Berkeley Kite Festival Animates the Skies Down at the Marina

Don’t miss the Berkeley Kite Festival – a FREE family event that will paint the skies over Berkeley this weekend.

WHEN: Sat/Sun, July 29/30 from 10am-6pm.

WHERE: Cesar E. Chavez Park at the Berkeley Marina. Parking at the Marina or at

Sarah McAlister at her first Berkeley Kite Fest

Golden Gate Fields is $15, but the shuttle is FREE.

WHAT: 31st Annual Berkeley Kite Festival & West Coast Kite Championships

Fun Activities both days:
Free Kite Flying Lessons
Free Kite Making, 11am-2pm
Free Candy Drop, 3:30pm (According to this year’s sponso, Hills Physicians Medical Group, healthy treats will be mixed with the candy!)
Free Rokkaku Battle, 1:30 & 4:15
Worlds Largest Octopus Kite
Humongous Kites: Bigger than a house and longer than a train!
Sodo-Cho Kite Team from Hamamatsu, Japan. Amazingly, their kites are made from fine paper and bamboo.
Berkeley Kite Wranglers & Friends
Brian Champie’s King of the Hill Gang
Bay Area Sport Kite League
West Coast Kite Championship competition presented by BASKL
Japan Sodo-Cho Kite Team
20,000 sq. ft. of Giant Creature Kites from New Zealand!
Great Food & Music!

KITE FLYING: Kites are for everyone – for artists, adventurists, animation fans, dreamers and those with a love of modern kite flying.

“ I love kites,” says Tom McAlister, owner of Highline Kites in Berkeley and founder of the Berkeley Kite Fest.”The physical act of looking up while flying kites makes you healthy. Become part of our Berkeley Kite Festival where the earth, wind, and sky combine to create an unequaled festival experience.“

If you think about it, when you are flying a kite and looking up, your thoughts soar up into the blissful beauty and freedom of colors and shapes flapping in the wind, touching the clouds and the blue sky. You almost experience the art of flying.

NOTE: The Kite Festival is FREE, but parking at the marina or at a shuttle stop (Golden Gate Fields) costs $15. Shuttles from GGF are freee.Valet parking for bikes is also available for free.

Highline Kites is located at 11 Spinnaker Way in the Berkeley Marina.