Pune welcomes New Year in style

PUNE: Punekars welcomed 2020 in their own unique style. Some chose to party, while some chose to stay at home amidst all the celebratory chaos.

With a ‘New Year Bash’ happening at every corner of the city, revellers had endless options to chose from. 

Apart from the usual parties hosted by prominent hotels, nightlife was abuzz at Koregaon Park, Viman Nagar, Balewadi High Street and other major pubs and lounges.

Old school celebrations involved outing with family and friends in Camp and on FC Road. At around 11 pm on Tuesday for an hour, JM Road and FC Road were closed for vehicular traffic as people enjoyed the night stroll. 

“Before midnight we gather on FC Road because that’s the main event of the night. We go there every year. It is a different feeling being there in the moment as the vibe is just so joyful. You have balloons flying, confetti blowing and the music and the firecrackers,” said Ekta Ganwani, an employee at a firm in Magarpatta City. 

Many companies gave their employees the day off or allowed them to leave early. Malls in the city, like Phoenix Marketplace in Viman Nagar, West End in Aundh, Seasons Mall and Amanora Mall in Hadapsar, Pavillion on SB Road and SGS Mall in Camp were packed with those who wanted to indulge in shopping and enjoy multiple choices at their food courts. Many retail shops gave attractive offers specially on New Year’s Eve. 

All major restaurants and cafes were either pre-booked or had a long line of people waiting for their turn outside. Several restaurants operated on first-come-first-serve basis so the rush to reach there is intense. 

Entry for most of the party places ranged from Rs 1,000 to Rs20,000, that did not deter Punekars from loosening their purses a bit. 

With increased awareness about drinking and driving, many youngsters decided to use the services of cab aggregators like Ola, Uber and Routematic for travelling back home from their party. 

“I have decided to take a cab back home as we intend to drink, so driving my own car is out of question. Finding parking space for the car is a major headache on such busy days, so I avoid using my vehicle,” said Meghana Dekhane, a media professional in the city.