The Smithsonian Kite Festival is an annual event that is traditionally a part of the festivities at the National Cherry Blossom Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Kite enthusiasts show off their stunt skills and compete for awards in over 36 categories including aerodynamics, beauty, box, and funniest. Top prizes are given for the Theme Award, People’s Choice, Family Trophy, and Highest Overall Score. The Smithsonian's Kite Festival is one of the most popular annual events in Washington, DC and features kite fliers from across the U.S. and the world.
Location: On the grounds of the National Mall, between 4th & 7th Streets, NW Washington, DC
New this year, kite organizations will sponsor hands-on activities and demonstrations. You can learn about kite flying, help make a kite, and learn about the history of kites and the Smithsonian Kite Festival.
Kite Flying Competitive Events
The two most exciting and competitive events are The Hot Tricks Shootout and the Rokkaku Battle.
The Hot Tricks Shootout is a stunt kite flying competition. Pairs of fliers compete against each other to see who can do the most interesting tricks in a 30 second countdown. At the end of each 30-second segment, the flier changes and every 3 minutes a winner is determined for each round. Winners of each of the rounds stay in the competition and the flier who is left at the end of all rounds is the winner of the event.
The Rokkaku Battle is held at the end of the day when individuals or teams try to cut or ground the other kites. The last kite in the sky wins the contest.
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