Bhubaneswar Gears Up For New Year’s Eve

Bhubaneswar Gears Up For New Year’s Eve

Another year is on its verge of shutting shutters and a new one is on its way. New Year holds a key significance, regardless of the day it is celebrated in different cultures, across the world who look out to shed their inhibitions and enjoy the New Year with fun and merriment, without a care in the world. The celebration scene in Bhubaneswar has undergone a huge change in terms of the parties held, communities coming together and people amalgamating different modes of welcoming the New Year.

 What was limited to a few celebratory events up until a decade ago now encompasses a wide range of activities. “It goes beyond booze and discos,” opines Suvendu Dutta, event manager who owns an online party forum. “We have big budget birthday parties, corporate events and more held on a grand scale in Bhubaneswar. New Year’s Eve is the biggest of all and people have taken to it like fish to water, especially in recent times.” Dutta’s online forum gets tonnes of queries on upcoming parties and events for year end and more. “It usually goes on for the entire first week of January,” he says.

With a host of parties being organised every year on New Year’s Eve, hotels are taking the help of event planners as well as those who collaborate with posh hotels to put up a well-organisedfunfare. Going by the fact that December is usually the peak of the holiday season, a wide number of guests are accommodated who look for varied New Year celebrations options apart from the locals. Each hotel or party planner seems to be competing with each other to provide the best of entertainment to people from all walks of life. This means more and more choices for the ever experimentativeBhubaneswarites who look for improved means of ringing in the New Year.Says Pramod Panigrahi, entrepreneur, “Back in our teens, the party scene in Bhubaneswar was limited to a few. And those were pretty expensive for us to afford. These days, you have a myriad of options depending on the budget and there is a lot apart from food and drinks on the menu. People have also evolved a lot.”

This explains why the tickets for most New Year’s Eve bashes are already out. No prizes for guessing that many of these are available online. Apart from hotels, cafes and restaurants have special themes dedicated to both Christmas and New Year which goes together. Nevertheless, this year, there have been special provisions to separate the two. Apart from the usual Wine N’ Dine, most city hotels are bringing in extra entertainment in the form of exotic dancers, Bollywood musicians, reality TV stars from both the state and the country as well as music bands and DJ performances.Hotel Swosti Premium is organising not one, not two, but three events to usher in the New Year. Each of these events cater to a different audience altogether. While there is a complimentary Dine & Win contest where people can get a scratch card as well as rewards for dining at any a-la-carte restaurant in Swosti Premium &Swosti Grand.For the party hoppers, there is ample opportunity to dance, drink, eat and have fun. Simmer 2019 at Chanakya Hall and Skylimit 2019 at Plaza Club is all set to let the spirits soar this 31st December night. From dance floors to DJ music and a Bollywood celebrity flowing in especially for the occasion, there is gourmet dining and more. Reveals Debashish Mohanty, manager, “We have specific packages for party revellers. There is a fixed treat for couples with snacks, unlimited liquor with LIVE Bollywood theme music. For hard core entertainment lovers, we have DJ nights and a dance troupe flying in from Mumbai. We have special provisions for countdowns to the New Year as well.” The prices range from Rs 6999 for couples. Singles are not allowed but there are provisions for groups of party revellers where each one would have to shell out Rs. 5499. “For security provisions, we have adequate number of bouncers who will keep an eye on spoilsports and more,” he further says.For the young who wish to dance till midnight and usher in 2019 with madness and magic, Swosti Premium has a DJ-themed party Skylimit 2019 with both couple and stag entries. The focus of both these parties remains on making the celebrations fun as well as safe for all kinds of revellers – from groups of friends to families celebrating the year end together. A colourful extravaganza is on everyone’s mind, including for the newly-opened SwostiChilika Resort which is ringing in 2019 with ‘Twilight’. From high-octane performances by Vighnanz the Band to glamorous celebrity performances and dance troupes coming in from Mumbai, the organisers are expecting to attract nature-lovers, in particular. “We have a lavish buffet spread and bonfire to welcome the New Year. People can enjoy sumptuous food and have a memorable time near the lake in perfect natural harmony with their loved ones. This type of celebration is very popular in cities like Bangalore. In Bhubaneswar, people usually do it privately. Since we are at Chilika, it would be the perfect place to see the dusk of 2018 and the dawn of 2019,” says KC Mohanty, manager.

