If there was ever a time to eat, it’s December. Hit all the food festivals — there are tons of food festivals in town – biryani and kebab fests, bakery carnivals, pop ups, bao festivals, noodle celebrations, winter bowl specials, and of course Kolkata’s biggest food festival Ahare Bangla {that starts on December 7}.
Its also a great time to spend a day outdoors — go for a picnic, sign up for a rally, explore the city on a walking tour and do so much more now that the weather is better.
Christmas will be around the corner so make sure to get all the Christmas shopping done. Track down the best places to pick up your cold cuts, wine and cake for your Christmas feast. Put up your Christmas tree. If you don’t have one yet, the best place to buy one is New Market where you can also pick up baubles and other décor items for the tree. Starmark also has a range of things you can get your hands on – tinsel, lights, mini-Santas – but they’re much more expensive than at the Market.
The Kolkata Jazz fest is also this week. Three days of non-stop excitement, insanely talented musicians, open-air vibes and cheap alcohol – the jazz fest is where every Kolkata musician needs to be.
The festivities are sure to be in full swing halfway through the month. The Kolkata Christmas Festival will {in all probability!} be on. The daylight hours have tons of fun activities for the kids {last year they had a huge parade with all the kids of the city dressed up in Christmas costumes}. The evening is when the real party begins – rows of stalls lined up along Park Street {you’ll get everything from momos to Anglo-Indian food to baked goods} ending at Allen Park where there’ll be hours of performances by choirs, youth groups and some of the city’s most celebrated artists.
The Bow Barracks Festival is also just before Christmas with a host of events leading up to the season including their much look forward to ‘dance on the street’.
There will be lots happening on the music front too. Listen to some the best classical guitarists around the world at The Calcutta International Guitar Festival will be held from December 1 to 17 at ICCR. Check out their website for more information. On December 17, top DJ and record producer Armin Van Buuren will be the first of five international artists who will be headlining the We Are Connected Music Festival in Kolkata. Book tickets here.
Christmas Eve parties – all major clubs of the city throw Christmas Eve galas like no other. It’s probably the second most celebrated night {after New Years Eve}. If you’re up for a quieter evening, go for Midnight mass {which literally starts at midnight}.
Christmas is a long weekend {the 25th is a Monday} so it’s a great opportunity to take a road trip with the squad. Here’s a list of quaint beaches you can hit and other places you can drive to.
Last few days of 2017 means intense shopping the 31st night, hunting for the best parties in torn and catching up on all the trends that everyone will be sporting that night. We’ll be looking for all the sales to hit up to score the perfect outfit.