KOLKATA: After over two years, nightclubs, discotheques and lounges in the city stayed open long after midnight this weekend following the withdrawal of night curbs.
As soon as the government announced the withdrawal of the night restrictions last week, several party places applied for special permission to remain open beyond midnight. Several stand-alone places were open till 2am and properties with three-star status or above were open till 4am. Owners and managers said the dance floor was packed till the DJ played the last track. This has already provided impetus to the business which was affected by the pandemic.
“The government’s decision to lift the night curbs has come as a major boost for the industry. After over two years, party places in the city were open beyond midnight. It is a refreshing change for revellers, too, as the last two years have been filled with uncertainty,” said DJ Girish, director, nightlife and entertainment, M bar and Kitchen.
Several party places in star properties remained open till 4am and made good bar and food sales. “The decision came at the right time as several people depend on the industry for their livelihood. We had a lot of guests till the last hour,” said Mohammad Nadeem Siddiqui, general manager, operations, Golden Park Hotel. Wafira in Golden Park was open till 4am.
Several other nightclubs, lounges and breweries on Park Street, Camac Street, Ballygunge, Salt Lake and New Town were open till 2am on Friday and Saturday.
“We applied for permission to remain open after midnight as soon as the government withdrew night restrictions. We got the permission in a day. We reached out to our regular guests and used social media to convey the revised timing. By evening, we had a full house,” said the manager of a nightclub on Park Street.
Several families and groups of friends planned a night out after the withdrawal of night restrictions. “It feels good to be out with friends after so long. We ate and danced together after almost two years,” said Amit Saraf, a chartered accountant who was at a lounge with his family on Saturday night.
