buildwith.Uttarayan kite festival
buildwith / experiences / uttarayan-ahmedabad
🪁 Asia · India

International Kite Festival / Uttarayan

USE locally made patang kites & firki reels; fly from rooftops during Uttarayan.

Use local gearWatch & buy local
14 Jan 2027Next date
None listedNext deadline / key date
January (Makar Sankranti, 14 Jan)Usual timing
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, IndiaWhere
01 · How to take part

Your way in

Buy kites/reels at Raipur Darwaja Patang Bazaar, join a local family/homestay rooftop on 14-15 Jan; watch invited international kite makers at the IKF riverfront ground.

Use local gear

Fly locally made kites from a rooftop

Buy patang kites and firki reels from the makers at the Raipur Darwaja Patang Bazaar, then join a local family or homestay rooftop on 14–15 Jan and fly.

Watch & buy local

Watch the International Kite Festival

Invited international kite makers fly at the IKF riverfront ground on the Sabarmati. Entry for visitors is free; flying slots at the IKF are for invited flyers only (invitations go through Gujarat Tourism).

You build or use
USE locally made patang kites & firki reels; fly from rooftops during Uttarayan
Participation
Use (open to all); IKF flying slots are for invited flyers
Entry and deadlines
None for visitors; IKF flyers are invited via Gujarat Tourism
Where
Ahmedabad (Sabarmati Riverfront) + other Gujarat cities, India
02 · Dates

Dates and deadlines, Oct 2026 to Dec 2027

Usual timing: January (Makar Sankranti, 14 Jan). Dates are only shown where a source publishes them; everything else is marked TBC.

  • Jan 2027 · date TBCInternational Kite Festival 2027, Gujarat (official schedule TBC)2026 ran 10-14 Jan; 2027 dates not announced. · sourceDate TBCUse local gear
  • 14 Jan 2027Uttarayan / Makar Sankranti, Ahmedabad (kite-flying day)Makar Sankranti is 14 Jan 2027 (Government of India 2027 holiday list). The official International Kite Festival 2027 dates are NOT announced. · sourceUse local gear

See it on the calendar →

03 · Skills you'll need

Skills you'll need

What to learn and practise before you go. Each resource is marked Official or Community-accepted and names its publisher. Difficulty and prep time are our estimate.

Core skill

Flying a patang (Indian fighter kite) from a rooftop: launching, steering by tug-and-release, letting out line

Also useful:

  • Working the firki (reel) with a partner and handling manja without cutting yourself
  • Rooftop, street and bird safety during Uttarayan
Difficulty our estimateBeginner (flying a patang well takes some practice)
Prep time our estimate1 hour reading plus 2–4 short practice sessions on open ground

Difficulty and prep time are Curiosta editorial estimates for a first-timer, not organiser figures.

Refresher

  1. A patang has no tail and is steered actively: short tugs make it dart or climb, slackening the line lets it drift and rise. Practise small, calm inputs before trying anything fast.
  2. Launch with your back to the wind; let the kite catch the breeze, then give short pulls so it climbs above the rooftop turbulence into steadier wind.
  3. Fly as a pair: one person flies, the other holds the firki and winds or unwinds smoothly so the line never piles up and tangles.
  4. Kite 'fights' (cutting a rival's line) are the heart of Uttarayan; as a first-timer focus on keeping control and enjoy watching the pech battles before joining in.
  5. Buy plain cotton thread. Avoid nylon or synthetic 'Chinese' manja and glass-coated thread: they injure riders, pedestrians and birds, and India's National Green Tribunal directions (2017) prohibit them.
  6. Tape your fingertips or wear finger guards or gloves: a running line can cut or burn skin.
  7. Never stand on parapets or unrailed edges, never chase a falling kite across roofs or roads, and if a kite tangles in power lines, let it go.
  8. Expect birds in the sky at dawn and dusk; fly gently and report any injured bird to a local bird-rescue helpline.

Practise before you go

  • Fly any cheap patang on an open ground or beach in India in the weeks before (they are sold widely around Makar Sankranti); practise tug-and-release steering at ground level, not on a roof.
  • Practise winding and unwinding a firki with a friend so hand-overs are smooth.
  • Try a simple single-line kite first if you have never flown one, using the AKA launch steps, then move to a patang.
  • Make finger guards from medical tape and practise letting line run through gloved fingers.

Safety notes

  • Use plain cotton thread only; no nylon, synthetic or glass-coated manja.
  • Protect fingers from line cuts; wear gloves or tape.
  • Stay off parapets and roof edges; never chase falling kites into traffic.
  • Keep clear of power lines; abandon a tangled kite.
  • Fly gently around birds; report injured birds to a local bird-rescue helpline.

Resources

Officialofficial event site

International Kite Festival – official site

Official IKF dates, background and contacts for the festival in Ahmedabad.

Publisher: Gujarat Tourism (Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd)

Officialofficial tourism-board page

International Kite Festival – Gujarat Tourism

Explains Uttarayan rooftop culture, kite markets and the riverfront festival.

Publisher: Gujarat Tourism (Government of Gujarat)

Officialofficial guide (national association)

How To Fly A Kite

Plain-language launching, wind and line-handling basics that carry over to a patang.

Publisher: American Kitefliers Association (AKA), US national kite association

Officialofficial safety page (national association)

Kite Safety

Line burns, gloves, power lines and courtesy rules from a national kite body.

Publisher: American Kitefliers Association (AKA), US national kite association

Officialofficial court judgment (PDF)

National Green Tribunal judgment on nylon, synthetic and glass-coated manja (OA 384/2016, 11 Jul 2017)

The 2017 NGT judgment on 'Chinese' manja: its directions prohibit nylon and synthetic kite thread and thread coated with glass or other harmful substances. Copy hosted by a Puducherry government department.

Publisher: National Green Tribunal (India); PDF hosted by the Department of Science, Technology & Environment, Government of Puducherry

No official resource yet

We found no official resource for patang technique or manja handling. CONFLICT: the official IKF About page describes glass-coated manja, which conflicts with the glass-manja ban: we advise against glass-coated manja; use plain cotton thread.

See also the skills guide: Kite basics → · All skills guides

04 · Check before you go

What we could and couldn't confirm

Before you book

  • Use plain cotton thread. India's National Green Tribunal (judgment of 11 Jul 2017) dealt with nylon, synthetic and glass-coated 'Chinese' manja; its directions prohibit nylon thread and thread coated with glass or other harmful substances.
  • CONFLICT: the official International Kite Festival 'About' page still describes traditional glass-coated manja. That conflicts with the glass-manja ban, so we advise against glass-coated manja.
  • The official International Kite Festival 2027 dates are NOT announced yet; 14 Jan 2027 is Makar Sankranti in the Government of India's 2027 holiday list.
  • Costs are not listed on buildwith. Check them, and the latest dates, on the official site.