The Punjab government has approved a 10-day Basant festival in Lahore, scheduled to run from January 29 to February 7, 2027. Celebrations will pause for one day on February 5 in observance of Kashmir Day and resume afterward.
Officials have issued instructions to arrange the extended festival, which will give Lahore residents a longer period to take part in traditional kite-flying activities.
The decision follows the return of Basant to Lahore earlier this year after a gap of 25 years. That festival was held over three days, from February 6 to 8, and revived a celebration closely tied to the city’s cultural identity and the arrival of spring.
The 2027 schedule extends the festival well beyond the previous edition, bringing Basant activities back to Lahore on a larger scale.
Preparations are already under way. Last week, the provincial government began issuing licences to kite manufacturers ahead of Basant 2027. Officials said 12,250 licences have been approved so far, although other figures in the report point to a smaller number of applications, so this total should be verified before publication.
According to the report, a large number of applications have been submitted for kite and string manufacturing licences. Of the 4,300 applications received, scrutiny of 2,537 has been completed, and field verification is under way for another 1,500 applicants.
Last month, the administration issued 1,605 licences for kite manufacturing and 1,337 for string manufacturing. The district administration said all licence holders will be authorised to manufacture both kites and strings.
