I missed another kite festival today, the weather was a drizzling, dripping, soggy wet mess, and if you know kites at all you know its just not a workable combination. It was my intent to attend with my DSLR and my newest addition, a DVR handheld to photograph and video the event making content for this blog and my YouTube channel. I declined to risk a 250 mile trip gamble on the outcome when weather radar and forecasts indicated 80% chance of rains.
The closest kite festival to me, in Grand Island, was also cancelled this summer, we had 5-8 inches of rain in the area the day before the event and the flight field was under about 24 inches of water!! That would have been a disastrous endeavor as well!! The parking areas were even lower than the fields, so just gaining entry was impossible.
In both cases I decided that I must apply some patience, make plans for “next year” and scout around for perhaps alternative events in which to ply my skills as a shutterbug! In doing research for more kiting events I accumulated a plethora of information about kite festivals in the USA. Here is a compilation of the data I acquired.
Zilker Park Kite Festival — 1929— 20K Attendees— Oldest running festival in USA.– Held in the Austin, TX park, overlooking the Town Lake in the center of the city. Sponsored in the past by a local organization and local kite enthusiasts. The oldest continuously running kite festival in the United States, a true Texas tradition. I attended this festival for the first time in 2000, followed by several years as an invited performer. It was influential in my interest in the hobby and in flying quad-line kites.
South Padre Island [SPI] — Southern most kite festival in USA–
On the shore of the Laguna Madre Bay, South Padre Island, Texas held on the first weekend of February every year, this event is very popular with “Winter Texans” who drive for hours from all over the state to attend. I have performed traction kiting and attended at SPI festival many times.
Washington State International Kite Festival — 100K Attendees—
Largest arowds of any event in the USA– Grew to become the largest kite festival in all of North America. Kite hobbyists from around the world come to ply the breezes at this event. I have often yearned to make this event, many friends have shared glowing reports of their experiences here.
An Infographic of the Top 10 Kite Festivals Across the USA
| Festival Name | Location | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| WA State Int’l Kite Festival | Long Beach, WA | Largest in North America |
| Frank Mots International | Milwaukee, WI | Major Midwest Gathering |
| Blossom Kite Festival | Washington, D.C. | Part of Cherry Blossom Fest |
| Zilker Park Kite Festival | Austin, TX | Oldest in the USA |
| Newport Kite Festival | Newport, RI | Scenic Coastal Views |
| Lincoln City Festivals | Lincoln City, OR | Twice-a-year major events |
| Wildwoods International | Wildwood, NJ | Huge East Coast festival |
| Great Delaware Kite Festival | Lewes, DE | Long-running family event |
| Kites on Ice | Buffalo, MN | Unique winter festival |
| Berkeley Kite Festival | Berkeley, CA | Former major West Coast event |
Infographic created with data on America’s most beloved kite festivals. If you have never experienced a kite festival,I highly recommend all of the above venues. And there are many other events throughout the country, too numerous to list here.
The American Kitefliers Association is the best resource to find information and locations of sanctioned events throughout the USA. The two following links will get you to their pages.
https://www.facebook.com/akasocial
https://www.kite.org/
Wickedrevs Windy World 