Spirits soar, mercury slides as Kolkata says bye to old year, hello to new year
Times of India | 1 January 2026
Kolkata: After the tsunami of visitors on Park Street on Christmas Day, the crowd barometer dipped in the morning on New Year's Eve, with many deciding to give the party street a skip. But as midnight inched closer, despite the chill, footfall swelled with every passing hour. Revellers surged in, with crowds building up near Allen Park and Park Hotel.
In other parts of the city, too, celebrations picked up pace as the day wore on. Diners lined up at restaurants on Sarat Bose Road and Purna Das Road while crowds thronged party hubs at Patuli, Lake Town and Kasba.
Traditional year-end crowd-pullers, including Maidan, Victoria, zoo, Eco Park, Science City, Nicco Park, and newer attractions, Alipore Museum and Wax Museum or Aircraft Museum, also teemed with people during the day, though the number was reportedly lower than that of Christmas Day.
Alipore zoo had 27,844 visitors. While Eco Park logged a footfall of 23,100, Victoria Memorial and Science City logged 21,496 and 10,900 visitors on Wednesday. The count is expected to shoot up further on Thursday.
Vendors did swift business in the afternoon, selling festive items, like Santa caps, Devil's horns, headbands and decorative eyewear.
"I celebrate New Year with my friends on Park Street. I went to the office in the morning and, after work, some of us friends met at Park Street for dinner," said Kanika Mukherjee, a Golf Green resident.
Revellers included people from other districts, too. Midnapore's Suman Santra, a trader, and Ranaghat's Shilpa Mallick had their first experience of spending midnight on Park Street. Santra said, "I have heard so much about it. I came here last year but left early. This time, I wanted to soak in the ambience at midnight."
According to several people who would flock to Park Street from the morning of Dec 31 earlier, they chose to skip it this time as their own localities were hosting their own New Year's Eve celebrations. Also, Wednesday being a working day meant citizens had to attend offices. The chill, too, played a part as revellers waited for the sun to come out.
However, Kolkata Police and Bidhannagar City Police said Thursday would be drastically different. Both forces claimed better traffic and crowd management this year led to the steady dispersal of people, which did not lead to crowding. The initial low turnout helped restaurants, as moderate crowds allowed easier access. Still, popular joints witnessed long queues.
Unlike during Christmas, vehicles were allowed on Park Street till well into the night, leading to minor congestions. But those stuck in their vehicles refused to be bogged down. They played music in their cars, with some even stepping out on the street to dance.
The celebrations in other areas, like Patuli and Lake Town, were equally vibrant. "I have come to Sreebhumi with my friends. We avoided Park Street, fearing it would be too crowded," said Anjan Dey, a student from Baghajatin.