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14 JAN · UTTARAYAN · KITESKite Festival
On 14 January, Uttarayan fills Surat’s skies with kites — families climb to the rooftops for a day of flying, feasting on undhiyu and chikki, and cheering as strings cross overhead.
A city that takes to the skies
Uttarayan, or Makar Sankranti, falls on 14 January and marks the sun’s turn towards the north. In Surat it becomes a citywide kite festival: from dawn, families take to the rooftops with reels of manja and stacks of paper kites, and the sky fills with colour. Cries of “kai po che!” ring out as strings cross and cut, while below the day is spent feasting on undhiyu and jaggery-and-sesame chikki. It is Gujarat’s greatest kite festival, and Surat flies it with joy.
The sun’s northward turn
Uttarayan falls on 14 January, marking the day the sun begins its northward course and winter starts to loosen its hold.
It is one of the few Indian festivals fixed to the solar calendar, which is why the date barely moves from year to year.
From first light the whole city moves onto its roofs, and stays there until well after dark.
By mid-morning the sky over Surat is solid with kites, and the noise from the rooftops carries across whole neighbourhoods.
Why come
Sky of kites
The sky fills with colour from dawn — thousands of kites over every rooftop in the city at once.
Rooftop revelry
Everyone goes up: families, neighbours, entire buildings, from small children to grandparents.
Kite duels
Kites are flown to cut each other, and the coated manja string is what does the cutting.
Undhiyu feast
Undhiyu, the mixed winter-vegetable dish slow-cooked underground, is the food of the day and made in quantity.
Chikki & til
Til chikki, sesame and jaggery brittle, is eaten throughout — a winter sweet tied specifically to this festival.
Night lanterns
After dark come the tukkals — paper lanterns flown up the kite lines, so the sky fills with lights.
What to see
THE SKYKites
Colour over the rooftops from dawn until well past dark.
THE DAYUttarayan
Rooftops, feasting and a whole city outdoors for a day.
How to experience it
Come on 14 Jan
Be on a rooftop on 14 January. Watching from the street misses the entire point of the day.
Climb a rooftop
Get invited up if you can — Surat's rooftop culture is generous and visitors are usually pulled into it.
Fly a kite
Learn to handle the reel and the manja before you try to cut anyone; the string is sharp and takes practice.
Cut a string
Shout "Kai po che!" when you cut a rival kite loose. Everyone does, and everyone hears it.
Eat undhiyu
Eat undhiyu and til chikki, which are made specifically for this day and are best on it.
Stay for tukkals
Stay for the tukkals after sunset, when lit lanterns go up the lines and the sky changes completely.
The festival that unites the sky
Kite-flying on Uttarayan is a shared ritual that cuts across every neighbourhood of Surat. Rooftops become social spaces where families, neighbours and friends gather for a full day out under the sun, trading kites, food and friendly rivalry. The market runs hot for weeks beforehand, with stalls selling kites and razor-edged manja by the thousand. As night falls, glowing paper lanterns called tukkals rise to close the celebration.
It sits within Surat district — browse more places to visit in Surat.
Timing
14 January is the day itself, with flying spilling into the 15th; the date is solar and so barely shifts each year.
January gives Surat its clearest skies and steadiest breeze, which is exactly why the festival sits here.
The monsoon and the hot months are no use for kites at all — this is a winter festival by necessity.
⏰ Uttarayan is on 14 January, with kite-flying spilling into the next day; winter brings the clearest skies for it.
Getting there
By Air
Surat airport.
By Rail
Surat junction.
By Road
NH48 corridor.
More in Surat
SHARAD PURNIMA
Chandni Padva
Surat devours tonnes of ghari on this glittering moonlit night. Explore →
TRADE
Diamond & Textiles
Surat cuts and polishes some 90% of the world’s diamonds and weaves millions of metres of cloth — twin trades that make it one of India’s greatest engines of enterprise. Explore →
HISTORY
Dandi March Legacy
In 1930, Gandhi’s Salt March passed through Surat district on its long walk to the coast at Dandi, where the salt law was broken — a turning point of the freedom struggle the district still preserves. Explore →
What to eat
UNDHIYUUndhiyu
The winter dish.
CHIKKITil Chikki
Sesame sweet.
JALEBIJalebi
Warm and sweet.
LOCHOSurti Locho
A city classic.
Kite Festival FAQ
What is Uttarayan?
The kite festival of Makar Sankranti, held on 14 January, when Surat's rooftops fill from dawn and the sky over the city disappears behind kites.
Why do people fly kites?
It marks the sun's turn to the north, the point at which the days begin lengthening. Over time it has become a citywide rooftop festival as much as a religious observance.
What food is eaten?
Undhiyu, a mixed winter-vegetable dish traditionally slow-cooked in an earthen pot, and til chikki, a sesame and jaggery brittle. Jalebi and Surti snacks fill the gaps between.
Where is the best place to watch?
From any rooftop in the city, where families gather all day. If you have no roof of your own, ask — Surat is unusually good about pulling visitors up onto one.
What are tukkals?
Paper lanterns sent up the kite lines after dark, so that the sky fills with drifting lights once the kites themselves come down.
When should I visit?
On 14 January, in the clear, cool, breezy days of Surat's winter. Take care with the manja string — it is glass-coated and cuts skin easily, so keep it away from children's hands and off the ground.
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Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 3 July 2026