Kuwait International Kite Festival 2014

Now in it's 14th year, the Kuwait International Kite Festival, is sponsored by the Al-Farsi Kite Team. We are asking for requests from fliers who would like to attend this spectacular event.



This is the planned schedule:

  • Monday 24 Feb 2014. This is the day before Kuwait national day. The cultural equivalent of Christmas. Also around this time, is the anniversary of their liberation from Iraq and the anniversary of the crowning of the Emir. You are going to a city in a party mood. You arrive in Kuwait international airport. You pay your own flight but from the moment you arrive, you don't have to put your hand in your pocket. As you step from the air bridge into the terminal building, you are met by an escort who whisks you through visa, immigration, passport control, baggage reclaim and out to the terminal. In the terminal, you are met by a member of the kite team and handed over to the hotel transfer limosine. The team have pickup trucks - if your kite bags don't fit in the car, we'll take care of them. You check in to your room in a 5 star hotel. You are free to rest and recover but if you want to see a bit of the city, the team will run a trip to the Old Souk in the afternoon, where you can wander round the fish market, the meat market and a thousand stalls selling almost anything you might think of. In the evening, we have dinner in a nice restaurant, before bed.


  • Tuesday 25 Feb 2014. Kite flying day. The day starts with a buffet breakfast, where the hotels like to show off how many different possible items can be included in a breakfast spread without using bacon. The kites are loaded into pickup trucks and the fliers into a coach, for the trip to the kite field. We agree a suitable time to leave the evening before (not too early, not too late) but the bus will famously leave on time because it is rude to make a coach full of people wait for one person. If you miss the bus, catch a taxi to Road 258 in Bnaider, which is South on the 40. The flying field is about 250m x 250m, in the desert. It has been cleaned and prepared. There are many anchor points buried in the field. If you see a transporter strap sticking out the ground, you can be assured that the strap will break before the anchor moves. If you see a Polypropylene rope sticking out, it is an anchor suitable for regular single line kites. There are marquees round the field for shade and shelter and a VIP hot buffet lunch is provided. Cold drinks are available all day. Round the field, there is traditional Kuwaiti dancing and music, displays of art and photography, workshops for children, free bouncy castles and room for adults to relax. We have one huge arena shared between maxi kites, regular single line, dual line and the occasional Scotsman or Kiwi on a kite buggy. We fly co-operatively, sharing lines and anchors in a field that is big enough for everyone. We pack up as the sun sinks below the horizon at 5:45pm. It gets dark pretty quickly. At the end of the day, we leave big bags in a secure tent and take the coach back to the city for a shower and change for dinner together in a nice resturant. Feel free to use the hotel laundry service - you'll need it after a day in the desert.


  • Wednesday 26 Feb 2014. Kite flying day. Similar to Tuesday but we stay for a night fly and a BBQ in the desert.


  • Thursday 27 Feb 2014. Kite flying day. Similar to Tuesday but finishing with a farewell dinner.


  • Friday 28 Feb 2014. Fly home. Transport to the airport provided. If your flight is late and you want to go for a trip, then we will try to arrange in small groups. Options include the sights, sounds (and smells) of the Old Souk, the metalwork souk, the animal souk, the Kuwait tower, The Avenues luxury shopping mall, and a choice of museums.


  • The event is always hugely oversubscribed but the team are keen to consider everyone. The team like to invite back old friends and they also like to share the love and invite people who have never been before.



    If you would like to be considered for the 2014 event, please send a 1-page PDF to andrew@tug.com that includes:

    • Your name (or names)
    • Your home country.
    • Your email address
    • Feel free to fill the rest of the page with anything that might help the team to consider you. Pictures of your kites are good. A Picture of your face is also useful, so that they can say "Ah yes, I remember that person..."

    Please note that I only help to organise logistics. I don't make the decisions!