Kites and victory cries fill Lahore skies as festival returns after long ban


People take selfies with kites on display, to mark Basant, a kite-flying festival, in Lahore, Pakistan February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza

LAHORE, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Extravagantly coloured ‌kites dueled above Lahore and cries of victory rang out from rooftops on Friday, as ‌the city celebrated the lifting of an 18-year ban on a spectacular three-day traditional Punjabi ‌kite-flying festival.

The Basant, a festival marking the onset of spring, was banned in 2008 after deaths and injuries to motorcyclists and pedestrians from stray kite strings - sometimes coated with metal to make them more fearsome in mid-air battles.

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