Kite Competitions Around The World

In celebration of Kite Flying Day (Feb. 8), here are three great kite competitions around the world that you can attend during your travels.

The Weifang International Kite Festival is held each year in April. The three-day event includes an opening ceremony, world kite championship, a 10,000-person kite performance and the Weifang Kite-Flying Championship. The closing ceremony and awards is followed by a fireworks display set to music. While there, you’ll also be able to check out the Weifang Kites Museum.

The Bali Kites Festival is held during Indonesia’s windy season, usually in July or August. Typically, the events during the festival confirm their dates and times at the last minute, to coincide with the best weather. Both traditional and more modern kites compete, representing various youth kite-flying teams from around the country. There’s also a competition for inventive kite designs in three-dimensional figures. Each competitive performance is accompanied by a gamelan orchestra.

The Wildwood International Kite Festival is often considered to be the largest in North America. Scheduled for May 27–30, the lineup of events includes the East Coast Stunt Kite Championship, kite workshops, kite vendors, night kite flying and an indoor kite competition.

The Washington State International Kite Festival, held August 15–21, is put on by the World Kite Museum & Hall of Fame. Festivities include workshops, team kite-flying competitions, Japanese Rokkaku battle kite competitions, a competition for handmade kites, kids events and more. In addition to the big event in August, they also host a windless kite competition each January.