ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore will celebrate Basant from March 12-14 next year under strict safety restrictions, the Punjab government said on Thursday, following the kite-flying festival’s return this year after an 18-year ban.

Basant, a centuries-old spring festival synonymous with Lahore, is celebrated with mass kite flying from rooftops and open spaces. The festivities were banned after deaths and serious injuries caused primarily by sharp, metal and glass-coated kite strings, as well as accidents involving crowded rooftops.

Punjab allowed Basant to return to Lahore in February this year under a tightly regulated framework that restricted kite flying to designated dates and prohibited dangerous strings. Authorities also registered kite manufacturers and sellers, deployed motorcycle safety rods and imposed extensive policing and monitoring during the three-day celebration.

The 2027 edition will again be restricted to Lahore, with kite flying prohibited across Punjab before and after the three designated days, according to a statement from the provincial Home Department.

“The Home Department had issued comprehensive safety guidelines to protect human lives and that all necessary safety arrangements would be completed before Basant,” Punjab Home Secretary Ahmad Javed Qazi was quoted as saying in the statement.

Under the rules, kite flying will be prohibited from structurally unsafe rooftops, while walls and grills at approved locations must be at least three-and-a-half feet high. Building owners have until Dec. 31 to complete required repairs, with district authorities tasked with inspecting older buildings and houses.

Lahore traffic police have also been directed to install safety rods on more than two million motorcycles free of charge, while the Lahore Electric Supply Company will protect vulnerable electricity infrastructure with safety netting.

Authorities will begin issuing permits this month for the manufacture, transport and sale of approved kites and kite string, subject to government restrictions.

The government also outlined severe penalties for violations. Kite flying outside March 12-14 could result in up to five years in prison and a Rs2 million ($7,200) fine, while unauthorized manufacture, transport or sale of kites and string could carry up to seven years in prison and a Rs5 million ($18,000) fine.

District authorities will be empowered to seal buildings violating safety requirements, while building owners and event organizers will be held responsible for accidents, injuries or deaths during the festival.