The Alipore zoo recorded just over 52,000 visitors on January 1, down from more than 82,000 the previous year. Science City saw around 25,000 visitors, compared to 30,000 last year, while the Victoria Memorial had about 36,000, slightly lower than last year’s 38,000.

Maidan and Eco Park were crowded but not as packed as they usually are on the first day of the year.

Eco park

Calcutta loves its winter, but this time it seems to have gone too far for many. Even a few hours outdoors, even in the afternoon, proved too much, and many opted for indoor activities instead. Cinema halls and restaurants were packed.

The city recorded a minimum temperature of 11.6° Celsius on Thursday, marginally up from the day before but still nearly three degrees colder than usual. At 22.6° Celsius, the maximum was also 2.5 degrees below normal.

Met officials expect the next few days to be warmer due to a Western Disturbance — the first powerful one of this winter. By the weekend, both day and night temperatures are likely to rise by two to three degrees, before dropping again after January 5.

For those who braved the cold, Eco Park was the destination of choice. The replicas of the seven wonders of the world remained the most popular selfie spots, while food counters saw long queues. Many families spread mats, bed sheets or newspapers on the lawns to eat together.

Iqbal Alam, visiting from Kidderpore with his family, said: “We make it a point to go out on the first day of the year. Eco Park offers plenty of open space, especially for children. Spending the day with family is mandatory. From tomorrow, the usual routine will resume.”

Traffic to Eco Park, usually gridlocked on January 1, was relatively lighter this year.

Around 2pm, the gates of Alipore zoo had streams of people.

Crowds gathered around the Bengal tiger, birds, chimpanzee, and giraffe enclosures. Children perched on shoulders to get a better view, while security staff encouraged visitors to keep moving along the railings.

Deepak Singh, an IT professional from New Town, said his five-year-old son’s fascination with the animals was the reason for their visit on New Year’s Day. “He was thrilled,” the father said.

Despite fewer numbers, the zoo’s 52,341 visitors still made for a lively scene, though far from the sea of heads usually seen on January 1. A zoo official said that the low turnout may also be linked to the zoo being closed on Thursdays outside the peak winter season.

Maidan

The Victoria Memorial and Science City also saw slightly lighter footfalls, around 2,000 and 6,000 lower than last year, respectively.

Shreyoshi Das, 19, visiting Victoria with friends from Golpark, said they planned to go for lunch afterwards.

“We will return home by evening. Staying out at night is difficult in this weather,” she said.

Indoors, the lure of hot food was hard to resist. Restaurants were packed, with diners waiting for their turn at the tables.

Cinema halls also saw full houses for most of the day.

Some, like Bhowanipore couple Kanchan and Susmita Guha, combined both activities, enjoying lunch at a restaurant in South City Mall before catching a matinee show of Projapoti 2.

“We had planned an al fresco lunch at our club. But it was too cold. We decided to go indoors,” Kanchan, a business man, said.