Too many places are spoiling the party in Calcutta. If the numbers at the nightclubs are anything to go by, Calcutta is going to bed early this year. School and college examinations, financial year-ending and the scorching heat have played a part, but the real party pooper lies elsewhere.

?It is the longest dull period in the Calcutta night life for quite some time now. There is generally a brief lull every March, but this time, the mushrooming of nightclubs and lounge bars and the popularity of private parties are causing a prolonged dry spell. The footfall has gone down by almost 50 per cent,? claims DJ Akash, who rocks dance floors public and private.

?Saturday nights at Prince of Cal are still good but revenue and footfall on other days are quite depressing,? confirms Kanishka Mazumdar, CEO, Sourav?s: The Food Pavilion.

In the past few months, the Calcutta party circuit has been flooded with nightclubs and lounge bars. If Underground and Venom were the big entries in the last quarter of 2005, Cubes, Bouquet Garni, Little Italy and I are some other addresses springing up here, there and everywhere, almost taking the dance floor to the party people?s doorstep. So, a city starved of bases for a bash till a few years back, now has too many party places and too few party people.

?The trend started in the last half of 2005 itself but it was not visible because people were busy checking out the new places. Then, there was the festive season with Durga puja, Diwali, Christmas and New Year,? says Hem Dhillon of B.E.D.

From the turn of the year, the call of the console has been muted. ?The number of party people is just not growing in proportion to the number of nightclubs and lounge bars. When a new place comes up, people flock to it, but once the novelty value fades, they scatter and go back to their old favourites,? says DJ Saranjeet of Incognito.

But surely, more and more youngsters are queuing up at the disc door. That they are, clarifies Saranjeet, but the number is matched by old-timers stepping out and preferring to party in private.

The trend of private parties ? economical and intimate ? has really caught on among party veterans.

?Finding a parking space for the car is often an ordeal. Then you have to queue up to get in. Once in, there?s a delay in getting your drinks. And on the dance floor, you might be uncomfortable, surrounded by strangers. At a private party, you can avoid all these hassles and just let your hair down,? says party regular Vikram Ajmera.

Personalised service and absence of strangers are the two biggest advantages of private parties, spells out R.K. Palta, general manager, The Astor, where Cloud 9 has emerged as a popular private party address.

Some party places, however, insist that the footfall is just fine. ?Though the exams brought a very brief halt, the footfall and the sales have been more or less steady at Tantra and Roxy,? says a spokesperson for The Park.