Hotel Z International will be hosting their third New Year’s Eve party in a Final Countdown style with food, beverages and a celebrity DJ night. The party is open for couples at Rs 2499. “We had groups and stags the last time who had come in huge numbers. This year, we have kept it exclusively for couples. We have bouncers to take care of any untoward incident and have strengthened security arrangements.,” he reveals. A fan of Bhubaneswar party scenario, Umashankar says that the last few years of organising such parties has brought to the fore the fact that people in Bhubaneswar are open-minded in many ways, which unleashes during occasions like the New Year’s Eve. “People come in huge numbers. The money does not matter. If they wish to have fun, they have fun, no matter what it is,” he says. He further admits that he hadn’t seen such a trend before. “They come with families, but have fun nevertheless and indulge in merry-making. I really think people in Bhubaneswar have evolved over the last couple of years.”Hotel Hindusthan International (HHI) will entertain guests with exotic dancing by Russian belly dancer Myrna. The Bollywood Unlimited 2019 event will see the glitz and glamour of the film industry interspersed with food, drinks, booking arrangements included in packages and a customised menu. Says Prashant Kumar, manager, “The party will be held at the poolside, lawn and at the Crystal. The event will be anchored by Tariq Aziz and Smita Nandi. We also have a dance troupe and the Yuva music band performing LIVE. We have unlimited food, drinks and starters this year. We had minimum liquor last year but, looking at the party enthusiasts, we have an Odia-styled menu apart from Asian, Italian and Mexican cuisine. We are expecting more crowd this year because we have had several back-to-back events.” Kumar further said that the decision to allow only couple entries are primarily taken by organisers because of the unlimited drinks they are bound to offer because of New Year’s Eve. Almost every year, the administration has to be extra vigilant to curb drunk driving and security.

With such a burgeoning party scene in Bhubaneswar, it is only natural for event management companies to also cash in on the occasion. This year, Prachi Resorts at Jagamara is all set to witness a fun-filled Zero Night with singing, dancing and dinners for people. Similarly, Hotel Presidency will witness a spectacular performance by DJ Ryan amidst unlimited food, but limited drinks. Says Rahul, organiser, “We have both couple and stag entries which are relatively cheaper than other hotels. But we are keeping a strict vigilance on drinks which people will have to buy if they want to. There are no last-minute reservations. For security reasons, advanced reservations will be accepted.” The focus remains on celebrating Last Night before Dawn, as the event is titled. Hence, the celebrations will stop after midnight. A Zero Hour Night is also in the offing for revellers at Keeva Restaurant in Khandagiri with non-stop music, unlimited food and drinks. Apart from DJ Pradip, a celebrity DJ will fly to the city on 31st December. A final countdown to 2019 is also one of the major attractions, much in demand among audiences, say the organisers.If you are bored of the regular parties, Bhubaneswar will also be witnessing unique theme parties. One such is at Hotel Kalinga Ashoka which will be hosting a Masquerade Night where people will get to wear an Italian style masquerade mask and enjoy their time. “It is happening for the first time in Bhubaneswar. Since people get almost the same kind of things everywhere, we thought it would be fun to introduce something new, especially at a time when the city is opening up to so many new things and experimenting so much!” The preparations for it began almost a month in advance and the organisers are sure of providing something more authentic and fun other than the usual booze and music.

Hotel Pushpak, meanwhile, has something more in store in terms of entertainment. The 31st Night NYE’19 Dhamaka will see a scintillating performance by Indian Idol fame Amrita Bharati who is all set to perform LIVE. The organisers will also be providing a special selfie corner and a play zone for kids. RJ KP has been roped in to entertain and amuse the audiences. From Ollywood celebrities to performances on item numbers and different rounds of fashion shows, the organisers are leaving no stone unturned to provide a family feel to revellers. That is why, like scores of other party-hopping venues, the entry is open only for families and couples.