk dance. They performed the Lagos special consisting of “Eyo” dance. The word "Eyo" also refers to the costumed dancers, known as the masquerades that come out during the festival. The origins of this observance are found in the inner workings of the secret societies of Lagos. The performers also invited the audience to learn the Nigerian dance moves and the audience took home beautiful memories of their dance and culture.

Performers from Lithuania showcased the most traditional dances. Trapukas, Pakeltkojis and Klumpakojis (Stomping-dance, Raising legs and Clog-dance) – dance-trio, with comic and theatrical elements, performed with authentic wooden shoes (clogs). It played a little funny story. Girls make plans to steal guys' clogs during the dance, and they do so. After guys see that, they do the same – they steal girls' clogs. So they continue to dance without shoes. Then girls are making another plan – to change the clogs, so guys wouldn't understand which pair of shoes belongs to them. After understanding this little joke, guys making angry-faces. This was followed by audience engagement, wherein the performers invited them on stage and taught them simple dance moves of their traditional dance. The audiences were left enthralled as they got to learn a step or two from the performers and witness a glimpse of Lithuanian culture. Also, we had colorful Easter eggs, fish shaped chopping boards, handcrafted book marks and scarves at the stall from Lithuania.

Sri Lanka displayed a rich sampling of their traditional dance by performing the THELME dance. Thelme dance is “low country devil’’ dance that has been inspired from King 'Rawana' over 5000 years ago. The origin of the dances of Sri Lanka lies with the indigenous people of Sri Lanka. At the Sri Lankan stall there was also a photo opportunity with the audience wearing a beautiful and traditional head gear. We saw a lot of people clicking ‘selfies out there.! For the ones with a sweet tooth, chocolates and local sweets was a treat.

Straight from Thailand were delectable Thai noodles that went down with relish and soothing music of an instrument called ‘Kim’ was mesmerizing. Worldfest charm the participating countries with beautiful Indian festivities. We celebrated festival of lights - Diwali, festival of colours – Holi and Navratra – wherein the countries performed “Garba”. Every night was a party night.! The performers danced to the tunes of EDM and a gala time.

All in all, Ferriswheel’s Worldfest 2014 at Lavasa was a tremendous success. Celebrations that will remain as memories always and connections that will stay for life! We look forward to seeing you at Worldfest 2015!