Fly your kite in Margate

Top kite flyers from across the globe will be heading for Margate Main Sands on September 20 and 21 for the Big Sky International Kite Festival from 10am – 5pm. Now in its second year and organised jointly by Margate Town Partnership and the Kite Society of Great Britain, it is expected to attract thousands of enthusiasts who can take advantage of workshops, stalls and other attractions – including a local wind garden and a Dutch wind and music garden - alongside the spectacular scheduled arena activities.

An exclusive guest list of invited flyers from the UK, Holland, Belgium, Spain, France, New Zealand, Thailand and Malaysia will be flying magnificent large inflatables, soft kites and single line kites in a daily line-up that includes aerial ballet displays, stunts, competitions and club displays.

Among the highlights are:

- Spanish duo Pedro and Esteban Gonzales with soft, inflatable kites such as suns and devils
- World-renowned kite-maker Peter Lynn from New Zealand – famous for his range of soft kites including cats, trilobites and manta rays
- The French three-man kite team The Crazy Drivers and their aerial ballets with four line revolution kites
- Belgium’s innovative kite designer Jos Valcke with a range that features anything from jesters to flowers
- Father and son Bryan and Carl Wright of the UK’s Team Spectrum with their dual line team ballet and Bryan’s ‘one man, three kites’ display
- Les Aisles du Desire – the French four-man stunt team celebrated for their extraordinary aerial ballets. The team also demonstrate their highly-structured cellular kites
- The Air Heads – a unique five-man stunt team from the UK demonstrating air dynamic kites along with Chinese dragon kites, long paper and silk kites with the heads of dragons.
- UK kite club the Avon Kite Fliers with their popular giant Roly the whale
- Belgium’s Team Atomic with a selection of soft kites that include Paddington bear and large octopuses
- Holland’s Kite Team with playful cats, dogs and a massive flying Champagne bottle
- The UK’s husband and wife duo Close Encounters – Allan and Marilyn Pothercary - who perform aerial ballet to music and explain the basics of how to fly a two-line kite

Dave Kinnear of Margate Town Partnership said: “This is great day out for the whole family with a vast array of scheduled displays and free flying throughout the weekend. There will be a large selection of kite traders and other stalls and visitors might like to buy a kite and make their own mark in the sky.”

For further information log on to Visitthanet.co.uk.