Calcutta has always known how to celebrate festivals.
A visitor from France summed it up neatly as he walked through a glittering Park Street on Christmas Eve. “I have witnessed Christmas in many places around the world, but none so colourful,” said Erick Robbiola, 67, a sculptor from Bourbon-l’Archambault, who was in the city with his Russian wife, Tania.
“In Europe, and in my country, people go to church on Christmas. The roads are mostly snow-covered, and it is so cold that people stay indoors,” Erick said, as Tania, 54, nodded in agreement.
The couple had been in Calcutta on Christmas Eve in 2017 but were unaware then of Park Street’s celebrations. This time, better informed, they joined thousands of others — from across the city and beyond — who made their way to the hub of festivities.
Among the first-timers were Sapna Kumari, 19, and her friend Anupriya Mahata, 20, BTech students from Kestopur. “Our parents had told us about Park Street on Christmas Eve. Now that we are here, we are mesmerised... the sights, the sounds, the colours,” Sapna said.
For many others, the walk along Park Street on Christmas Eve is an annual ritual. Tuhina Hazra, 40, arrived from Howrah with her son Rishab Hazra, 13, and four relatives. “My son studies at the Assembly of God Church on Park Street. We see this road almost every day, but it completely transforms during these few days. I love the lights, the vibrancy and the buzz,” she said.
Tuhina prefers Christmas Eve to Christmas Day. “Christmas evening is just too
crowded,” she said.
As the crowd grew, hawkers did brisk business. Dharmendra Kumar Sonkar, 35, who sells LED hairbands and Santa antler headgear outside Allen Park, was upbeat around 9pm. “The sales are much better than usual,” he said. “I sold 20 reindeer hairbands at ₹60 each and 10 LED hairbands at ₹40 each in just an hour.”
Red was the dominant colour on the street, with revellers buying Christmas caps, glowing ornaments and Santa masks. Restaurants were packed, with queues on the pavements.
Nitin Kothari, owner of Mocambo, Peter Cat and Peter Hu, said many diners waited outside for hours. “We tried our best, but we could not accommodate everyone who came,” he said.
Anand Puri, owner of Trincas, said his restaurant was full from as early as 2pm.
Managing the swelling crowds kept police on their toes. Guardrails were placed along the kerbs on both sides of the road, creating narrow channels for pedestrians. “The width of the channel is increased by moving the guardrails as and when required. The idea is to create additional space for pedestrians, as there is a huge footfall on Christmas Eve and Christmas,” said a traffic officer of Kolkata Police.
Vehicles crawled along the road through the evening, slowed further by people stopping to photograph the lights. Roads leading to Park Street saw long lines of vehicles, and traffic was halted frequently to allow pedestrians to cross at the Park Street-Chowringhee intersection.
By 8.35pm, Park Street was closed to traffic. “The crowd had swelled so much that
there was no other option,” an officer on duty said.
The crowd began thinning around 9.50pm, allowing traffic to resume shortly after. At 10.02pm, barricades were lifted, and the first car moved through the stretch. Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma visited Park Street at 9.47pm to review the situation.
Despite a comparatively smaller turnout this year, eateries on Park Street remained bustling late into the night.