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Makar Sankranti in Jaipur: a day on the rooftops
Kites, sesame sweets, and the sun's turn northward
In Jaipur, Makar Sankranti is the kite day: 15 January 2027. The Rajasthan Tourism Kite Festival runs at Jal Mahal on Amer Road, but most of the city flies from its own roofs, and by evening the sky over the walled city fills with lit lanterns and fireworks. What you need is a terrace, a reel of cotton string and a day without plans elsewhere.
On Makar Sankranti the whole of Jaipur's walled city moves up one storey: the official kite festival runs on the Jal Mahal embankment, but the day itself belongs to the rooftops.
Where to watch
Jal Mahal ki Paal, Amer Road: the Rajasthan Department of Tourism Kite Festival. On Amer Road beside Man Sagar lake, north of the walled city; about 15–20 min by road from the old city. Listed as free entry.
Handipura bazaar: the largest kite market, for kites and cotton string. Between Badi Chaupar and Ramganj Chaupar inside the walled city; walkable from Hawa Mahal.
Patang Walon Ka Rasta: kite-making lane; around 500 families work here. Inside the walled city.
Johari Bazaar and Badi Chaupar: rooftop kite flying and the densest old-city street scene on the day. Walled city; the chaupars are the old city's crossroads and are walkable from each other.
Chandpole: old-city gate and bazaar quarter with rooftop flying. Western gate of the walled city; also the terminus of the Jaipur Metro's Mansarovar–Chandpole line.
Free viewing
- Jal Mahal ki Paal on Amer Road, for the official festival (listed as free entry)
- The Man Sagar lakefront beside Jal Mahal
- The walled-city streets around Badi Chaupar and Johari Bazaar, where fallen kites are chased at street level
- Chandpole bazaar and gate
- Nahargarh Road, for height above the old city
- Handipura bazaar, for the kite trade itself on the eve
Programme
The kite bazaars
Buying kites and string in the walled city. Handipura bazaar, between Badi Chaupar and Ramganj Chaupar, is the largest of the kite markets; Patang Walon Ka Rasta, where around 500 families make kites, and Haldiyon Ka Rasta are the other two names that recur.
Handipura bazaar; Patang Walon Ka Rasta; Haldiyon Ka Rasta, all inside the walled city
The official Kite Festival and the rooftop day
The city-wide rooftop kite day. This is the actual phenomenon: terraces across the walled city fill, kites come down into the tightly packed havelis and are chased with poles and weighted threads, and the old-city lanes work as one continuous crowd.
Rooftops across the walled city; Johari Bazaar, Badi Chaupar, Chandpole, and along Amer Road and around Hawa Mahal
The official Kite Festival and the rooftop day
The Kite Festival and Patang Atish Utsav, the Rajasthan Department of Tourism's own event, run on Makar Sankranti itself. Entry is listed as free. The programme is kite flying with folk music and cultural performances, kite-making demonstrations and fancy-kite displays, with illuminated kites and an evening fireworks segment. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister attended the 2026 edition.
Jal Mahal (the embankment, Jal Mahal ki Paal) on Amer Road, beside Man Sagar Lake, Jaipur
The official Kite Festival and the rooftop day
The evening turn: lit kites and fireworks over the skyline.
City-wide, best seen from any height in or near the walled city
The state Kite Festival at Jal Mahal
The Kite Festival and Patang Atish Utsav is Rajasthan Tourism's own event, held on the embankment by Jal Mahal, the palace in Man Sagar lake. The state's date for it can differ by a day from the central holiday list, so check the Rajasthan Tourism listing before you plan the morning. The official listing describes kite flying and friendly competitions, folk music and local winter food by day, and illuminated kites and performances as evening comes.
According to a press report on one recent edition, the programme ran in two parts: kite flying from 11:00 to 14:00, with free kites for foreign visitors and traditional food handed out free, then a lantern festival from 18:30 followed by fireworks at Hawa Mahal. The Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister were due to attend that year, so security checks at the entrance are likely.
The rooftop day
The real festival is on the terraces of the walled city. From morning the roofs around Hawa Mahal, Johari Bazaar, Badi Chaupar and Chandpol are full, and kites cut loose drift down into the lanes, where they are chased at street level. In the old city a roof terrace is worth more than a better room, and hotels sell terrace access as a separate package; the hotels in Bani Park and outside the walls are calmer, but from there you watch from the street.
Buy kites and cotton string on the eve in the walled-city bazaars, when they are at their fullest. Sesame and jaggery sweets are the traditional Sankranti food; see Jaipur sweets. For a view from above the old city, people also go up Nahargarh Road towards Nahargarh Fort.
String, birds and the street
Use plain cotton string. The National Green Tribunal has banned nylon and other synthetic manjha, and district collectors in Rajasthan have issued orders against glass-coated and 'Chinese' string before Sankranti; such string cuts and kills birds and has injured people. Local orders have in some years also restricted kite flying in the early morning and evening, when birds are most on the move: ask your hotel about the current order. In the old city look up and around before you cross, since kites and their chasers come down at street level.
Planning the trip
- Book early — January is Rajasthan's high season and Sankranti sits inside it: book a haveli or guesthouse with a usable roof about two months ahead, and trains when the 60-day window opens. See where to stay in Jaipur.
- Arrive the day before — There is no getting into position on the morning itself, and the eve is when the kite bazaars are busiest.
- Weather — January averages about 22 °C by day and 8 °C at night, with almost no rain: a sunny day on the roof and a cold evening for the lanterns.
FAQ
When is Makar Sankranti in Jaipur?
On 15 January 2027. The state Kite Festival at Jal Mahal is held on Sankranti; its date can differ by a day from the central list.
Is there a kite festival in Jaipur?
Yes. Rajasthan Tourism's Kite Festival and Patang Atish Utsav is held at Jal Mahal on Amer Road on Sankranti, with kite flying by day and lanterns and fireworks in the evening.
Is the Jal Mahal kite festival free?
It is listed as free entry, and according to a press report foreign visitors were given kites free of charge in a recent year.
Where is Sankranti famous?
For kites, Jaipur and Ahmedabad's Uttarayan; for the holy dip, Haridwar, Varanasi and Prayagraj; in the south it is Pongal. More on the Makar Sankranti page.
Sources (4)
Facts checked: 22 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.