International Kite Festival 2024

Every year in Gujarat, the International Kite Festival is organised on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti, which sees the beginning of days when winter turns into summer. During these days of joy, the sky of Gujarat is covered with colourful kites. Kite flyers from around the world gather here to celebrate this rich tradition. 

In 2024, the celebration started on the 8th of January and will continue till the 14th. The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel, inaugurated the event by releasing tricolour balloons into the sky. 

In Gujarat, 14th January has been announced as a holiday so people can celebrate this day freely. People mainly fly simple kites made out of coloured paper and bamboo sticks. However, unique theme-based kites can also be seen flying. People partake in the game ‘Kite fighting’ where they try to cut down someone else’s kite. To do so the strings of the kites are laced with a mixture of glue and glass shards. 

Since 1989, the city of Ahmedabad has hosted the International Kite Festivals. However, this day is celebrated in many other cities of Gujarat and Rajasthan. During the morning, there are performances done by skilled acrobats, and during the night, lighted kites called ‘tukkals’ are illuminated. People from around the world bring their traditional kites to this festival, such as the Malaysian Wau-balang kites, Chinese flying dragons and Italian sculptural kites.