A colourful dance at the launch ceremony of the international kite festival. Pictures: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula
Aspire First International Kite Festival kicked off yesterday, bringing in leading international kite flyers from some 13 countries. Large crowds gathered to participate in the first day of the five day event, at Aspire Park.
The international teams will compete in a range of individual and team sports kite events. A range of synchronised kite performances and displays will also take place throughout the festival.
Part professional competition, part community festival, the meticulously planned five-day event comprises a unique programme of entertainment that offers something for everyone. Over 5,000 kites will be provided free of charge during the festival.
Alessandro Gaffuri, founder and CEO of CELS, one of the event organizers, said during a media tour:“Arts and Crafts stall is divided into two sections for workshops, a place where children can be creative in terms of drawing, painting and preparing kites. The workshop is to show the children history of kites and how to fly kites. Indonesian and Singaporean kite associations are supporting the children with workshops.”
Talking to The Peninsula, Wing Lee, President of Singaporean Kite Association said: “I am conducting workshops for school children. We give them a presentation to make it easy for them to understand how a kite flies, what are the different types of kites and we teach them how to make a kite. We are also providing all the material which can be used while making a kite.”
Tessa Gaambassi Roger, Kite Flyer from France told The Peninsula that: “The size of the fields are absolutely fine in Doha as compared to different countries. The wind is in perfect direction in fields which will help us during the competition. We are mainly focusing to make it a good show for audience. We have received award of ‘World Champions’ in 2005 France, we are very thankful to Aspire Foundation to invite us to First Kite Festival.”
The event programme has been designed to provide entertainment options for the whole family. These range from a photo booth wind machine to F1 simulators, or the chance to relax and explore beautifully appointed wind gardens.
“The Wind Garden is the mix of different structures designed to work with wind. Every kite flyer coming from Australia, Canada, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, UK, U.S. and Vietnam brought their own special designed wind mills and beautiful structures to showcase,” said an event organizer during the media tour.
A range of delicious food and beverage options including some of Qatar’s most popular food trucks are also on offer to tempt visitors’ taste buds.
Kholoud Al Hail, CEO of Aspire Katara Hospitality, said: “This event is unlike anything else in Qatar. We’re excited to open the 1st Aspire International Kite Flying Festival, and to invite the people of Doha to visit. From professional competition, to fun and engaging activities for families – we have it covered. We’re very pleased with the response so far, and expect even more interest in the coming days as residents and visitors in Qatar join us to color the skies.”
Aspire first International Kite Festival is set to become an annual event, further demonstrating Qatar’s capabilities and expertise in hosting major international sports and cultural activities.
