Where to See 14 August Fireworks in Every Major City
The single biggest confirmed display this year is in Islamabad at midnight, and it is not where most people are heading. Here is what has actually been notified, city by city.
Islamabad — midnight at the Marka-e-Haq Monument
Fireworks and a Pakistan Air Force flypast take place at the Marka-e-Haq Monument near the H-8 Expressway at 12:00am on 14 August. A daytime flypast follows at Parade Ground Expressway, with a City Parade at Old Parade Ground from 5pm on the 13th and a separate event at F-9 Park. PNCA hosts a puppet show on Pakistan’s founding at its F-5/1 auditorium at 10:30am.
Roads you cannot use. Garden Flyover, I-8, Faiz Ahmed Faiz Road, Mir Chakar Road and Mir Zafarullah Road towards the monument are closed. Shakarparian Garden is shut towards I-8 and Faisal Avenue. The Expressway between Koral and Khayaban Chowk is closed both sides, as is Faisal Avenue. Use Ninth Avenue, Jinnah Avenue and Murree Road via Rawal Dam Chowk instead. Heavy vehicles are barred from midnight on the 12th to midnight on the 14th.
Lahore — five official sites
Displays are set for Greater Iqbal Park, Liberty Chowk, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, Kumahan and Adda Plot. A 3D light and sound show runs at Lahore Fort’s Alamgiri Gate from 8:30pm, and the Chief Minister hosts flag-hoisting at Hazuri Bagh. A grand parade at Wagah is reported for 5pm — confirm before travelling, as access there has been restricted in past years.
Karachi — the ceremony is public, the fireworks are not
The Sindh Governor and Chief Minister lead flag-hoisting, wreath-laying and Fateha at Mazar-e-Quaid. No city-wide public display has been notified. What exists is private: Bahria Town’s Grand Azaadi Festival from 4pm to midnight, and an Azaadi Mela at Central Garden, Commander City, from 5pm to 11pm with fireworks and live music. Purani Yadein at Andalusian Banquets, DHA Phase VIII, is free entry.
Peshawar — fireworks are banned outright
Section 144 runs until 15 August. Aerial firing, fireworks, firecrackers, one-wheeling and the sale of toy pistols and toy horns are all prohibited, with legal action promised against violators. Murree is under Section 144 from 10 to 16 August. Quetta, Multan and Faisalabad have no confirmed public display — expect district ceremonies at commissioner offices and civic squares instead.
Before you leave the house
Private organisers needed an NOC by 13 August, and displays are permitted only at secured locations with a police report. An event without one can be shut down mid-evening.
The greater risk is not the fireworks. It is celebratory aerial firing, which kills people every year. Stay out of open ground between roughly 11:30pm and 12:30am if you can.
For the morning’s ceremony timings and gun salutes, see our full 14 August 2026 guide. For what will be playing over the speakers, we track this year’s releases in ISPR Song 2026.
We update this page as districts issue notifications. Timings shift on the day — confirm locally before travelling.
