The 5th Eden Kite Festival 2019 will be a four-day event from 13 to 16 December to be held in George and Knysna. The event has attracted 25 kiters; 11 from across South Africa and 14 as well as 7 countries from as far afield as Scandinavia, Europe, Asia and Southern Africa.
This year’s exciting venues will be:
13 Dec – Kite Fly preview at Myoli Beach Sedgefield 14:00 – 18:00
14 Dec – Sasol at George 09:30 – 16:30
15 & 16 Dec – Knysna High School Fields on Waterfront Drive Knysna 09:30 – 16:30
According to one of the organisers, Jacky Weaver, 11 kiters from Gauteng, the Eastern and Western Cape will be joined by 4 from India, 3 from Finland, 2 from England, 1 from Zimbabwe, 2 from Poland, 1 from Singapore and 1 from Indonesia.
Despite the growth, the Festival will remain true to the principles upon which it was founded in 2015.
It remains a unique family-focused outdoor celebration, not just for children but for all ages to enjoy. However, it promises to wow spectators even more than it did over the last four years!
With the support of the Rotary Club George and Rotary Club Knysna, the event will continue to aid Masithandane’s Bursary Fund, ensuring disadvantaged children can attend school by providing transport, stationery, clothing and toiletries.
It offers the chance to learn about hundreds of years of kite history, much of which is deeply ingrained in some country’s cultures.
In addition, it will be a showcase for a range of modern and traditional kites and will amaze and entertain the spectators.
The first Festival was held at Karatara in 2015 and attracted around 1 000 spectators. The second and third was held in Sedgefield and attracted 2 000 and 3 000 respectively. The fourth, held jointly in George and Sedgefield last year, attracted around 3 800. The organisers hope to reach in excess of 5 000 spectators in 2019.
Discover Sedgefield summed it up best; kite flying festivals are great fun for the whole family, providing challenging competitions tailored for all ages and having great spectator appeal with many kinds of imaginative kites on display, some just for show as they are tied to the ground via a long cord and fly themselves, and others for their flying capabilities. Kite flying offers great photographic opportunities so no surprises that there is a competition with categories for adults and juniors.