A club carnival ushered in Christmas as Calcutta partied through 24th night. From RCGC to Tolly, CC&FC to Saturday, song and dance, sip and bite ruled as thousands invaded the club grounds.

With Calcutta willing to shell out up to a thousand for a guest pass just to enter the club gates and then cough up quite a bit for F&B, it was clear that wishing friends and family “Merry Christmas” on a club green at midnight made it well worth it.

The only grumble: no nip in the air, with the minimum temperature stuck at 16.6 ?C.

GoodLife brings you a glimpse of the action that mattered.

Tollygunge Club

RCGC

CC&FC

Saturday Club

What: Xmas Eve at Tollygunge Club presented by McDowell’s Signature and The Telegraph.

When: 8.30 pm onwards.

Song and dance: DJ A-Myth and Shiva, with Rila Banerjee ’Brien in the spotlight, took turns to rock the crowds with numbers old and new, from Roadhouse blues to Dhoom to Right here right now. Also, a generous dose of club Bhangra mixes and commercial house. With almost no place to move on the makeshift floor, the adjoining green was soon converted into an extended dancing ground.

Style statements: Short skirts or tiny dresses in black was the standard uniform for women. The men dressed up their suits in style, with polka shirts, bright ties and Santa caps (some with battery-operated lights).

Sip and bite: Finger food, kebabs, Chinese choices and, of course, a very busy bar.

What: Xmas Eve at Saturday Club, presented by McDowell’s Signature and The Telegraph.

When: 8 pm onwards.

Song and dance: DJ Vicky kept the crowd going strong on the dance floor with one peppy number after another. Also in performance was dancer Harshada from Mumbai who enthralled the audience with her Deedar de act. Prizes went out to the best couple on the dance floor. The Bollywood beat dominated and the theme of the nite could well have been Kajra re.

The ambience: Romantic, with floating candles and flowers dotting each table.

Sip and bite: An assortment, with food fare from the tandoor and the wok. Plus, an overcrowded bar.

What: Xmas Eve at CC&FC presented by McDowell’s Signature and The Telegraph.

When: 8 pm onwards.

Song and dance: Skinny Alley kept the crowd dancing to numbers like Mysterious girl, She’s got the look and My heart goes shala la la before Gary Lawyer bowled ’em over with Jim Morrison and Elvis Presley favourites. Later, it was DJ Moses who kept the dance floor busy.

Sip and bite: An assortment of Indian and Chinese delights and a wide variety of drinks.

The ambience: Warm and cheerful, with a Christmas tree greeting guests and vibrant Santas and snowmen adding colour to the floor.

The crowd: A mixed bag of youngsters and senior citizens, all there to have a blast.

What: Xmas Eve at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, presented by Royal Challenge and The Telegraph.

When: 9.30 pm onwards.

Song and dance: First up, the leggy local girl VJ Archana, who paired up with DJ Girish of Shisha. Up next, crooner Mou Mukherjee who regaled the crowd with hit tracks, present and past. Kaate nahin kat te to Deedar de, It’s the time to disco to Kajra re...

Hot shot: Finally, it was left to Vaishali, a dancer from Mumbai, to kill the chill. The seductress, in itsy-bitsy blue, swayed to tracks like Kajra re, Dus bahane and Dilli ki sardi. DJ Girish kept the floor crowded with his remixes.

Sip and bite: Kebab and Chicken Lollipop from The Astor went down well, as did the Breezers and the cocktails.

Pictures by Pabitra Das, Rashbehari Das and Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya