Enjoyed by millions of people around the world each year, kite festivals provide a fun day out for both travelers and local residents alike. Whether you have a passion for kites or just want to take some time out to stop and appreciate the wonder of a sky full of brightly-colored “wings”, you are sure to find a kite festival around Australia you can visit. Enjoy the fresh air while taking in the view of hundreds of colorful kites at festivals that are held all around the country. Read on for five great kite events you can check out in 2014.
Festival of the Winds on Bondi Beach
If you plan to book a hotel in Sydney in September, you might like to consider timing your stay so that you can attend the annual Festival of the Winds kite festival on Bondi Beach. Every year the skies around this iconic beach come alive with hundreds of different kites made of various colors, sizes and shapes. Both local and international kite producers and flyers head to this festival to show off their wares or flying skills. Items on display usually include delta, free form, box, Malaysian, Chinese and Japanese kites. Travelers can also enjoy workshops on building kites; food and drink from cultures around the world; an art exhibition; dance and craft workshops; and a multicultural entertainment program. Children are also well-catered with entertainment that includes face painting, wandering minstrels, fairground rides and an animal farm. This feast for the senses is produced by The Australian Kite Flyers’ Society and Bondi Pavilion.
Kirra Kite Festival on the Gold Coast
Held on Kirra Beach on the Gold Coast each November, the Kirra Kite Festival provides a great day out for all the family. The event celebrates kite culture, music, film, the arts, street performances and gourmet food, and locals and tourists alike descend on this popular destination to enjoy the collection of character kites from Australia and overseas. Visitors to the festival can enjoy indulging their taste buds at the variety of nearby eateries and at food and wine events; listen to gifted musicians and be entertained by street performers; learn at on-site workshops; and be awed by fire shows and night kite flying demonstrations. The Festival has also extended its program to include an outdoor, beachside film festival. The event is run in conjunction with the Queensland Kite Society and provides many fun activities for children such as rides, a magic show and kite art workshops.
Rosebud Kite Festival in Victoria
The annual Rosebud Kite Festival, now in its tenth year, is held in Victoria each March and is the premier kite flying event in the state. Located on the foreshore in Rosebud (less than an hour’s drive from Melbourne) the Festival sees the sky come alive with a variety of colorful aerial characters and designs. The event is known for its demonstration of giant sky kites that are arranged and conducted by “wind artists” from Australia and New Zealand. Travelers visiting Rosebud for the event can enjoy the Festival’s live musical acts; kite-making and circus skill workshops; carnival rides; food and craft stalls; and roving street artists.
Adelaide International Kite Festival
Run by the Adelaide Kite Flyers’ Association, the annual International Kite Festival held in the South Australia capital draws tens of thousands of visitors every year. The free event (held over the Easter long weekend) features demonstrations from close to 50 kite enthusiasts from around Australia and overseas. Travelers can watch a variety of hand-painted kites and inflatable animals add color to the sky, as well as enjoy feature demonstrations, kite challenges, lolly drops, carnival rides, food stalls, live entertainment and workshops.
Redcliffe KiteFest
Located in Redcliffe, an outer suburb north of the Brisbane CBD, the popular, annual KiteFest will be held on 17 May this year. The event will feature internationally-acclaimed kite flyers from all over Australia and around the globe that meet at the day-long festival to display their purpose-built kites and practiced flying skills. The Kite Festival also provides a family-friendly concert at night; a fireworks display; face painting, trampolines, workshops, rides and games for children; and an aerobatics show from the Warbird Aviation group. This year the kite festival has merged with the local Seafood and Wine Festival (featuring food and wine samples and cooking demonstrations), so travelers have even more reasons to head to the region in May.
(Photo by DrewOtt via Flickr)
If you plan to book a hotel in Sydney in September, you might like to consider timing your stay so that you can attend the annual Festival of the Winds kite festival on Bondi Beach. Every year the skies around this iconic beach come alive with hundreds of different kites made of various colors, sizes and shapes. Both local and international kite producers and flyers head to this festival to show off their wares or flying skills. Items on display usually include delta, free form, box, Malaysian, Chinese and Japanese kites. Travelers can also enjoy workshops on building kites; food and drink from cultures around the world; an art exhibition; dance and craft workshops; and a multicultural entertainment program. Children are also well-catered with entertainment that includes face painting, wandering minstrels, fairground rides and an animal farm. This feast for the senses is produced by The Australian Kite Flyers’ Society and Bondi Pavilion.
Kirra Kite Festival on the Gold Coast
Held on Kirra Beach on the Gold Coast each November, the Kirra Kite Festival provides a great day out for all the family. The event celebrates kite culture, music, film, the arts, street performances and gourmet food, and locals and tourists alike descend on this popular destination to enjoy the collection of character kites from Australia and overseas. Visitors to the festival can enjoy indulging their taste buds at the variety of nearby eateries and at food and wine events; listen to gifted musicians and be entertained by street performers; learn at on-site workshops; and be awed by fire shows and night kite flying demonstrations. The Festival has also extended its program to include an outdoor, beachside film festival. The event is run in conjunction with the Queensland Kite Society and provides many fun activities for children such as rides, a magic show and kite art workshops.
Rosebud Kite Festival in Victoria
The annual Rosebud Kite Festival, now in its tenth year, is held in Victoria each March and is the premier kite flying event in the state. Located on the foreshore in Rosebud (less than an hour’s drive from Melbourne) the Festival sees the sky come alive with a variety of colorful aerial characters and designs. The event is known for its demonstration of giant sky kites that are arranged and conducted by “wind artists” from Australia and New Zealand. Travelers visiting Rosebud for the event can enjoy the Festival’s live musical acts; kite-making and circus skill workshops; carnival rides; food and craft stalls; and roving street artists.
Adelaide International Kite Festival
Run by the Adelaide Kite Flyers’ Association, the annual International Kite Festival held in the South Australia capital draws tens of thousands of visitors every year. The free event (held over the Easter long weekend) features demonstrations from close to 50 kite enthusiasts from around Australia and overseas. Travelers can watch a variety of hand-painted kites and inflatable animals add color to the sky, as well as enjoy feature demonstrations, kite challenges, lolly drops, carnival rides, food stalls, live entertainment and workshops.
Redcliffe KiteFest
Located in Redcliffe, an outer suburb north of the Brisbane CBD, the popular, annual KiteFest will be held on 17 May this year. The event will feature internationally-acclaimed kite flyers from all over Australia and around the globe that meet at the day-long festival to display their purpose-built kites and practiced flying skills. The Kite Festival also provides a family-friendly concert at night; a fireworks display; face painting, trampolines, workshops, rides and games for children; and an aerobatics show from the Warbird Aviation group. This year the kite festival has merged with the local Seafood and Wine Festival (featuring food and wine samples and cooking demonstrations), so travelers have even more reasons to head to the region in May.
(Photo by DrewOtt via Flickr)
Mandy Best is a kite enthusiast, a blogger and a travel writer who loves to spend time exploring the world’s best outdoor festivals.
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