International Kolkata Book Fair
Where: Central Park fairgrounds
Till: February 3
The 49th edition of the fair is underway since yesterday at the township venue that it has now made its home.
There are nine entry and exit gates. Two gates — no. 4 and 5 — are inspired by Argentine architecture. One is the Metropolitan Cathedral and the other the National Historical Museum, dedicated to the history of Argentina.
A digital ground map with the participant list of IKBF 2026 will be available by scanning the QR code at all the entry points.
Metro Railway is running trains at increased frequencies. The last Metro will be available around 10pm on all the days of the fair. Commuters can book Metro tickets by UPI at a booth within the fair near Gate 2. An app cab-booking counter has been set up outside gate 1.
There will be other gates named after author Prafulla Roy and singer Pratul Mukhopadhyay who died last year. Another gate will be named after novelist and filmmaker Sailajananda Mukhopadhyay to commemorate his 125th birth anniversary. The Little Magazine pavilion will be named after poet Rahul Purakaystha. There will be a Mayukh Chowdhury Children’s Pavilion to commemorate the cartoonists’s birth centenary.
Senior Citizen’s Day will be celebrated on January 30 at 4.30pm. Poet Mridul Dasgupta, publisherRajendra Kumar Mehra of Rupa & Co. and voracious reader Nirmal Bhattacharya will be felicitated.
Birth centenaries of composer Salil Chowdhury and singer Bhupen Hazarika will be celebrated on January 26 and 27 respectively.
The Kolkata Literature Festival will take place over the weekend, with the inauguration slated for Saturday at 3.30 pm at the hands of Amitav Ghosh and Goutam Ghose. Amitav Ghosh will present the Samaresh Majumdar prize to Goutam Ghose.
Ghosh (4pm), Chandril Bhattacharya and Srijato (4.50pm), Shirshendu Mukherjee (5.40pm), and Devdutt Pattanaik (6.30pm) will feature in discussions through the afternoon. A sitar performance by Ustad Nishat Khan at 7.45pm will conclude the evening. On Sunday, there will be discussions featuring Suman Mukhopadhyay and Sudhir Mishra (4.20pm), Durjoy Datta (5.20pm) and Kiran Desai (6.10pm). Anupam Roy will take the stage at 7.10pm for a solo performance.
Saraswati Puja o Mela 2026
The Saraswati idol at CD Block. Picture Atriyo Sarkar
When: January 25
Where: CD Park The puja pandal by BidhannagarAikya is a replica of the Red Fort.“We chose this theme as this yearSaraswati puja is on Netaji’s birth anniversary and there’sRepublic Day aroundthe corner. There’salso so much aggression around that weneeded to make astrong statement,”said councillor andpresident Tulsi SinhaRoy. A fair has come uparound the park and will continue tillFebruary 1. Cultural shows will entertain visitors in the evenings. Among star performers is singer Saikat Mitra on January 25. On Monday, January 26, dropby to watch Jolly Mukherjee sing hisBollywood hits like Rang bhare badalse from the Sridevi-starrer Chandni, and Love-aria hua from the ShahRukh Khan-starrer Raju Ban GayaGentlemen. On Tuesday, January 27singer Rupankar will take stage andnext Friday, on January 30, a jatratroupe will perform.
Diya 2026 (Saraswati Puja festival)
Amit Kumar
When: January 23-25
Where: EE Park In its 24th year, EE Block YouthGroup has organised a weekend-long Saraswati puja fest, namedDiya 2026. On January 23 will be asit-and-draw in the afternoon, and adance contest in the evening. A foodand lifestyle fair will be on too. Citybased singers will perform in theevenings, and a number of film andtelevision personalities, includingactor Saheb Chatterjee, will makeappearances off and on. The biggestdraw would be singer Amit Kumar,who will take stage on January 25,from around 7.30pm. The concertwould be open to all.
Petcetera
When: January 25, 11am to 7pm
Where: FE Park This is a pet carnival being organised by social and cultural group Aamar Bidhannagar, in association with The Telegraph Salt Lake. Open to dogs, cats, birds and other pets, the event will feature bonding games like pet-and-parent eating competition, treasure hunt, and musical sit (the pet version of musical chair). There will be a pet adoption counter, interactive session with a dog behaviorist, and demonstration by a canine squad. At 3pm, a team of Belgian Malinois will arrive from Jamshedpur’s Burning Eye’s K9 squad and exhibit their training in protection, detection, bite work, agility and obedience. At 5pm, there will be a colourful pet fashion show, followed by a musical finale.
State Sabala Mela 2026
When: Till January 28, 2pm to 9pm
Where: New Town fairgrounds, next to Biswa Bangla Gate What: The fair has over 200 stalls selling saris, jewellery, and home decor items. It has a play area for children and a food corner with delicacies from various districts. The fair is being organised by the department of self-help groups and self-employment.
Flower show
When: January 24-26. On the first day, from 4pm to 9pm. On other days, visitors can enter from 6am to 9pm.
Where: Banabitan car parking area, Central Park (next to Netaji statue) Neighbours will showcase a wide range of potted plants. There are competitive categories for winter specials like Petunias, Marigolds and Dahlias as well as fruits, vegetables, foliage, cacti and succulents. There will also be a flower arrangement competition. Greenthumbs interested in participating must submit the plants at the venue by 10am on January 24. The show is being organised by Bidhannagar Horticultural Society, in association with the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation.