View Berkeley Kite Festival - July 2012 in a larger map
What
- Festival to see all kinds of flamboyant and artistic kites
- Free kite flying and kite making lessons
- Entertainment for kids – Jumpers, Trains, Pony Rides, Farm Animals
More
Info
- Free admission
- $10/day parking with free shuttles from the parking lot to the festival
- Festival booths selling kites, candies, food, etc
This
was our first time visiting the Annual Kite Festival in Berkeley. Although I
knew about the Kite Festival long ago, I was not motivated to attend the event
until I saw pictures of the magnificent kites that are flown here. I am so glad
that we made it this time because we had a blast.
As
we were on the freeway and driving close to the Cesar Chavez Park, we saw
numerous, vibrant kites flying high against the clear blue sky. That was enough
to get us excited! There are two parking lots, one at Marina and another at
Golden Gate Fields. We parked the car at Marina and took the free shuttle to
the festival grounds. The good thing is that the $10 parking fee goes to buying
dictionaries for Berkeley school kids.
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| Puppy Kite |
We saw all kinds of assorted shaped kites, such as fish, octopus, prism, roto-box, lizard, dragon and many more that my memory does not recollect. Some of the highlights were the humongous puppy shaped kite, giant octopus kite, Nemo fish kite and Panda shaped kite.
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| Giant Octopus Kite |
It was fun watching little kids trying to fly their cute little kites. There is a ton of entertainment for the kids, in addition to flying kites. There were jumpers, pony rides and a kids train to take them around the park. There was also a small space for farm animals such as goat, chicken, duck, rabbits and kids were inside this little space petting the farm animals. I took the opportunity to pet a tiny rabbit, which has been and still is my personal favorite since I was a kid. It reminded me of those days when my parents took me to a shopping complex in my native town every Sunday evening only to see two little rabbits playing in the grass.
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| Jumpers |
There were kite flying shows among novice kite flyers and it was amazing to see how they flew their kites in a procession. In addition, there are several festival booths, where one can amble and spend time. Some of the vendors were even giving away free ice-cream samples to all and sundry.
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| A kite enthusiast |
We spent a good two hours here before taking the shuttle back to the parking lot. When we attend the kite festival next year, we are sure to best utilize the free kite flying and kite making classes offered at the festival. Several folks had even brought their tents to camp there the entire day. I fancy that idea!
Here is a video of a kite show that I captured:
Tips
- Check out the timings for free kite flying and kite making classes if you are interested
- Bring your tents if you plan to stay here for the entire day because there is no shade at all
- Bring towels to spread on the grounds
More Pictures
- Click here for more pictures
Nearby Locations
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