Province-wide Basant celebrations are planned in Punjab next year, according to sources who told Geo News that the provincial government has decided to permit kite flying in designated areas. The decision, which has not yet been formally announced, would extend the traditional spring festival beyond Lahore, where it returned this year after more than two decades.
What Province-Wide Basant Celebrations Would Involve
The sources said an administrative plan has been prepared to allow kite-making at designated locations, and that a strategy has also been devised to control the prices of kites and strings. The provincial government will legislate for the festival, with safety measures and rules governing kite flying to be written into the law. The designated locations and the rules for the celebrations are expected to be announced soon, as reported by The News.
Punjab already has regulations covering kite manufacturing, sales and flying, according to an earlier report by ProPakistani, which said the government intends to use them to protect citizens during the festival. The same report said the authorities would assign responsibilities to administrative departments and set up monitoring mechanisms, with legal action to follow in cases of violations.
Conflicting Reports on Timing
The reports differ on when the province-wide events would take place. Geo’s report, carried by Pakistan Times and Dialogue Pakistan, put the celebrations in the second week of March 2027. An earlier report in August, citing sources, had spoken of the last week of January. Minute Mirror reported that the plan had been approved in principle, that the final arrangements, approved locations and detailed safety regulations are still awaited, and that the celebrations will depend on those arrangements being finalised. Readers should therefore treat the dates as provisional until the government confirms them.
The Lahore Festival Already Approved
The province-wide plan follows a separate decision on Lahore. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz approved a 10-day Basant festival in the provincial capital from January 29 to February 7, 2027, last month, according to The News. A government spokesperson said the celebrations would be suspended for one day on February 5 to observe Kashmir Day. The chief minister said the Basant festival would help promote Punjab’s historic cultural traditions and directed the authorities concerned to ensure the best possible safety measures.
How Basant Returned to Lahore
Lahore celebrated its first Basant festival in more than two decades in February this year, after the Punjab government lifted a ban on kite flying. The three-day celebrations were held under strict regulations, with roads and streets illuminated and rooftop gatherings continuing late into the night, The News reported. The authorities introduced measures to facilitate the public, including a free transport service. Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb described the festival as a victory for Lahore and Pakistan and said an even more vibrant Basant would be seen the following year.
The legal basis for that revival was the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Bill, 2025, which the provincial assembly approved on December 24, ProPakistani reported. At that time, the government confined the festival to Lahore and described it as a pilot project, warning that a serious accident could lead to a permanent ban. It also said that kite flying outside Lahore would remain a violation of the law.
Safety Remains the Central Question
The history of the festival explains the emphasis on regulation. The reports reviewed do not set out the details of the new rules, but the stated plan to build safety measures and kite-flying rules into legislation suggests the government intends to work within a formal legal framework rather than an informal relaxation of the ban. The reports also do not say how many districts would take part or how the designated areas would be chosen.
What Comes Next
Much now depends on the announcements promised by the government: the list of designated areas, the rules for kite-making and sale, the dates, and the text of the proposed legislation. Until those are published, province-wide Basant celebrations remain a plan reported by sources and not a settled schedule. Whether the expansion proceeds as described will also depend on how the Lahore festival in early 2027 is judged on safety.
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