Christmas carols, choir, light and sound exhibition, rock music, shimmering lights, delectable food – these are the myriad nuances of Christmas Celebration at Park Street in Kolkata. Christmas in Kolkata cannot be complete without an illuminated Park Street and a mad jostle to get into one of the famed restaurants at the city’s entertainment hub. Kolkata will be swinging to the Yuletide spirit like never before this winter. The city’s entertainment hub will usher in December with a unique Christmas Carnival, bringing together different communities through music, food and carols at a street mela. To be held at Park Street from December 18th to December 25th, the festival – the first of its kind in the city – will be inaugurated by chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the Allen Garden.
About the Venue
Mother Teresa Sarani, formerly Park Street and still often called by that name, and originally Burial Ground Road, is a street in the city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India. Park Street has been the recreation zone for Kolkata people since the British era, with many restaurants and pubs. It is often known as “Food Street” and “The Street that Never Sleeps”. This road runs from Chowringhee Road in the west to Park Circus in the east. The portion of Park Street between Chowringhee Road and Mullick Bazar has been the one of the city’s attractions for years. Park Centre has many shops, and several notable buildings such as the Asiatic Society, St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta, a Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the South Park Street Cemetery has cenotaphs and tombs of prominent figures from the British Raj era and Kolkata’s Armenian population.
The stretch of the pavement between the Park Street post-office and Free School Street will host the carnival.
Highlights of the Event
- Carol Singing
The opening of the festival will be followed by a carol singing session in which several churches will take part.Leading Christian organizations including the Methodist Church of North India, catholic churches, The Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Church of North India will be taking part in the festivities.
- Food & Music Carnival
The bigger attraction will be the second day when a part of Park Street will be shut down for a food and music carnival. Traffic movement will be restricted for four hours between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to make way for a carnival. As many as 25 food stalls representing communities like Anglo Indian, Goan, Chinese, Bengali, Malayali, Nepali and Parsi will be set up. Stalls will sell Christmas goodies, cakes and Christmas decorations also will be there for public Christmas carols will be sung by different church choirs.
- Music Concert
A music concert featuring Usha Uthup, Bhoomi, Hip Pocket with Rila Banerjee, The Saturday Night Blues Band and Orient Express will be performing.
- Other Attractions
Children will be dressing up to pose with Father Christmas for photographs. Underprivileged children of the neighborhood will be given gifts.
Source: Google.com