Basant Preparations

Lahoris are always set to fly colourful kites and light up the skies with beam in Lahore on Saturday evening and Sunday to celebrate the seasonal festival of Basant. Basant festival has given Lahore a very respectable place on the world cultural map in recent years.

Basant is a festival with strong economic dimensions. Kites worth millions of rupees are sold and flown by the Lahoris not only on Saturday evening and Sunday but throughout the month. The sale of kites, ranging from miniature guddi to king size guddas, brings phenomenal gains to the kite-makers, manufacturers accessories needed for flying kites. Mochi Gate becomes a big market of kites some months before the Basant festival.

Kite flying is also like a battle between two teams, and they fight for cutting each others kite. Kite makers celebrate as well due to the high demand of kites throughout the country. Cultural drum beaters are also hired for the event.

This festival also includes activities like music night, parties by an upper middle class Lahoris, and wearing of yellow clothes. Thousands of people visit this city from different countries to celebrate this festival at private residences, with their friends and relatives and most of the guesthouses are fully booked.

Multinational companies have now started taking advantage of this beautiful culture by promoting their products into various activities and festivals associated with basant such as sponsoring musical basant nights and displaying banners.