This year’s Bridlington Kite Festival drew in big crowds at the weekend with kite-enthusiasts treated to a range of different shapes and designs in the air.
More than 100 kites took to the skies, including Oscar, the world’s largest teddy bear, Bertie Bassett, a stingray, Mario, and a 100m-long dragon made by hand in Bali, according to owner Malcolm Goodman who brought it along to Sewerby Fields in only its second outing.
Internationally renowned experts put on a display to entertain local residents and visitors to the festival witnessed some of the best kite displays in the world.
Displays included some of the world’s largest inflatable kites flown by professional flyers, teams of two and four-line kite flyers performing sequences to music.
It was a great atmosphere as families gathered on the field with a picnic and enjoyed the displays performed by professional teams. Visitors even had the chance to fly their own kites or purchase their first kites from the kite trader Gokites who were stationed at the festival.
Entertainment was provided by Spare Hands and Indigo Moon Theatre whilst face painting was provided by Fantastic Faces. A giant inflatable boot camp and the traditional fairground were also in attendance.
Visitors were treated to plenty of varied food stalls on site and ice cream which went down a treat in the glorious warm weather.
The event returned after being cancelled last year due to the pandemic, but the event had the highest turnout ever with over 8,000 people attending over the weekend.
It was rescheduled from its usual date in May so it could be held in person and is expected to return to its usual date next year.
Councillor Jane Evison, portfolio holder for economic development and tourism at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “It is fantastic to see how successful the Bridlington Kite Festival was this year and I’m sure a lot of those visitors to the area will return again in May when the festival returns to its usual date.
“Thankfully we had fantastic weather for our kite-enthusiasts and some of the kites brought over the weekend were truly remarkable. Overall, it was a fantastic occasion enjoyed by lots of families and we can now look forward to doing it all over again come May.”
