Ukraine’s International Kite Festival

COVID-19 has had a significant toll on this year’s cultural events, delaying Atlas Festival, UPark Festival, and the International Book Arsenal Festival, and making it feel like we’ve been robbed of entertainment this summer. However, there is one event that we can still depend on: Ukraine’s International Kite Festival. Presently in its fourth year running, the event was supposed to take place in May but has now been pushed back until August. Otherwise known as “South Wind”, this festival is something fun and exciting we can all look forward to in the upcoming months.

The festival is a unique gathering where people from all around the world come to exhibit their enormous 3D kites. The variety of kite models is genuinely astonishing. You’ll find kites in the form of cows, frogs, squids, mysterious creatures, well-known characters, circular shapes, and any wild and wacky creations you could imagine. The event attracts hundreds of participants and spectators who come to witness a captivating sight of the sky filled with these colourful works of art. The festival typically takes place in the southern regions of Ukraine: Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Odesa as these regions have the ideal climatic conditions for kite-flying.   What’s more — there is also an opportunity to learn how to build your own kite! Now, wouldn’t that be a unique hobby? But, kites aren’t the only cool thing that attracts visitors every year. The festival provides excitement for the whole family — with folk and pop concerts, quests and games, markets full of unique items, and many other attractions. 

Provided that this grim situation with COVID-19 calms down in the coming months and the quarantine restrictions ease, this festival will be a perfect excuse for a summer day trip out of the city. After a long period of isolation, coming together to share in something “light and breezy” (literally), seems like the perfect thing to do to feel a sense of positivity again.

If you’re interested, the festival is set to place on 8-9 August in Mykolaiv oblast, 15-16 August in Kherson oblast, and 22-23 August in Odesa oblast — three opportunities to witness this fantastic show!

Don’t forget to check the festival’s official Facebook page for further updates: 

FB: kitefest.ua