Crowds overwhelm Khulna’s amusement spots on Eid holidays

The Eid-ul-Fitr enthusiasm and festivity continues for the second day on Tuesday across Khulna city as there was a delightful presence of visitors at recreational centers and elsewhere in the district.

 The entertainment centers of Khulna—Gilatola Zoo and Jahanabad Cantonment Park, Rana Resort and Amusement Park, Wonderland Shishu Park, Ullas Amusement Park at Mujgunni, Jatisangha Shishu Park, Gallamari Linear Park, Shaheed Hadis Park, Khanjahan Ali Bridge, Khulna University campus, and at the banks of Bhairab and Rupsha River in Batiaghata Eco Park—were crowded with people of all ages.

 Children, young boys and girls wearing colourful dresses, gathered at the places of recreation in the city where small makeshift shops were set up to sell different foods and toys.

 Besides, vehicular movement and pedestrians on the usually busy streets of the city were very thin today.

 During a visit in the afternoon, this reporter of the national news agency saw Khulna city's amusement spots including Parks were overwhelmed with hundreds of visitors, especially children. 

A huge number of people, especially children, were seen enjoying different rides in the Parks on Eid holidays.

City's Mujgunni Ullas Park in the afternoon revealed an overwhelming rush, with long queues for rides. 

"I enjoyed travelling on toy train, Nagordola, a kind of moving charki, and other rides. I complete my dreams through visiting this Eid, Sakibur Rahman, a seventh-grade student of Khulna Public School told BSS.

 During a visit to the Gallamari Linear Park, children dressed in festive Eid attire were seen enjoying the park's atmosphere with their families.

Huzayfa Chowdhury, a resident of city's Mohammad Nagar, brought her two daughters, aged five and eight, for an outing.

"We planned to come yesterday but decided against it due to the anticipated crowd. Even today, we found the park bustling with children. Since this park is spacious, we prefer visiting it this Eid," she said.

Due to the intense heat, the crowd started to increase in the afternoon and continued until around 9pm.

At Ullash Park in Mujgunni, there was hardly any space to move in the afternoon. Children had to wait in long queues to get on the rides, and many were seen getting frustrated while waiting.

Ashraful Islam, the manager of Ullash Park, said that this was the second Eid for the Park. It was established about a year and a half ago after leasing land from the Khulna Development Authority (KDA).

The park had previously experienced Eid-ul-Adha, but the number of visitors this time was much higher than before.

 While he could not provide an exact number, he stated that the visitor count on Eid day (31 March) and today was the highest in the Park's history.

 While visiting the Rana Amusement Park at Dakop Upazila in the district, this reporter witnessed that people including children enjoyed different rides including the octopus ride, trackless train and castle bouncer. 

Safa Kabir, a resident of the upazila who came from the capital to enjoy Eid with her parents here, said "We enjoyed the whole day here and also walking beside the Kazibachha River here.

 Further away from the city, Gilatola's Jahanabad Zoo and its adjacent children's park also attracted large crowds. Even the newly developed Mayuri residential area under the Khulna Development Authority (KDA), which is yet to see any major construction, became a popular spot for families and friends to relax in the open air.

 Tariqul Hasan, a resident of Sonadanga, was seen exploring the Mayuri residential area with his family.

 "We decided to spend some time here with the family. The open space made the children very happy. They particularly enjoyed running around freely," he shared.

 Besides the entertainment spots, the city's outskirts, including Khulna University, the banks of the Bhairab River and the Rupsha Bridge area also saw a significant influx of people.