Lahore Safari Zoo decorated for three-day Basant festival

LAHORE:

The Punjab Wildlife Department has stepped up preparations to celebrate Basant, with Lahore Safari Zoo decorated with colourful kites ahead of a three-day Basant Festival.

According to organisers, giant kites measuring up to 30 feet will be flown during the festival. A range of entertainment activities has been planned, including puppet shows, Wild on Beat performances, music shows, and magic shows.

The entry ticket for the three-day festival at Lahore Safari Zoo has been fixed at Rs2,000. Different coloured tickets have been printed for each day of the event. The responsibility for organising the Basant Festival has been assigned to a private company.

Additional Chief Wildlife Rangers Central Punjab, Mudassar Hassan, said festival activities would begin daily at 12 noon and continue until 2am. He said there would be two shows each day of puppet theatre, music shows, Wild on Beat, and magic shows. He added that stalls offering traditional food would also be set up for public entertainment.

Read: Maryam Nawaz urges public to celebrate Basant safely

Mudassar Hassan said visitors would be able to purchase kites and kite strings at the venue, while bringing government-approved kites and strings would also be allowed. He said open grounds and parking areas of the Safari Park had been designated for kite flying, while various activities would be arranged in the general area. During the three days, the lion and tiger safari would remain closed, and entry to animal and bird enclosures would also be suspended.

CCO of Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, Sadan Pirzada, said special kites had been imported from China for the festival. He said 30-foot-long kites would be flown, while around 2,000 lamps would also be released into the air daily.

He said the festivities of Basant were being revived after 25 years, adding that renowned singers from across the country would perform during the festival at Safari Park. He said puppet shows and a special parade would also be part of the programme.

Visitors at Safari Park said celebrating Basant in the open environment of the park would be more enjoyable than the congested city areas. A woman, Maham, said that while Basant would be celebrated in traditional ways in the inner city, the younger generation would enjoy it in new ways at Safari Park.

Read more: Punjab gears up for four-day holiday from Feb 5-8

Another visitor, Ali Shah, said the Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department had provided a good opportunity for citizens to celebrate Basant in an organised manner. She said families would enjoy the Basant Festival at Safari Park.

The administration said strict security arrangements had been made during the festival. It would also be ensured that if any kite or string falls into animal or bird enclosures, it would be removed immediately.