Ahmedabad: The revamped Balvatika Fun Carnival at Kankaria Lake emerged as a major crowd-puller this festive season, drawing nearly 2.75 lakh visitors in October alone and generating substantial earnings for the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

Balvatika, a historic children’s park originally established in 1956 and recently upgraded under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, reopened its doors earlier this year in July with exciting new features like a snow park, wax museum, glass tower, and various adventure rides. The park’s transformation has clearly paid off, as October data reveals a total footfall of 274,849 visitors across 28 operational days, averaging 9,816 visitors per open day.

The month saw a significant surge in attendance during the post-Diwali period, with daily visitor numbers spiking from October 21 to 26. Diwali fell on October 20 this year, after which the visitor count exceeded 20,000 for the next six days. The peak day was October 25, a Saturday, when 32,367 people flocked to the attractions, contributing nearly ₹9.20 lakh to the day’s revenue share. In contrast, the lowest attendance on an open day was October 9, with just 1,319 visitors.

This footfall generated a significant portion of financial gains for the AMC, which collects a 27% share of the park’s earnings. October’s sharing amount totaled ₹82.90 lakh, supplemented by a fixed monthly rent of ₹1.60 lakh, bringing the corporation’s total income from Balvatika to ₹84.51 lakh for the month.

Meanwhile, Kankaria Lakefront witnessed a footfall of 6.52 lakh, generating an income of ₹59.96 lakh for the month. Kids City attracted 5,277 visitors, earning ₹3.79 lakh, while the Lakefront train service remained popular, with 61,305 passengers contributing an additional income of ₹15.08 lakh.

Overall, Kankaria Lakefront and Balvatika 2.0 became the go-to destinations for entertainment in the city during the festive season. DeshGujarat