The 35th annual Santa Barbara Kite Festival has been cancelled. Originally scheduled for Sunday April 19th 2020 in the Great Meadow on the west campus of Santa Barbara City College, the festival ran into the same fierce head winds now faced by the entire world. We are suspending this year’s festival in the interest of everyone’s health and well being. We will update you on the festival’s plans as they become available. Over the decades, we have seen families and friends grow up together at the kite festival. We are grateful for your love and support each year. Be well and take care of each other. Hopefully, with the wind at everyone’s back and smiles as bright as the sun, the Santa Barbara Kite Festival will return on the second Sunday in April of next year.
Santa Barbara Kite Festival Returns April 19th
Let the fun begin! The Santa Barbara Kite Festival lands on the “Great Meadow” lawn, 11am-5pm Sunday April 19th 2020 on the west campus of Santa Barbara City College.
More than a dozen familiar kite flying events will take to the skies this year including the festival’s most popular event- the “Children’s Tail Chase”. Several other family-friendly kite flying contests will also land at the festival including “Best of Fest”, “Best Ground Display (banners, flags display), “Youngest & Oldest Kite Flyers”, “Most Unique/Unusual Kite”, “Funniest Kite”, and “Most Unflyable Kite”! Additional contests set to sail over festival grounds include “Most Beautiful” (handmade & commercial), “Highest Flying”, and “Largest & Smallest Kites”. Skilled sport kite flyers will demonstrate their sophisticated flying talents during the windier part of the afternoon. Prizes will be awarded to all contest winners. The 2020 Santa Barbara festival will be located on the “Great Meadow” lawn on west campus of Santa Barbara City College, 973 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara, Ca 93109. Admission to the festival is free. Parking is available on both west campus and the main campus. Kites, food, and beverage can be purchased at the festival.
April 2020 is officially “Kite Month” in Santa Barbara. Thanks to a proclamation by the Santa Barbara City Council, the month of April is designated as “Kite Month” in Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara Kite Festival has also been recognized by the city for its annual contributions to community recreation and family fun. Santa Barbara’s Kite month of April is promoted in coordination with the National Kite Month of April – co-founded by the American Kite Flyers Association and the Kite Trade Association International .
Theme for the 2020 Kite Festival Announced
The theme for 2020 Santa Barbara’s ever popular community kite festival is “Dance With the Wind”. The 35th Annual Santa Barbara Kite Festival will dance with the wind Sunday, April 19, 2020 from 11am-5pm on the west campus lawn at Santa Barbara City College.
Kite Master Rakesh Bahadur selected his year’s theme to celebrate the dance each kite flyer, and kite flying family enjoys when their kite takes to the sky. “Kite flying is like dancing with the wind. The sheer fun of trying is all that matters. The wind asks you and your kite partner to celebrate the moment together.”
The dance will begin this year with the ever popular “Children’s Tail Chase”- as children in age groups chase after and try to capture the tail of a kite flown by the festival kite master. Newer kite contests will also be featured including “Best of Fest”, “Best Ground Display” (banners, flags display), “Youngest & Oldest Kite Flyers”, “Most Unique/Unusual Kite”, “Funniest Kite”, and “Most Unflyable Kite” ! Other popular contests returning include “Most Beautiful” (handmade & commercial), “Highest Flying”, “Largest & Smallest Kites”, and demonstrations of “Sport Flying”. Prizes will be awarded to all contest winners. The festival is held each year on the west campus of Santa Barbara City College, 973 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara, Ca 93109. Admission to the festival is free. Parking is available on both west campus and the main campus. Kites, food, and beverage can be purchased at the festival. Thanks to a proclamation by the Santa Barbara City Council over a decade ago, the month of April was officially dubbed “Kite Month” in Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara Kite Festival was also recognized by the city for its annual contributions to community recreation and family fun.
Santa Barbara Kite Festival’s New Theme for 2017 Festival
“It’s time to fly!” As fleeting as time can be, this year’s theme for the 32nd annual Santa Barbara Kite Festival is “It’s time to fly!” Festival organizers grabbed hold of today’s time change to announce the theme for the 2017 Santa Barbara Kite Festival, coming 11am-5pm Sunday April 9th to the Great Meadow (the west campus lawn) at Santa Barbara City College’s west campus, 973 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara, California. Kite Master Rakesh Bahadur said “Kite flying is timeless. It brings families and friends together. This year’s theme celebrates the time that families and friends spend together.” Save the date, and time for this year’s Santa Barbara Kite Festival because it’s time to fly!
