Eid zest and pleasure continued for the fourth day on Thursday as there was a blissful presence of visitors at recreational centers in capital Dhaka and elsewhere of the country.

The recreational centres have been witnessing huge crowds since the Eid day. In continuation of this, hundreds of people, especially children and teenagers, poured into Dhaka city’s parks, zoos, historic places, and other recreation centres, including cinema halls.

Although the number of visitors was lower on Eid day due to the heat wave, people flocked to different recreational centres in large numbers on Thursday, defying sweltering heat.

The National Zoo at Mirpur, Toggi Fun World in Bashundhara City Shopping Mall, Ahsan Manzil, Lalbagh Fort, Novo Theatre, Fantasy Kingdom, Nandan Park, DNCC Wonderland Shishu Mela, different branches of Babu Land and Hatirjheel experienced huge crowds.         

Apart from various public and private recreation centres, open spaces, fields, parks and lakes like National Memorial, Botanical Garden, Baldha Garden, Zinda Park, 300 Feet, Dia Bari, Dhanmondi Lake, Ramna Park, Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Zia Udyan and Manik Mia Avenue, were also crowded.

During a visit to the National Zoo on Thursday, this correspondent witnessed thousands of visitors there. But the area was filled with dust on the day and many people were seen covering their faces with cloths to protect themselves from it.

Director of National Zoo in Mirpur Md Rafikul Islam Talukdar said an increased turnout of visitors has started since the Eid day morning.

“At least 1,70,000 to 1,80,000 people visited the National Zoo on Tuesday, the number was 1,50,000 on Wednesday, and some 1,00,000 people explored the zoo on Thursday. We are spraying water on the dirt road on a regular basis to prevent dust,” he told the Daily Sun.

Special measures have been taken to tackle the huge rush of visitors and ensure their convenience.

According to him, Dhaka Zoo sees an average of 10,000 to 12,000 visitors every day during normal times. But the number of visitors increases by 10 to 15 times during the Eid holidays.

National Zoo, the world’s 4th largest zoo in terms of area (186.60 acres), hosts 3,034 inmates of 136 species.

A large number of people, especially children, visited Toggi Fun World at Bashundhara City Shopping Mall on Eid day.

Sabiha Mahmud, who came to visit Toggi Fun World in Bashundhara City along with her two sons and husband, said, “Children remain confined to houses during the Eid. Usually we go to our village home during the Eid. This time we are spending Eid holidays in Dhaka. Therefore, we have brought them here.”

She said Toggi Fun World offers amazing entertainment options and her sons loved those.

Toggi Fun World, South Asia’s biggest VR theme park, has around 180 rides and games for its visitors.

Hatirjheel also saw a rush of visitors. During the Eid holidays, people gather here from morning till night. People have been able to enjoy the aesthetic beauty of this area in comfort.

There were large crowds in different public places, including 300 feet road and Diabari in Uttara.

The Lalbagh Fort in Old Dhaka was also overcrowded, with visitors exploring the place since morning. Most of the visitors were women and children.

Large crowds have also been reported at Ashulia’s Fantasy Kingdom, Nandan Park and Gazipur Safari Park near the capital. Besides, resorts in Sreepur, Pubail, and Kaliakoir areas also witnessed huge crowds on Eid holidays.

Vehicular movement and pedestrians on the normally busy streets of the city were very thin. City dwellers who haven’t gone to village homes or abroad during Eid enjoyed the pleasure of travelling around different places of the empty Dhaka.