Mahindra Thar Fest Goa 2025: I Took Up The Off-road Challenge And The Most Unexpected Thing Happened

Over 31,000 fans assembled to celebrate the Mahindra Thar with lots of offroading paired up with Oktoberfest for fun-filled evenings

If your Instagram feed has even a whiff of car content, you’ve definitely seen the Mahindra Thar pop up in some viral reel doing stuff, you’d wish you have done with it. That’s the thing about the Thar, its aura doesn’t give you the option to ignore it. You love it, you hate it, but you will talk about it. And perhaps that’s why this nameplate is a breathing legacy for Mahindra. Today, that legacy has two proud faces, the three-door Thar that’s recently updated, and the big boy – Thar Roxx, the ICOTY 2025. 

And truly, what better way to celebrate the legend than a festival dedicated to it? After a six-year hiatus, Mahindra decided to return with a bang and boy, did they. Thar Fest 2025 was fire with over 31,000 fans gracing the 3-day occasion at Nagalli Hills, infused with lots of offroading, music, food, beer. Here’s a Thar-ful Goa trip I didn’t know I needed.

Thar Fest 2025 Day One: Club Challenge X Oktoberfest

The evening began with a briefing. Two arenas stood ready: one rumbled with the Club Challenge and the other buzzing up for the Oktoberfest. We auto enthusiasts lined up for the club challenge first.

The Demolition Derby

It delivered pure carnage in the most satisfying way. The heavily modified Willys, Jeeps and Thars fitted with chonky off-road tyres, climbed a shipping container and then crushed scrap cars beneath them. The drivers had 10 minutes to pick flags in sequence while 3 to 4 spotters showed epic teamwork like a pit crew in a warzone.

With every attempt, the scrap car roofs made it more challenging by turning the track into a mess of metal and unpredictable angles. When the scrap cars became too mangled to continue, a crane lifted the cars away.  

The Trailer Challenge

The drivers had to hitch a trailer, nosedive into a ditch, collect flags and somehow escape without getting stuck, all within 10 minutes. I didn’t have the chance to experience the entirety of this. At the end Team Wayanad Jeepers secured the winning prize followed by Team 4x4 Beats and Team Mud Fighters as runners up.

The Thar Gala!

This was a whole gallery setup at the Oktoberfest arena where the many generations of Thars were lined up showing off its lineage of what makes it so legendary. We had witnessed in display the 1953 CJ 3A, the CJ 3B, CJ 340 DP, Mahindra Classic, the iconic Mahindra Armada, the MM 550, and the Thar 700. It was interesting catching up our ex-homie Cyrus Dhabar standing just infront of the first ever prototype of the Thar designed by none other than his father late Behram Dhabar.

The day ended with a concert experience that’s the author is not the most used to but the great food, drinks, the crowd and the amazing music added to the vibe.

Thar Fest 2025 Day Two: Media Offroad Challenge

The second day had us awake early in the morning to find ourselves back to the grounds where the real action had unfolded the previous day. This time, Mahindra had prepared two dedicated off-road trails for the media attendees, should we try some hardcore off-roading, minus the brutality of the Club Challenge. But then, it was a competition. 

We were divided into two groups, each taking on the trails in rotation. I landed in the batch slated to attempt the supposedly easier trail first (or so I thought). Being last in the queue meant I had the advantage of observing a few runs and the disadvantage of letting the nerves simmer a little longer. Oh, and did I mention I was also the only one out there who was technically offroading for the second time.

Trail 1

The first trail required drivers to collect ten flags within four minutes. The layout was notoriously curated. Each flag were placed in a way that forced the Thar to climb sharply angled craters, negotiate uneven ruts and search for traction on shifting surfaces. Each of these flags gained us 10 points each, with a bonus one carrying 40, something which I seemingly gave up on, before the start of the show. I had managed to secure 80 points in total but not the full set. The clock won this round.

Trail 2

The second trail turned the heat up another notch. We now had seven flags to collect and a maze of deep pits. Then came a section where we needed to reverse the Thar through tight cones, where even a light tap cost you points. 

I had made peace with the 4-High and 4-Low shifts, and the Thar was now an able partner - so much so that it gained me confidence to take on the challenge swiftly. However, little did I know the tougher deal would be to get the maths right – planning the right order of flags while keeping the four-minute timer in mind. In the hurry, I ended up taking two penalties and banged the bumper while backing out of a pit.

I ran out of time again, but the trail made one thing crystal clear: the Thar thrives where everything else hesitates. Its tough, its confident and no matter if you fumble, you’re one tap away from that throttle to make the Thar do the tough things effortlessly.

Not Your Usual Goa Trip

Goa is known to be beaches, sunsets, susegad. But there I was – sun blazing hot, tyres throwing up dust, and the Thar showing us exactly why it dominates Indian 4x4 culture. 

At the end of it all, Mahindra hosted us for a warm community lunch, where winners were felicitated, stories were exchanged. And as I sat there with tired muscles and a happy heart, Michael Jordan kicked into my mind:  “I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.”

I tried. I failed spectacularly. I laughed all the way through. And honestly? I’d try it again tomorrow. This was Mahindra Thar Fest Goa 2025 – madness, adrenaline, adventure rolled into one. A festival worthy of a legend!