City’s day out on New Year: Lakhs visit parks, monuments

Lucknow: Lakhs of people stepped out across the city to welcome the New Year, thronging monuments, parks, zoo, and popular picnic spots on Wednesday. Authorities recorded a significantly higher footfall compared to previous years, with crowds building up from early morning and continuing till late evening.Heritage sites and parks managed by the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) witnessed a heavy rush as families, youngsters and tourists who made the most of the holiday. Long entry queues were seen at several monuments, while major parks remained crowded throughout the day. According to official data, Janeshwar Mishra Park in Gomtinagar recorded the highest turnout with 41,442 visitors, generating revenue of Rs 11.77 lakh. Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Basant Kunj Scheme saw 12,397 visitors and earned Rs 1.22 lakh, while Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal, Gomtinagar, recorded 12,117 visitors with collections of Rs 3.02 lakh. Kanshi Ram Green Eco Garden drew 6,400 visitors (Rs 1.60 lakh), UP Darshan Park, Gomtinagar had 2,357 visitors (Rs 2.10 lakh), and Happiness Park (Buddha Park), Daliganj recorded 3,700 visitors with Rs 1.65 lakh in revenue. Ram Manohar Lohia Park saw 2,783 visitors, while Neembu Park recorded around 4,000 footfalls. Among monuments, Bara Imambara attracted around 6,000 visitors, while the Residency recorded about 1,250 footfalls. Picnic spots along the Gomti riverfront and other recreational areas also saw large gatherings, with people spending long hours outdoors despite the chill. Footfall across temples, gurudwaras, and Jain shrines also increased, cementing its position as a leading multi-faith religious tourism hub. Prominent Hindu temples like Mankameshwar, Hanuman Setu, Aliganj New Hanuman, Chandrika Devi, and Hanumant Dham witnessed over 1.5 lakh devotees each, with the New Hanuman Temple hosting around 2.5 lakh visitors.Sharing his experience, college student Ankit Verma, who visited Janeshwar Mishra Park with friends, said, "It felt like the entire city was here. The atmosphere was lively and well managed. We spent almost the whole day walking and clicking photos." LDA vice chairman Prathmesh Kumar said, "This year's New Year footfall reflects people's growing trust in public spaces developed by LDA. We ensured proper crowd management, cleanliness and security across all major sites so that visitors could celebrate safely and comfortably." Zoo also records huge turnoutNawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden witnessed a record turnout of 24,592 visitors, much higher than the previous 2 years. In 2024 and 2025, the zoo recorded 17,507 and 17,630 visitors respectively on New Year's Day. Officials said 6,692 children visited the zoo and enjoyed newly installed swings at the Children's Park. Around 1,316 visitors took the toy train ride, while 135 people visited Butterfly Park. Both parking lots at the zoo were completely full. Zoo director Aditi Sharma extended New Year greetings to citizens and said the high turnout was due to improved facilities, better maintenance and a strong focus on cleanliness and visitor safety.