Destinations: The Washington State International Kite Festival August 21-27, 2023 at Long Beach, Washington

The Washington State International Kite Festival! 

August 21-27, 2023 at Long Beach, Washington

By Diane Hettrick

The earliest date I could find on the International Kite Festival webpage was 1983 but judging by the number and type of events, it must have been going for a lot longer.

Did you know there are fighter kites? There are and there are multiple fight competitions.

Did you know that kites dance? Apparently they fly them in formations like programmed drones at the Olympics. Except the kites answer to the wind, not a controller. 

There are events for seniors, children, handicapped people, 

There are over a dozen types and shapes of kites and events for each of them:

• Single line flats kites, bowed kites, dimensional kites, delta kites, flexible kites
• Single line kites by purpose: fighter kites, Rokkaku kites, figure kites
• Multiple single line kites: trains and centipedes, arch trains, figure kites
• Multi line sports kites
• Multi line power kites

Fortunately, there are no quizzes and nothing to prevent you from enjoying them without knowing what they are.

It's no wonder that it's a seven day event.

If you have time, visit the World Kite Museum