About The Kite Festival

“This year the International Kite Festival at Portsmouth will take place on 29th & 30th July” said festival organiser Gill Bloom. “We are planning a great festival with kite fliers from all parts of the U.K. and the world.  We continue to thank Portsmouth City Council for their support.”

This free event is jointly organised by Portsmouth City Council and The Kite Society of Great Britain.


A truly spectacular event with hundreds of kite fliers from around the world.  Why are the kite fliers so keen to come? They travel to Portsmouth because the International Kite Festival is recognised as one of the best and most popular Kite Festivals in the world. It is listed as one of the biggest kite festivals in the world.


The event has a spectacular setting on Southsea common overlooking the Solent and the location offers wide open spaces and good winds which allows kites fliers to show off their creations at their best.


The festival has stunning and colourful demonstrations of the art of kite flying and kite making, with many kites in the sky and on the ground for visitors to enjoy and admire. These include beautiful single line kites - intricately appliquéd or painted with magnificent designs, amazing cellular kites – flying miracles of structural engineering, awe inspiring 3D soft kites in a magical range of shapes and sizes. Teams and individuals skilfully flying kites, performing tricks and ballet routines to music

The theme for 2023 is "East meets West" and will  provide the opportunity to showcase kites from the many expert fliers focussing on kites about and from the East.   There will  also be the chance to see more of the kites made by  Jørgen Møller Hansen now in the hands of Felix Mottram and  Jacob Twyford (The Decorators).  Jørgen was a well known graphic designer who used kites as a medium for his artistic expression.  The full collection can be seen here.


There are a host of other activities to meet every person's needs. These include craft stalls, refreshments, free children’s kite making workshop and local amusements. Dedicated kite traders are also on site and they are able to provide you with a wide range of kites.


The Portsmouth International Kite festival is always a great day out for all the family and is free for everyone.