Do you know a great location for a kite festival and can’t figure out why no one has taken advantage of it yet. Perhaps it’s in a family oriented community, perhaps it’s somewhere with lots of sport kite fliers or maybe it’s just a big open space that seems to cry out come fly here. When you look at the spot you can envision a huge festival, with tons of local people coming out to watch and fly. You and your friends would, of course, be there with your kites. You would enjoy the mass ascensions, helping with the kid’s kite making, flying the kite for the candy drop. Perhaps you would even fly a sport kite demonstration to a song you don’t know just for the fun of it. But, gosh darn, the AKA hasn’t had the foresight to show up and run a festival in your hometown. With all those big major kite festivals around with experienced organizers you would think the AKA could send someone your way?
At any major kite festival in the United States chances are it is sanctioned by the AKA and there is an AKA member who is organizing it, AKA members who are volunteering, and AKA members who are flying. If the AKA would just send some of those great people to your hometown then you could have a great kite festival too! There is only one catch; the AKA did not send those people to run those events. Those great AKA members, in most cases, are in fact local kitefliers, putting on an event in their own hometown. They are not there because the AKA sent them but because they had a vision for a kite festival.
The AKA is a 99% volunteer organization whose mission is to share the joy of kiting. We accomplish this mission by empowering you, our members with the tools you need to organize events and competitions. Most of the large events around the US started as small events. They started as a vision in the eye of a local kiteflier. A vision just like the one you have for a festival in your own hometown.
Check out the AKA website and publications. We have an awesome manual on organizing a kite festival. With AKA event sanctioning comes event insurance, which will meet the requirements of most parks, all for a ridiculously low sanctioning fee. In addition, your RD will help to answer your questions, as well as recommend other kitefliers you might contact.
Hey, the AKA needs an event in your hometown and you’re appointed. Using the tools the AKA provides, you can organize a successful event. It’s up to you to make your vision a reality and to share the joy of kiting!
Susan Skinner
AKA President
president@aka.kite.org