Jashn-e-Baharan, Lahore's spring festival, is a free, government-run programme of flower shows, music, food melas and sports held in March, with the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) flower exhibition at Jilani Park as its centrepiece. It has no fixed dates: the 2023 edition ran for a week, from 5 to 12 March, while in 2020 it opened in the first days of March and ran until Pakistan Day on 23 March. Dates are announced only a week or two ahead.
This guide covers what recent editions actually included, where things happen, how it differs from Basant and the Walled City's Mela Baharan, and whether to time a Lahore trip around it.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Meaning | "Celebration of spring" |
| Organisers | Punjab government: PHA, district administration, culture department and others |
| Usual month | March, dates announced shortly before |
| Recent editions | 2020: early March to 23 March; 2023: 5 to 12 March |
| Main venue | Jilani Park (Race Course Park), Jail Road |
| Entry | Free in both 2020 and 2023 |
| Not the same as | Basant, which returned on 6 to 8 February 2026 |
When is Jashn-e-Baharan held?
It falls in Lahore's short spring, usually in March, but the length and dates change every year with the government's plans and the weather. Three recent editions show how much it varies:
- 2020. PHA announced the celebrations on 20 February. Bad weather pushed back the official opening at Jilani Park to the start of March, and the festival was set to run until 23 March. The chief minister attended the opening.
- 2023. The Commissioner of Lahore announced on 3 March that the festival would run from 5 to 12 March, a week, with events across the city. The caretaker chief minister had chaired planning meetings in February.
- 2024. APP photographs from late March show families at the PHA spring flower show at Jilani Park.
We could not find a published programme for a 2026 Jashn-e-Baharan, and nothing for 2027 has been announced. For the next edition, watch the PHA Lahore and Punjab government social media accounts and the city pages of Dawn and The News from late February.
What happens at Jashn-e-Baharan?
The programme is built fresh each year, but the 2020 and 2023 editions give a fair idea of what to expect.
The 2023 programme
The 2023 festival was spread across Lahore rather than kept in one park. The official announcements listed:
- Jilani Park: the flower exhibition, plus a food and cultural mela.
- Hockey Stadium: music nights with well-known singers.
- Data Darbar complex: a seven-day mehfil-e-sama.
- Greater Iqbal Park: a circus.
- Across the city: lit-up roads and canal bank, a laser light and sound show by the Walled City of Lahore Authority, a city marathon and a cycling race.
- Other events: Punjabi folk, Sufi, ghazal and classical music, a women's mushaira and a comedy mushaira, painting competitions, a sports mela, bird and pet shows, fireworks, and a horse and cattle show with javelin events.
Entry to the shows was free.
The 2020 programme
In 2020 the festival was centred on Jilani Park, with an animal show, a cat show and a planned dog show, painting exhibitions and a mural competition in colleges across the city, concerts, a food court and flower exhibitions. For children there were swings and rides, a magic show and a haunted house. Earlier opening ceremonies had included army bands, Punjabi folk dancers, acrobats and fireworks.
The flower exhibition
The flowers are the one constant. PHA fills beds and displays across Jilani Park, the large park on Jail Road still widely called Race Course Park, and visitors walk through over the festival weeks. Our Jilani Park guide covers the park itself: hours, the lake and the walking track.
If you miss the spring show, PHA's other big flower event is the chrysanthemum show at the same park in December. The 2025 show displayed more than 200 varieties, and PHA said more than 1.5 million people had visited during its first 11 days.
Jashn-e-Baharan, Basant and Mela Baharan: three different things
They all mark spring in Lahore, so they are easy to confuse.
Basant is the kite festival. It was banned across Punjab for many years because of deaths from sharp and metal-coated string. In December 2025 the Punjab Assembly passed a law allowing deputy commissioners to permit kite flying on set days, and Lahore held a regulated Basant from 6 to 8 February 2026, with only cotton string and approved kite sizes allowed. It is a separate event, in February, and our guide to Basant in Lahore covers the rules.
Mela Baharan is the Walled City of Lahore Authority's spring fair on the Royal Trail inside the old city. In 2025 it ran from 28 to 30 March, from 6 pm to 11 pm, between Delhi Gate and Wazir Khan Chowk, with a parade, folk music, puppet shows, storytelling and a Meena Bazaar, all free. Our guide to the Shahi Guzargah describes that route.
Jashn-e-Baharan is the wider government festival, with the PHA flower show at its heart and events across the city.
How to plan a visit
- Go to the flowers in daylight on a weekday. Mornings are calmer and better for photographs, and you can walk the beds with children without the evening crush.
- Go in the evening for music. Concerts and light shows draw the biggest crowds, so arrive early or expect to stand.
- Use a ride-hailing app. Jilani Park is on Jail Road, a busy road with limited parking at the gates during shows. A drop-off saves the parking search.
- Check each venue. In a multi-venue year the flower show, the concerts and the religious events can be several kilometres apart, so pick one or two per evening.
- Dress for changeable weather. March in Lahore is usually pleasant, but bad weather has delayed the festival before, as in 2020. Our Lahore weather guide shows what to expect.
If you are in Lahore for a few days, the festival sits easily alongside a morning in the Walled City or an afternoon at Bagh-e-Jinnah.
Is it worth planning a trip around?
Not on its own. It is a pleasant, free and family-friendly outing, and the flower show is genuinely colourful, but the dates are announced late, the programme changes from year to year, and some years it lasts only a week. Planning a trip from Karachi or Islamabad around a festival that may not have been announced yet is a gamble.
It is worth it if you are already in Lahore in March, or if your dates are flexible enough to move once the programme is out. Families with small children will enjoy the daytime flower show and rides more than the evening concerts. Our guide to the best time to visit Lahore explains why late winter and spring are the city's most comfortable months anyway, and our trip planning page can help you build a visit around them.
Frequently asked questions
What does Jashn-e-Baharan mean?
It means "celebration of spring". It is Lahore's government-organised spring festival, with the PHA flower exhibition at its centre.
When is Jashn-e-Baharan usually held in Lahore?
In March. The 2023 edition ran from 5 to 12 March and the 2020 edition from early March to 23 March. Dates are announced a week or two in advance.
Where does Jashn-e-Baharan take place?
The flower exhibition is at Jilani Park (Race Course Park) on Jail Road. In 2023 other events were held at the Hockey Stadium, Greater Iqbal Park and the Data Darbar complex.
Is entry to Jashn-e-Baharan free?
Entry was free in both 2020 and 2023. Rides, food and some special events may cost extra, so carry some cash.
Is Jashn-e-Baharan the same as Basant?
No. Basant is the kite festival, revived in Lahore under strict rules from 6 to 8 February 2026. Jashn-e-Baharan is the flower and cultural festival, usually in March.
