OCEAN CITY — Residents and visitors alike are invited to head to the beach and see the skyline of Ocean City explode with color at this weekend’s Sunfest Kite Festival.
Held through Sunday on the famous downtown boardwalk, the Sunfest Kite Festival is celebrating its 35th year. This world-class event is recognized as one of the top 100 most popular venues on the planet.
All are welcome to witness and participate in general kite flying, kite flying games, Bol races, candy drops, sport kite demos, or just plain kite spectating. Best part of all is it’s free.
Of the many activities planned over the course of the weekend kite festival, it is the “Mass Ascensions” that pack Ocean City’s famous Boardwalk with spectators.
During the daily mass ascensions, visitors and kite flyers alike gather on the beach at 6th Street and on cue, launch their kites.
This year organizers have announced they will be hosting a “Kids Kite Fly”.
At 1 p.m. on Saturday, they will hand out free kites to the first 100 kids who show up. Only kids between the ages of 5 to 12 are eligible for the free kite.
Organizers will then help them assemble and launch the kite right on the beach at 5th Street. All local families and visitors alike are encouraged to come to The Kite Loft at around 12:30 p.m. to get started and get ready to paint the sky.
Organizers will also be featuring a Giant Kite Air Extravaganza put on by our regional flyers. One of the giant kites showcased this year will be the return flight of Mel, The Giant Blue Whale. This kite, made in New Zealand is well over 100 feet long and will simply have your jaw dropping. It will be flown by Jeff and Joyce King of Annapolis along with many other giant kites.
In addition, there will be quad line demos throughout the festival. Quad kites are four line kites flown in formation, much like the Thunderbirds. Several times during the festival there will be as many as 16 quad flyers standing side by side, flying to music, all in perfect formation.
Mike Van Meers, from Gaithersburg, Md. will serve as festival coordinator and will be directing all activities on the beach so get ready to have tons of fun.
This is a do not miss event for young and old alike. Bring your kite, camera, and beach blanket, pray for wind, and have a spectacular time. Call 410-289-7855 or visit www.kiteloft.com for more information
