Mochi Gate Kite Market, Lahore

Mochi Gate, in the south of Lahore's Walled City, is the city's best-known kite market, and for the few days each year when kite selling is legal it becomes the busiest bazaar in Lahore. In February 2026 the sales window was just eight days long, 1 to 8 February, and only registered vendors could sell. For 2027 the Punjab government has approved a ten-day Basant from 29 January to 7 February, so the market is likely to be busy again in the weeks before.

Outside those windows, kite making and selling are banned in Lahore, so the bazaar is quieter and the shopfronts sell other things. This guide covers the place, how the 2026 sales worked, what things cost, and how to shop there without breaking the law. For the festival itself, rooftops and rules for flying, see our guide to Basant in Lahore.

What is Mochi Gate?

Mochi Gate is one of the thirteen gates of the Walled City, built under the Mughal emperor Akbar. The gate itself no longer stands: it was demolished under British rule, rebuilt in the early 1900s and destroyed in the riots of 1947 (Wikipedia). The name survives for the whole neighbourhood, which sits between Akbari Gate and Shah Alam Gate. Our guide to the 13 gates of Lahore places it among the others.

The bazaar here is known for dried fruit, kites and fireworks. Next to it is Mochi Bagh, long used for political rallies, and the old havelis in the lanes are used as imambargahs during Muharram and Safar. So the area is crowded for several reasons at once, and it is worth knowing before you go.

How the 2026 kite market worked

Basant returned to Lahore in February 2026 for the first time since 2007, under strict rules. The Lahore district administration approved 2,246 traders for licensed kite and string sales, and sales were allowed only from 1 to 8 February, after which making or selling kites became a ban again (24 News, 2 February). Legal kites carried a QR code showing the seller was registered, and flyers who break the law face up to five years in prison or a fine of more than 7,000 US dollars (NPR).

Buyers could look for approved sellers on the e-Biz Punjab portal or at the designated clusters, which included the Walled City around Mochi Gate, Gulshan-e-Ravi and Thokar Niaz Baig. The registration deadline was extended to 8 February to widen the number of sellers and keep prices stable.

Demand overwhelmed the market anyway. On one night officials ordered Mochi Gate shops to close at 11 pm and many customers left without buying; sales resumed the next day (24 News). Daily Pakistan reported shopkeepers shutting within an hour because stock ran out.

What did kites and string cost?

Prices rose sharply in 2026, and they are the clearest warning for anyone planning to buy in 2027. Daily Pakistan reported small kites (the single tawa) at about PKR 250 to 300 and the one-and-a-half tawa at PKR 300 to 400, with a pinna (reel) of premium string at PKR 4,000 to 5,000 and a pinna and a half at PKR 7,500. Buyers protested the increase, and a petition went to the Lahore High Court over price inflation.

These are 2026 figures from the busiest week, and they should not be used as a budget. Official rates were lower than what shops charged. Prices change from year to year, so treat any figure you read, including these, as an indication only.

The rules for what you can buy

Basant is legal in Lahore only on dates the government announces, and string is the key issue. Chemical, glass-coated and metal-coated string is banned. An official quoted by NPR said chemical string "has the capacity to cut the throat or wherever it touches". If a seller offers string that looks like the cheaper, sharper sort, do not buy it. Our Basant guide lists the kite sizes and string specifications in force in 2026.

Anyone riding a motorbike in the city during Basant needs a safety rod fitted to the handlebars to catch stray string. Remember this if you are riding to the market.

How to visit the market

• Go on foot. The lanes around Mochi Gate are narrow and crowded, and you will not park nearby. Our Lahore transport guide covers rickshaws and ride-hailing to the edge of the Walled City.
• Go early in the day. In 2026 the crowds built through the evening and shops were closed by officials at night.
• Check the seller is registered before paying, and look for the QR code on the kite.
• Keep your valuables close. Any dense bazaar calls for this.
• Dress for heat and crowds, and keep children by the hand.

Is the market worth visiting if you are not buying kites?

Yes, in the sense that the Walled City is worth a morning anyway. A walk through the lanes near Mochi Gate takes in dried-fruit sellers and old havelis, and you can combine it with Delhi Gate or the wider Walled City of Lahore. Outside Basant it is an ordinary working bazaar, so don't expect to see kites in bulk. In the weeks before a legal Basant it is more of a spectacle, but also harder going.

What is the risk of a ban or change for 2027?

The future of Basant has been uncertain. NPR reported six deaths in the first revived festival, from rooftop falls and electrocution, while the Punjab Home Department reportedly told the Lahore High Court that 17 people had died. Counts differ between sources. The 2027 dates have already moved once: first announced as 12 to 14 March, then changed to 29 January to 7 February (Tribune, The Nation). Check the current notification and the vendor list before travelling, because the sale window will probably be set by the same order. Our experiences page has other Lahore ideas if the dates move again.

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