With Basant being celebrated in Lahore after 18 years, kite and string sales worth over Rs54 crores have been reported over the past three days. 

According to the Kite Flying Association, over 500,000 kites were sold in the city on Tuesday alone.

While high demand is keeping craftsmen across Punjab burning the midnight oil as they produce high-quality, visually appealing and affordable kites and strings for local markets, Peshawar’s historic YakaToot Bazaar is also operating at full capacity to ship products to Lahore for the Feb 6-8 festival.

The festival of Basant, a traditional spring celebration historically marked by mass kiteflying, is returning to Punjab after nearly two decades of legal restrictions.

Basant, which signifies the arrival of spring, traditionally involved families and communities flying colorful kites in the skies. 

The festival had been banned due to public safety concerns, particularly accidents caused by sharp kite strings.

Under the Punjab Kite Flying Ordinance 2025, kite flying has now been officially permitted with strict safety and regulatory measures.

These include the prohibition of dangerous materials such as metal or chemical-coated strings, and the mandatory registration of kite makers and sellers.

Authorities have scheduled the three-day Basant festival with rules aimed at preventing injuries and fatalities that previously led to the festival’s ban.