Uttarayan 2027 in Surat: Kite Festival Dates, Food and Safety Guide

Uttarayan 2027 is on Thursday 14 January, with Vasi Uttarayan on Friday 15 January. Gujarat treats the two days as a holiday, and with the weekend attached most of Surat will be off from Thursday to Sunday. For those two days the city lives on its terraces: kites from before sunrise until dark, music from every rooftop, and undhiyu, jalebi and ponk passed around between rounds. This guide covers the dates, how the festival works in Surat, what to eat, the safety rules that matter and what will be shut.

One note on the calendar. By the panchang, Makar Sankranti in 2027 falls on 15 January, because the sun moves into Capricorn at about 9:14 pm on the 14th. Gujarat flies its kites on the 14th regardless, so in 2027 both days carry the festival.

Key dates

Date	What happens
Fri 8 – Sun 10 January	Surat LitFest at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University
Week before 14 January	Kite and thread markets at their busiest; the state’s International Kite Festival usually runs in these days
Thu 14 January	Uttarayan: the main day of kite flying
Fri 15 January	Vasi Uttarayan; Makar Sankranti by the panchang
Sat 16 – Sun 17 January	The weekend that completes the break

The Gujarat government’s International Kite Festival has run since 1989, with Ahmedabad’s riverfront as its showpiece, and kite flyers from dozens of countries take part. Its 2027 dates and venues, including whether Surat gets an event, had not been announced when this guide was written. We will add them to our Uttarayan page when they are.

How Uttarayan works in Surat

The festival is not staged anywhere. It happens on private rooftops across the whole city, and the best way to take part is to be invited to one.

The day starts early. Families are on the terrace before sunrise to catch the morning breeze. Lunch comes out on the roof around midday, and the flying carries on through the afternoon.

It is a contest. The aim is to cut your neighbour’s kite. You bring your line across theirs and either pull hard or let it run; whoever’s thread is sharper wins. The shout when a kite is cut is ‘kai po che’, and the scramble for the falling kite is half the fun for children.

Night belongs to the tukkals. After dark, lit paper lanterns are sent up on kite lines, and the sky fills with strings of light.

Surat’s thread has a reputation. The city’s manja, cotton thread coated with a paste of ground glass and colour, is sought after by kite flyers across Gujarat, and the kite lanes of the old city, around Dabgarwad, trade late into the night in the week before the festival.

A short Uttarayan vocabulary

Word	Meaning
Patang	Kite
Firki	The spool that holds the thread
Manja	The coated cutting thread
Pench	A duel between two kites
Kai po che	“I have cut it”
Lapet	“Wind it in”, shouted when a kite is won or lost
Tukkal	A lit paper lantern flown at night
Vasi Uttarayan	The second, ‘leftover’ day, 15 January

Where to be

On a terrace. Old-city neighbourhoods, Rander, Adajan and Varachha tend to have the busiest skies, because low-rise houses stand close together. High-rise Vesu and Piplod are usually calmer.
At a terrace party. Hotels, clubs and event organisers sometimes sell Uttarayan packages with kites, thread, music and an undhiyu lunch. None had been announced for 2027 when we wrote this; they will appear in our festival listings from late December.
In the kite markets. If you have no rooftop, go to the old city around Chowk Bazar on the evenings of 12 and 13 January and watch the buying.

If you are visiting, ask your hotel whether guests can use the roof, and buy a few kites and a small firki of cotton thread. You will be shown what to do within minutes.

What to eat

Uttarayan food is fixed by tradition and by the season.

Undhiyu. The dish of the day. Winter beans, purple yam, small brinjals, unripe banana and methi muthia are slow-cooked with a green masala of coriander, ginger, garlic and chilli. The name comes from ‘undhu’, upside down, after the old method of sealing it in an earthen pot buried in the ground and fired from above. The Surti version is the milder one; Kathiyawadi undhiyu is redder and hotter.
Puri and jalebi. Undhiyu is eaten with puri, and jalebi is its sweet partner.
Chikki. Brittle made of sesame or peanuts and jaggery, eaten through the day.
Ponk. Tender green sorghum, roasted in charcoal and eaten with sev. It is in season from November to late February and at its best in December and January, with much of the supply coming from farms around Hazira and Palej.