The 2016 Santa Barbara Kite Festival is a GO!
After some much needed rain, this Sunday’s forecasts move from cloudy to a mix of sun and clouds by midday and breezy conditions. There is a slight chance of a shower at last report (20% -decreasing by evening). The festival is a go! Parents- You may want to bring a spare pair of sox or shoes for your child in case their shoes get overly wet while they are having too much fun. We open at 11am. See you there.
New Festival Date April 10th 2016, New Contests!
SAVE THE DATE! The 31st annual Santa Barbara Kite Festival returns Sunday, April 10th, 2016 with new extended hours 11am to 5pm, and new kite contests! In addition to the ever-popular “Children’s Tail Chase”, new kite contests for the 2016 festival include “Best of Fest”, “Best Ground Display (banners, flags display), “Youngest & Oldest Kite Flyers”, “Most Unique/Unusual Kite”, “Funniest Kite”, and “Most Unflyable Kite” ! Popular past contests will return including “Most Beautiful” (handmade & commercial), “Highest Flying”, “Largest & Smallest Kites”, “Kite Fighting” and “Sport Flying”. Prizes will be awarded to all contest winners. The Santa Barbara Kite Festival is held each year on the west campus lawn at Santa Barbara City College 973 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara, 93109 (next to the Garvin Theatre), a short distance from the main campus. Admission to the festival is free. Parking is available on both west campus and the main campus. Kites can be purchased at the festival. For more info, visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/santabarbarakitefestival and our website www.sbkitefest.com. Email sbkitefest@gmail.com or davidhefferman@hotmail.com. Phone 805-627-6202 or 805-963-2964.
April 2016 is officially “Kite Month” in Santa Barbara. Thanks to a proclamation by then Mayor Marty Blum and the Santa Barbara City Council, the month of April is officially designated as “Kite Month” in Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara Kite Festival has also been recognized by the city for its annual contributions to community recreation and family fun. Santa Barbara’s Kite Month of April is promoted in coordination with the National Kite Month of April co-founded by the American Kite Flyers Association and the Kite Trade Association International .
For info, visit www.nationalkitemonth.org, and www.kite.org
The 2015 Santa Barbara Kite Festival Celebrates 30 Years!
The 30th Anniversary edition of the Santa Barbara Kite Festival will take to the skies Sunday April 12th, 2015 from 11am-4pm in the “Great Meadow”- west campus lawn at Santa Barbara City College. This fun-filled family-style kite flying festival is celebrating 30 years as one of the community’s favorite festivals. The 30th Anniversary Santa Barbara Kite Festival will spotlight handmade kites, from the creations of local children to handmade kites featuring amazing cutting edge flying technologies, designs and fabrics. Over the past 30 years, the festival has been the lucky witness to hundreds of beautiful handmade kites. Organizers will recognize handmade kites again in the festival’s 2015 edition of the “Most Beautiful Kite” competition. Commercially-made kites are also welcome in the competition and will be available for purchase at the festival.
In addition to the “Most Beautiful Handmade Kite” competition, the festival will feature the “Kite Tail Chase” game for children throughout the day. Children, divided into appropriate age groups, try to catch the tail of a kite flown by the festival’s kite master Rakesh Bahadur, as the kite dips and dives through the air. Other competitions include “kite fighting” and “sport flying” for skilled flyers, “highest flying”, and “largest kites”. Kites will be available for purchase at the festival. There will also be food and beverages, and a kid’s zone with a jumper and family info tables. The festival is free and open to flyers of all abilities. Paid parking is plentiful on campus.
More festival information and updates are available at http://www.sbkitefest.net , the festival’s Facebook page, or by emailing davidhefferman@hotmail.com, 805-637-6202. The “Great Meadow” (west campus lawn) is located on Santa Barbara City College’s West Campus at 971 Cliff Drive in Santa Barbara, adjacent to the college’s main campus.
April 2015 is Kite month in Santa Barbara. Thanks to a 2007 proclamation by the city’s honorable Mayor Marty Blum and the Santa Barbara City Council, the month of April is officially designated as Kite Month in the city of Santa Barbara. In addition, the Santa Barbara Kite Festival was recognized in 2007 for its annual contributions to community recreation and family fun. Mayor Marty Blum agreed to author the proclamation in coordination with National Kite Month – a not-for profit venture co-founded by the American Kite Flyers Association and the Kite Trade Association International . For info, log on to http://www.nationalkitemonth.org .
The Santa Barbara Kite Festival 