In view of the devastating floods in Chennai, the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations 2016 may not be as grand as usual.

With the continuous torrential rains almost drowning major parts of the city, red carpets will be rolled out this year too at hotels, restaurants or eateries and party halls, but the victims of the floods will also be kept in mind.

Mr. K. Anand, the Front Desk Manager of Taj Vivanta, Coimbatore, told that as of now no plans have been made for the New Year celebrations because it wouldn’t be nice to celebrate at a time when most of Tamil Nadu is reeling under the impact of the floods.

In Coimbatore city, hotels like Residency, Le Meridien, Taj Vivanta, and other big four- and five-star hotels throw lavish parties, inviting popular actors, singers and DJs to entertain the crowds on the eve of the New Year.

A regular party-goer, Rahul Madanagopal, who works as a sales consultant with Audi Coimbatore, said he had plans to go to Chennai to celebrate this New Year. But that has changed now. He however is determined to party this time, but he has set some money aside to donate to the flood relief measures.

Amrithesh Sairam, student of Amrita University and a part-time DJ, said that for the first time, he missed his visit to Chennai. He was shocked by the impact of the flood on the city. He said that the response from the Chennai crowd was awesome during parties and that they loved his DJ track, but this New Year has no room for celebrations.

Every year, hotels, eateries, and party halls conduct parties and keep DJ nights on the eve and on the day of New Year. Eateries and hotels throw special buffet lunches and dinners, announce holiday packages, tickets and bookings to parties, and other entertainment options.

Apart from these, there are also exhibitions, symposiums, and special screenings at the multiplexes and malls.

The Sales Manager of Le Meridien said that there will be comparatively less entertainment and celebration this year as their Chennai branch had lot of people who lost their all in the floods. Le Meredien is therefore in no mood to hold grand celebrations.

Overall, the floods have created a sense of gloom for the sufferers and disappointment to those who had elaborate plans to welcome another year. Celebrations will be low key as a mark of respect for those in Chennai who are trying to get back on their feet after the devastating floods.