Kolkata turns festive as December sets in with a bunch of concerts

Kolkata's December filled with concerts, performances, and Christmas celebrations, including a highly anticipated Bryan Adams show.

With Summer of 69 going to electrify its winter of 2024, Kolkata, in sharp contrast to the mood that prevailed only two months ago, has stepped into a cheerful December, bubblier than ever because the month is packed with performances and concerts, starting with a Bryan Adams show on Sunday (December 8, 2024).

A city that was simmering with anger and witnessing a series of protests until some weeks ago over the rape and murder of a doctor at the R.G. Kar Hospital has at the moment people planning their evenings this month, the joyous mood climaxing into Christmas celebrations on Park Street.

“One can skip a few meals, but one cannot not buy tickets for a Bryan Adams in our own city,” book designer and editor Soumen Paul said. The 57-year-old who bought tickets worth almost ₹3,000 each for his three-member family including his wife and son. “For a middle-class family this amount is painful to part with, but you can’t imagine the excitement. Both, my wife and I, are big fans of Bryan Adams, and also of Cliff Richard.”

It is not just people from in and around Kolkata alone who will attend this concert. For example, businessman Parth T. is coming along with his family all the way from Baroda to be a part of the event. For him, though, Kolkata too is an event — the family is visiting for the first time — and he is planning a detailed itinerary to extract the most from his visit. “We wanted to see Kolkata for its food and culture, and we wanted to watch Bryan Adams. This turned out to be the combination,” Mr. Parth said.

Corporate communications executive Sneha Sarkar said that never before have so many concerts been lined up in the city as it is this year. “Not just Bryan Adams, there is also Armaan Malik, Sunidhi Chauhan, Soul Local. December is something I always look forward to, this year even more,” she said.

Concerts apart, there are several performances lined up. The Kolkata Centre for Creativity alone is running a month-long arts festival, and shows include Traasadi, featuring Manav Kaul and live performances by the bands Indian Ocean and The Murshidabadi Project.

Writer Damayanti Dasgupta, who participated in a number of protests since the midnight of August 14-15 against the R.G. Kar Hospital murder, said the movement never came to be driver by the public and it was impossible for doctors alone to carry on with the battle. “The common man has social responsibilities, such as weddings and other events. So social media is once again filled with posts related to food and fashion. Even I got busy with professional commitments,” Ms. Dasgupta said.