A giant peacock, its body covered in flowers of every colour, stands in Chattogram's DC Park. It is not a living bird, but thousands of visitors are crowding in to see the flower sculpture shaped like one, and many stop to take photographs beside it.

Next to it, colourful blooms sit on the wings of a butterfly. Wherever the eye falls there are flowers, and the air is heavy with their scent. These are the scenes at the month-long flower festival at DC Park, which, with its many attractions, has become the centre of visitors' attention.

Thousands of people fill the park every day. This year's festival is decorated with 136 species of local and foreign flowers. Just inside the gate on the left is a walkway lined on both sides with colourful flowers, along with a nursery.

A little ahead on the right, a photo booth is a favourite with everyone. The park has a large artificial lake where sampans and pedal boats float, and kayaking is available. Seating for visitors has been placed on one side of the lake.

Along this path, visitors can see rows of date palms and watch sap being collected. An arch built of flower pots stands on the entrance road, and a stage on one side of the park hosts dance, music and other cultural performances every day.

On the south and east sides there are food stalls, a kids' zone and a rural fair, where 10–12 stalls sell various traditional clothes. A floating flower garden on the north side is another special attraction.

This year's festival also has a July–August uprising corner, displaying photographs of martyrs including Abu Sayeed and Mugdho. The festival offers two kinds of beauty by day and by night: when evening falls, visitors are charmed by lights across the whole park.

The site was once one of the main haunts of drug dealing and antisocial activity. In 2023 the Chattogram district administration freed 194 acres of government khas land from illegal occupation and built DC Park on the model of Dubai's Miracle Garden.

This is the third flower festival held there, and the 194 acres of natural surroundings are now a kingdom of flowers, with most visitors busy taking photographs among them.

The festival began on 4 January with the slogan "Let your song bloom like a flower" and will end on 4 February. DC Park is open every day from 10am to 8pm. Besides the flowers, the festival has a multicultural festival, kite festival, film shows, violin show, puppet dance, pitha (rice cake) festival and laser light show.

The Chattogram district administration plans to build a cycling track, walkways, a destination-wedding venue, a Ferris wheel, a wooden walkway to the sea, a convention centre, restaurants and a wildlife conservation centre at the site in future.

First go to Alankar crossing in Chattogram city. From there take a Sitakunda-bound local bus for only Tk 10 and get off at the Banglabazar turning. From there DC Park is a Tk 20–30 rickshaw ride or a 5–10 minute walk.

Entry costs Tk 50. Visitors can buy tickets at the gate or online from the DC Park website.

The writer, Ariful Islam Tamim, is a fourth-year student in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Port City International University, Chattogram.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.