Celebration

Basant 2027 Date Changed Again: Lahore Notification Says 12 to 14 March

Basant 2027 date in Lahore: a new DC notification moves it back to 12 to 14 March, awaiting Punjab cabinet approval. What changed and what it means.

Ahmad Nadeem · 17 October 2026 · 7 min read

A man on a Lahore rooftop flying a black and white kite, with dozens of kites and a minaret against the sky behind him

The Basant 2027 date has changed again. On 17 October 2026 the Lahore deputy commissioner's office issued a fresh notification moving the proposed festival to Friday 12 March to Sunday 14 March 2027, with kite flying permitted across the city on all three days. The schedule is still subject to approval by the Punjab cabinet, so treat these Basant dates as proposed, not final.

That puts Basant Lahore back on the March dates first announced in August, and drops the ten day 29 January to 7 February schedule approved on 30 September.

Proposed Basant 2027 date: Friday 12 to Sunday 14 March 2027.
Basant days: three, down from the ten day January and February plan.
Where: kite flying across Lahore, according to the notification.
Issued by: the office of the Lahore deputy commissioner, 17 October 2026.
Status: awaiting Punjab cabinet approval. The final schedule is not confirmed.

Basant 2027 date in Lahore: 12 to 14 March, for now

The proposed Basant 2027 date in Lahore is 12 to 14 March 2027, a Friday to Sunday weekend. Dunya News, The Nation and 24 News all reported the deputy commissioner's new notification on 17 October 2026, and all three say the revised schedule remains subject to the Punjab cabinet's approval, with the final dates yet to be confirmed. 24 News describes it as the deputy commissioner asking the Punjab government to finalise Basant 2027 arrangements for 12 to 14 March.

None of the reports gives an official reason for the change, and none mentions public holidays or venues. We'll update this page when the cabinet decides.

What the proposal says about kites and string

24 News reported the conditions attached to the deputy commissioner's proposal. Like the dates, they need the cabinet's approval:

Where you can fly: within the limits of Lahore district, excluding prohibited zones, and only with permitted materials.
Manufacturing: kites and string can be made from 5 September 2026 to 14 March 2027.
Buying, transporting and storing: from 1 February 2027.
Sales to the public: from 10 February 2027, through registered shopkeepers only.
Registration: digital registration is mandatory for kite and string makers, and no one may make, buy, store or sell kites or string without it.

Basant days, day by day

Friday 12 March 2027: Basant opens. A working day, as things stand.
Saturday 13 March 2027: festival, weekend.
Sunday 14 March 2027: festival, final day.

No Basant public holiday has been announced for 2027. If Punjab declares one, it will come by a separate notification.

Why the Basant Lahore notification matters

The Basant 2027 Lahore notification is the document that makes kite flying legal on a given day, so it matters more than any announcement. Under the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Act 2025, kite flying is banned outright, and section 6 lets the deputy commissioner permit it by notification, with prior government approval, for specified periods, areas and places. That's why this notification still needs the cabinet's sign off before it settles anything.

Flying outside a notified window carries three to five years' imprisonment, a Rs 2 million fine, or both. Until the cabinet approves the dates, don't plan on flying on any day, and check any notification forwarded to you against official sources and mainstream news. In August the Home Department called one circulating on social media fake.

A child carrying a red kite along a brick terrace at Shahi Qila, the Lahore Fort — A child with a kite on a terrace at Shahi Qila, Lahore. Photo by Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How the Basant 2027 date kept changing

This is the third Basant 2027 date in two months, and the second time it has landed on 12 to 14 March. Here's the timeline:

18 August 2026: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif announced Basant for 12 to 14 March 2027, three days.
30 September 2026: she approved a revised ten day schedule, 29 January to 7 February 2027, with 5 February off for Kashmir Day.
4 October 2026: Minute Mirror reported, citing unnamed sources, that the government had agreed to return to 12 to 14 March. It pointed out that Eid falls just before those dates, so overseas Pakistanis could come home once for both, and that many had already bought tickets for March. No official reason has been given.
17 October 2026: the Lahore deputy commissioner's office issued a notification moving it back to 12 to 14 March, pending cabinet approval.

If you saw "29 January to 7 February" anywhere, including on bugo.pk, that was the schedule as of 30 September. Our Basant 2027 dates and rules guide still carries it while the cabinet decides.

What a March Basant changes

A 12 to 14 March 2027 date moves Basant five weeks later and puts it after Ramazan instead of before it.

It lands just after Eid

Ramazan is expected to begin around 8 February 2027 and Eid ul Fitr around 9 or 10 March 2027, both subject to moon sighting. That puts Basant two or three days after Eid, so the Eid holidays and the festival weekend sit almost back to back. Expect busy roads, booked hotels and high demand for rooftops that week.

Better flying weather

Mid March is warmer than late January, when fog can cut visibility early in the day. The rules still ban kite flying in strong wind, rain, thunderstorms and poor visibility, so keep a backup plan.

More time for rooftops

The Punjab safety rules require rooftops to meet the standards, including parapets at least three and a half feet high, by the end of December 2026. That deadline was set before any of the date changes, and nothing reported on 17 October moves it.

Lahore Basant 2027: what to do now

Wait for the cabinet before you pay for anything you can't cancel, and plan for 12 to 14 March 2027 as the likely date.

Hold, don't book. If you're renting a rooftop, ask for dates in writing and a refund if the schedule changes again.
Watch for the cabinet decision. That's the step that turns the proposed Basant 2027 date into a confirmed one.
Buy only from registered sellers, once selling is allowed. Under the proposal, public sales start on 10 February 2027, through registered shopkeepers only. Kite and string makers have been registering on the Basant Portal since 5 September 2026, and sellers and traders were told their turn comes in January or February 2027. The Basant Portal registration guide covers who registers and how.
See what's being offered. bugo.pk lists Basant 2027 kite packages in Lahore. They're browsable now but not on sale: no seller can legally trade until seller registration opens and Punjab sets the selling dates.

Sources

Cover photo courtesy of basantshop.com, used with permission.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Basant 2027 date in Lahore?

The proposed date is Friday 12 March to Sunday 14 March 2027, set by the Lahore deputy commissioner's notification of 17 October 2026. It is still awaiting Punjab cabinet approval, so it is not final.

Is Basant 2027 still on 29 January to 7 February?

No. That ten day schedule was approved on 30 September 2026, but the 17 October notification moved Basant back to 12 to 14 March 2027, pending cabinet approval.

How many Basant days are there in 2027?

Three, from 12 to 14 March 2027, if the cabinet approves the new notification. The earlier January and February plan had ten.

When can I buy kites for Basant 2027?

Under the deputy commissioner's proposal, sales to the public start on 10 February 2027, through registered shopkeepers only. Like the 12 to 14 March dates, this still needs Punjab cabinet approval.

Is kite flying allowed all over Lahore during Basant 2027?

The notification permits kite flying across the city during the three days. It only takes effect once the cabinet approves it, and the Punjab safety rules for rooftops, string and supervision still apply.

Basant 2027 kab hai?

Naye notification ke mutabiq Lahore mein Basant 12 se 14 March 2027 tak hogi, lekin abhi Punjab cabinet ki manzoori baqi hai.

Ahmad Nadeem

HR Manager at Heuristic Sol in Lahore, working across HR operations and people management. Holds an MBA in Human Resources Management from The Superior University.