Basant 2027: Lahore DC Approves Three-Day Kite Festival, March 12-14

Lahore: The deputy commissioner of Lahore issued a formal notification on Friday, giving the three-day Basant festival the green light for March 12-14, 2027. Under the notification, kite flying will be permitted across Lahore district during those three days, except in designated prohibited zones, and the event will be run under the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Rules 2025.

From manufacturing to the market

The notification also sets out a timeline. Kites and string may be manufactured from September 5, 2026 to March 14, 2027 — but only by manufacturers holding a valid digital registration through the eBiz app. Purchase, transport and storage are allowed from February 1 to March 14, 2027, while public sales will run from February 10 to March 14 through registered sellers only. Keeping records of stock and sales is mandatory.

How big a kite, what kind of string

Kite sizes have been capped: a patang may be no wider than 35 inches and no longer than 30 inches (maximum 4.5 githi), while a gudda may be 40 inches wide and 34 inches long (maximum 1.5 tawa). The string must be cotton, pinna-wound, with no more than 9 taars and a count of at least 28 — coated only with maanjha made from glass powder of 350 mesh or finer. Metal wires, nylon strings and all dangerous coatings are completely banned, and safety rods on motorcycles are mandatory.

Back after nearly two decades

This will be Lahore’s second formal Basant in the new era. Kite flying returned in February 2026 after a nearly two-decade ban, when the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Bill was passed on December 24, 2025. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced the 2027 dates in August, and a meeting chaired by Home Secretary Dr Ahmed Javed Qazi set the rooftop rules — walls around rooftops must be at least 3.5 feet high by December 31, 2026.