Wollongong’s first Kite Flying Festival breezed into Stuart Park on Sunday, with gusts of up to 63 km/h at North Wollongong.
Families scouting for school holiday fun took advantage of the wind to mount their kites and fill the sky with colour and cartoon characters.
Cloud Nine Creations director and event organiser Kaushal Parikh said about 2000 people registered for the festival, which has travelled to several cities since it began at Castle Hill in 2017.
"We've had a really good response," Kaushal said.
“We do it in Sydney at a few locations. We do it in Melbourne, we've done it in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart.
"In smaller locations, I would say between 1500 to 2000 people [attend]; in bigger locations, about 5000 to 7000.
“I've been doing it for six years, obviously coming to Wollongong for the first time… and we were excited to be in Wollongong.”
The festival aims to re-engage children with the great outdoors and revive the hobby of kite flying, something which Kaushal loved to do as a child.
“I've flown kites in parks growing up… and that thing is a thing of the past. You don't see many people doing that anymore.
“So we thought why not start doing some festivals so that we can get people together and see if there's any interest, and a lot of people really loved it,” Kaushal said.
“We are trying to go to different locations and give that opportunity to people to bring their kids along, family along, and fly a kite, have some market stalls. So it's a good day [for a] picnic, with the activity of kite flying as the major attraction.
“It looks very colourful with different characters as well… and kids absolutely love it, and it's also adding a skill to their skillset to fly a kite, and we also show them how to assemble a kite.”
The Kite Flying Festival donates 20 per cent of each event’s profits to The Smith Family. Giving back and helping disadvantaged children is an important part of the festival, Kaushal said.
Organisers hope the Kite Flying Festival will become an annual celebration in Wollongong.
"It's a fun day," Kaushal said. "Most importantly, it's adding a new skillset to kids who have never flown a kite before."
