Kolkata’s state-organised Durga Puja 2026 celebrations will begin with a large Mahalaya programme at Eden Gardens on Saturday, featuring 3,000 dhakis, 3,000 drones, cultural performances and extensive security and traffic arrangements across central Kolkata.
The event is scheduled to include a performance involving 3,000 dhaks, 1,000 ululations and conch sounds, along with a drone show and 3D projection mapping depicting the invocation of Goddess Durga. The programme will be held at Eden Gardens and will also be made available to audiences in Dubai, Boston and New York through simultaneous screenings, according to Sangbad Pratidin.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor R N Ravi are scheduled to travel to Eden Gardens in an open jeep along Red Road. Stages have been arranged along the route to present the cultural diversity, art, music and dance traditions of different districts of West Bengal before the procession reaches the venue.
The cultural programme is expected to feature singers Shaan, Lagnajita, Kaushiki Chakraborty and Antara Mitra, as well as the Bengali band Dohar and Shantanu Moitra and his group. Instrumental performances, including one by Debarshi Bhattacharya, are also planned. Cultural programmes and Ganga aarti will be held along both banks of the Hooghly as part of the celebrations.
The event has also led to restrictions on goods vehicles and diversions on several roads. Goods vehicles will not be allowed on Strand Road and St George’s Gate Road between Raja Woodmunt Street and Hastings Crossing from 4 am to 4 pm on Saturday. Emergency-service goods vehicles have been exempted from the restriction.
Restrictions or closures have also been announced for BT Road, Khagen Chatterjee Road, Cossipore Road, Strand Bank Road, Rabindra Sarani between KVV Avenue and B K Pal Avenue, Shobhabazar Street and Nimtala Ghat Street. Buses using the Babughat route will be diverted at the crossing of Hare Street and Strand Road.
The arrangements show the scale of coordination required when a major cultural gathering occupies central Kolkata’s event, transport and riverfront spaces at the same time. The traffic restrictions affect key roads around the Maidan, the riverfront and the approach to Eden Gardens, while the exemption for emergency goods vehicles is intended to preserve access for essential services.
Around 1,500 police personnel have been deployed for Mahalaya-related arrangements, with surveillance planned across road and water routes. Drone-based aerial monitoring is also being used, according to the report. The traffic restrictions and security deployment are scheduled for Saturday, alongside the Eden Gardens programme and related citywide cultural events.
