LAHORE: Lahore will celebrate a “Safe Basant” from March 12 to 14, 2027, the district administration has announced, issuing clear rules on kites and strings to protect citizens. Delivery of kite-flying material through courier companies and transport services has also been banned, and police have begun arresting people flying kites outside the permitted period.
Under the rules, only guddas (maximum size width 40-inch and length 34-inch), patangs (maimum size width 35-inch and length 30-inch) and cotton-thread string will be allowed.
The Lahore district administration has completely banned chemical, metallic and sharp manja (coated) string, charkhis (string reels), aerial firing and fireworks.
The administration urged citizens and kite makers to strictly follow the rules during the coming Basant days.
In line with the chief minister’s vision of a safe Basant 2027 and protecting lives, the administration has asked citizens to complete safety measures as early as possible.
Delivery of kite-flying material through courier companies and transport services in Lahore has been completely banned. FIRs will be registered against transporters and drivers carrying illegal material into Lahore from other districts or provinces, their driving licences will be suspended and the goods confiscated.
To break the illegal supply chain, joint teams of police and the district administration are carrying out strict checks around the clock at all entry points, including Ravi, Thokar, Shahdara, Babu Sabu and Saggian. Earlier this week, police arrested two people in Garden Town for supplying kites through online orders.
Islampura police arrested four people for flying kites despite the ban. According to SP City, the suspects, identified as Junaid, Abdul Hadi, Mohsin and Waqar, were caught during patrolling. Kites and string were recovered from them and cases were registered.
The strict approach follows the experience of February 2026, when Basant was celebrated legally in Lahore from February 6 to 8 for the first time in nearly two decades. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz lifted the ban under the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Ordinance 2025, with conditions such as registration of manufacturers and QR-coded string rolls.
The festival had been banned in 2007 after deaths and serious injuries caused by sharp strings, particularly to motorcyclists and pillion riders, and by celebratory gunfire. Despite the 2026 precautions, the Punjab Home Department later told the Lahore High Court (LHC) that at least 17 people had died during the festival, with more than 100 accidents reported.
Lethal string is usually made or coated outside official channels and brought into the city ahead of the festival. Controlling entry points and banning courier deliveries targets the stage before dangerous material reaches rooftops. Kite flying outside the notified days also remains illegal, which is why enforcement has started months ahead of the event.
Earlier this year, officials had said the next festival would be held in February 2027; the district administration has now set the dates as March 12 to 14.
Basant is part of Lahore’s cultural identity, and its safe return depends on citizens as much as on enforcement. Using only permitted string, avoiding aerial firing and reporting violations can help keep the festival a celebration rather than a tragedy.
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