P.S: My first blog for www.moha-mushkil.com on invitation as a guest blogger.
Bunka in Japanese means “CULTURE”. South East Asia is big in the Night Market concept and Japanese are always ahead of the game in whatever they do. The name BUNKA also has a nice ring to it as it is unlike any other name that you associate with an event similar to this. Cal Bunka literally means Calcutta Culture.
The Stadel has been one of the first hotels in the city to introduce the concept of a Night Market within a hotel. They introduced the idea way back in 2004 when it was a comparatively new concept and held multiple Night Markets with an exciting music scene with various artists at The Stadel lawn. Now after a long hiatus of thirteen years, they were back again with Cal bunka - an exciting new Night Market that was an outdoor celebration of Kolkata’s Night Life.
Last Saturday, The Stadel & Smoke Inc. brought together some of the finest independent businesses, artists and ideas to create a one-of-a-kind weekend music and market scene. The event was an unique cocktail of indoor and outdoor experiences - music, dance, food, drinks, art, fashion, tattoos, massage, nail-art, kid's corner, and the list goes on. It appealed to all the young and the young at heart who were looking to experience an amalgamation of culture and lifestyle at the same place. The idea was to create a landmark in the Kolkata weekend scene.
The venue for this event was the Green Park – Banquet and Lawn at The Stadel. The entire Dj & music scene happened inside the glass house and the stalls were spread out in the lawn carefully curated keeping in mind the overall experience of the customer. Green Park (indoor) banquet is spread over 3500 sq ft and (outdoor) lawn is 5000 sq ft.
Highlights of the event
• 8p.m. till 2 a.m.
• Nightclub in a market
• Market outside a Nightclub
• 20 - 30 stalls for food & beverage merchandise, gadgets, games etc
• One-of-a-kind regular night market concept in the east of India
• Target audience: Young, urban and well travelled people from various age group visited the event.
• Special Kids zone
• Top of the line sound setup and music programming
• Food – Fast food, health food & dinner options
• A dedicated Bar - Beverage – Hard spirits, beer, draught beer, cocktails, fresh juice, shakes and soft drinks
• Shopping – Fashion, accessories, gadgets, art & merchandise
• Experience – Photo booth, record shop, tattoo stall, & games
Cal Bunka was also a Green Purpose event supported by Arts Forward ( www.artsforward.in ). The idea was to minimise plastic usage at the event by partners, stall owners and audiences. Guests also get their e-waste (electronic waste) like chargers, old mobile, toasters etc and deposit at the collection site and witnessed 4 installation artists create magic with it during the event. There was also a Mobile Solar Charging Station for folks who wanted a quick battery recharge. Proper waste segregation was also implemented at the event and all participants and associates of the event were strongly urged to lower the impact on the environment.
Participating Stalls Included:
Cremecup – Online Veg Bakery & Confectionery
Bling for Change – Jewellery by Ms. Pranaadhika Sinha Devburman
Gokul Tit Bits
Snapchat = blingforchange
Wabi Sabi - ceramics
Tea Junction
Lata Sita
Zaahra’s – Fusion Jewellery
Crochita – Fashion Accessories
Srijani & Olipriya – Clothing
Kultprit – Fashion Store
Abjini – Fashion
Silli Chillies
Love thyself – Fitness Magazine / Activities
Calcutta Ink - Tattoos
Kids Corner
Tulika Garments
Arts Forward – Ewaste Installation
Chai Town Creative – Art Space
Micronasium – Art Space
Wood Geek – Cool items from wood
Like a dog
Books Corner
Record Box
Photo Booth
#YourLocalScene
Kwality Food Stall – Street Food
Bar by The Stadel
Small - Change - NGO
Ipsi's - Nom Nom - Malaysian food
Activities – Mehendi, Nail Art , Shooting Baloon, Tarot Card Reading, Caricature
There was also a Safety and Intervention Desk powered by 1 Million Against Abuse -www.facebook.com/onemillionagainstabuse - set up by The Stadel in order to assure guest safety and comfort. The desk was handled by The Stadel and included vital information relating to available services for guests, in the event of the following: Prevention of drunk driving /Medical emergencies (First Aid) / Harassment of any nature / Taxi/Cab booking / Other related issues. The One Million Against Abuse Campaign team was there to offer support in case of any untoward incident. Posters and helpful contact information were widely shared with guests, and they were humbly requested to refrain from drunk driving and other forms of potentially damaging conduct.
Music at the event:
Dj's Playing at the event were - Ugain + Leon Mylan
Genres - Hip Hop / Trap / Funk / Bass
About Stadel
The Stadel is a three-star property with the unique distinction of being the first stadium-integrated hotel in India. Catering primarily to businesses and business travellers, they provide comprehensive hospitality solutions for corporate events, meetings and conventions. It is well known in the city for hosting various social, cultural & sporting events.
About Smoke Inc.
The team behind events like Jamsteady, Thursday Jazz Encounter, Jamsteady`s Big Sunday, CAW music festival and many more events. Smoke Inc. was the local partner for NH7 Weekender, BassCamp Festival, Indo German Hip Hop & Urban Art Project and many such cultural events. Smoke Inc. has a huge following for their events and has worked on over 2000 events in the past with some of the biggest names from the Industry. Smoke Inc`s in house team comprises of designers, photographers, film makers, sound engineers, production and marketing experts.
Overall, I must admit that it was a novel concept that left me with a mind blowing experience. Kolkata certainly needs more initiatives like these because the young and young at heart in this city is ready with the youth having a disposable income is always looking forward to join the party. There was an entry fee of INR 200/- which I feel was an apt fee for such an unique initiative.
Did you miss out last Saturday?? Don’t worry, Cal Bunka will be back with a bang on 10th June again – same time and same venue but with a bigger and better set up as promised by the organisers.. Block that Saturday and be there – you will have a gala time for sure..
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