Farsan shops sell undhiyu by weight around the festival, and many take advance orders. More on the city’s winter food is in our street food guide and on the food festivals page.

Safety: the part that matters

Every Uttarayan in Gujarat ends with a list of people hurt by thread, falls and electric shocks, and of birds cut by manja. Most of it is avoidable.

Thread

Use cotton thread. Chinese and nylon manja is banned in Gujarat because it does not snap, and it is the cause of the worst injuries. Notifications issued before the festival also restrict Chinese sky lanterns; read the current year’s order.
Tape your fingers before you fly. Manja cuts skin easily.

On the road

Avoid two-wheelers on 14 and 15 January if you can. Loose thread hangs across roads and flyovers at neck height.
If you must ride, wear a helmet with the visor down and a scarf or neck guard, and go slowly. In past years authorities in Gujarat’s cities have also restricted two-wheelers on flyovers during the festival; check the Surat police advisory.

On the terrace

Stay behind the parapet, and keep children away from the edge. Falls from terraces are among the most serious Uttarayan injuries.
Never climb onto a water tank, a sloping roof or a neighbour’s wall for a kite.
Do not try to pull a kite off an electric wire or pole, and never use a metal rod or wet thread to free one.

Birds

Do not fly at dawn and dusk, when birds are most active. The state’s bird-rescue campaign makes the same request every year.
If you find an injured bird, cover it with a cloth, put it in a ventilated box and call the animal helpline, 1962. Gujarat’s Karuna Abhiyan runs rescue and treatment centres through the festival.
After the festival, collect loose thread from your terrace, trees and wires within reach. It keeps injuring birds for weeks.

With children

Uttarayan is the easiest festival to share with children, provided an adult is on the terrace at all times. Give small children paper kites on short cotton lines, keep manja out of their hands, and agree in advance that nobody runs into the street after a falling kite. Sunscreen, caps and water matter as much as kites, because they will be in the sun for hours. Other ideas for the long weekend are on our kids and family page.

What is open and closed

Closed: the Science Centre, the Surat Fort and the Performing Art Centre list Uttarayan among their holidays. Many shops, markets and offices shut on the 14th.
Open: malls, multiplexes and many restaurants. Call ahead if you have a particular place in mind.
Transport: roads are quiet on the 14th. Buses run, but check Sitilink’s holiday schedule.

A four-day plan

Tuesday 12 – Wednesday 13 January: buy kites, thread and tape. Order undhiyu and jalebi.
Thursday 14 January: on the terrace by 7 am. Lunch on the roof. Tukkals after dark.
Friday 15 January: Vasi Uttarayan, a slower repeat of the day before with the leftover kites.
Saturday 16 January: clear the thread from your terrace, then take the beach or a film as a rest day.
Sunday 17 January: ponk while the season lasts.

The weekend before, 8 to 10 January, is the Surat LitFest, which is free to attend. And if you are still planning the turn of the year, our New Year’s Eve guide covers 31 December. For everything else, see this week in Surat.

Frequently asked questions

When is Uttarayan 2027?

Gujarat celebrates Uttarayan on 14 January every year, with Vasi Uttarayan on 15 January. In 2027 those are a Thursday and a Friday, which makes a four-day weekend.

Is Makar Sankranti 2027 on 14 or 15 January?

By the panchang it is on Friday 15 January 2027, because the sun enters Capricorn at about 9:14 pm on the 14th, according to Drik Panchang. Kite flying in Gujarat still begins on the morning of the 14th.

Is the International Kite Festival held in Surat?

Gujarat's International Kite Festival has been held since 1989, with Ahmedabad as its main venue, in the days before Uttarayan. The 2027 schedule, including any event in Surat, had not been announced when this guide was written.

What food is eaten on Uttarayan in Surat?

Undhiyu with puri is the centrepiece, alongside jalebi, chikki and ponk, the roasted tender sorghum that is in peak season in December and January.

Is Chinese manja banned in Gujarat?

Yes. Chinese and nylon kite thread is banned in Gujarat because it does not break and injures birds and people. Notifications are issued before every Uttarayan; check the current one for the exact rules.

What is closed on Uttarayan in Surat?

The Science Centre, the Surat Fort and the Performing Art Centre all list Uttarayan among their closed holidays, and many shops and offices shut on the 14th. Malls and many restaurants stay open.