The Annual Sunfest Kite Festival is officially underway on the beach in Ocean City, MD! Conveniently located directly in front of the Kite Loft Boardwalk location at 511 Boardwalk, kite enthusiasts will surely enjoy this annual event and a wide sky full of beautiful colors and animated shapes. This event is open to everyone. Just find a spot on the beach and join in the fun.
Traditionally, this event attracts thousands of visitors from across the country to participate in kite competitions, games, relays, mass ascensions, workshops, and a whole lot of family fun. Running from September 22nd to September 25th, each day is full of kiting events until the sun goes down. Have you ever wanted to learn how to fly a Sport Kite? Well, you can do that on the beach during the Sunfest Kite Festival with free flying lessons offered all day, each day. Simply, visit the main register and the event representatives will point you to the right section of the beach.
Advanced kites will be flown by the professionals, including event coordinator, Mike Van Meers. Van Meers has been involved in kiting since 1986 and has been on board with the Kite Loft team since this event’s inception. His main focus during the event is to fly the giant kites, make sure that everything goes off without a hitch (Mother Nature pending) and to make sure that everyone is having a good time. Van Meers is also in charge of the Boardwalk Dancing Contest that is scheduled for 2:30pm on Saturday, September 24th. It’s not such a bad job to be in charge of kites, dancing and happy campers.
Other event features to note include the Sunfest Auction that is scheduled for Saturday, September 24th at 7pm. Each year, Kite Loft includes display kites and demo kites in this auction and can include anything and everything from giant kites to small diamond kites for kids. Owner Jay Knerr mentioned that “the bidding is always fast and fun” so don’t miss your chance to own your own souvenir from the 2016 kite flying season.
The Candy Drop events that are scheduled for the weekend consist of a large bag of wrapped candy, lifted into the air with the help of a kite. As you may have guessed, the candy bag is then released from the kite so that candy rains from the sky for kids to scramble around the beach and collect. Sorry Mom and Dad, the Candy Drop is for kids only and is offered several times during the week so that everyone can enjoy this sugary fun. Please make note of the scheduled Candy Drop times listed below:
- Friday at 2:30pm
- Saturday at 12:30pm
- Sunday at 12:00pm
There are many other kite events and demonstrations that are scheduled this weekend and you can find the complete list here on the Kite Loft website. Local weather reports are projecting partly cloudy skies and the 70’s for most of the weekend, which happens to be ideal kite flying weather. As you can see on the Kite Loft Beach Cam, the kites are beginning to paint the sky so don’t miss your chance to be a part of this special event. Visit 5th Street and the Boards today for the 2016 Sunfest Kite Festival. Have fun!
