What is Christmas without a visit to Park Street? As the festive fervour begins to grip Kolkata’s party street, the Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal, shared plans to light up and deck out the city and other parts of the state as part of Kolkata Christmas Festival 2023.
The stretch from Park Street to St. Paul’s Cathedral will be illuminated, along with other prominent areas of the state Amit Datta
The schedule for the 13th edition of the festival was announced at Nandan 4 on December 18. The celebrations will be declared open by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and representatives of local churches at Allen Park from 4.30pm on December 21 and will include a host of cultural events that will go on till December 30 (the park will be closed on December 24 and 25).
Three popular bands will set the stage on fire every day, making audiences sing along in the holiday spirit. The local church choirs and the Kolkata Police band are also expected to regale everyone with their performances.
An information kiosk for the tourism department and a first-aid stall will be set up at the park.
Allen Park will be a hub for cultural activities, including live music Amit Datta
The entire stretch of Park Street, Allen Park, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and other adjoining areas will be illuminated till January 1, 2024. “The footfall in these areas is expected to be 20 times of what it normally is on weekends,” said Indranil Sen, minister of state for tourism, West Bengal. He added that the government would also continue to offer infrastructural support to Bow Barracks, where the local residents put up a grand Christmas festival every year.
The celebrations won’t be restricted to Kolkata as prominent locations and churches in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Asansol, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Chandernagore, Bandel, Krishnanagar, Jhargram, Purulia, Baruipur, Alipurduar, Howrah and Bidhannagar will also be bathed in festive lights.
‘The festival will be organised with the support of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Kolkata Police, information and cultural affairs department and Apeejay Surrendra Group,’ minister Indranil Sen said Suvendu Das
“The Kolkata Christmas Festival was started by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2011 and since then the footfall by tourists during this time of the year has gone up by almost six times. According to a report by the Government of India, West Bengal ranks third in attracting foreign tourists and we are confident about reaching the first position very soon. Our budget for this year’s festival is approximately two crore rupees, which is far lesser than that of previous years. However, the grandeur will be even greater,” signed off Sen.