Don’t miss the Berkeley Kite Festival!
ByIf you have kids, or just want to be a kid, you should head over to the annual Berkeley Kite Festival next weekend at the Berkeley Marina. It’s on July 25th & 26th 2009, from 11:00AM – 5:00PM, it’s free, and the Berkeley Marina is only 5 miles away.
You should definitely pick up a schedule so you can stay for certain events. They usually have rokkaku kite battles (where people try to cut other kites by rubbing their strings against each other’s) and a candy drop where they drop candy from a big kite in the air. You can imagine the kid scene with that one! They also have competitions with the Bay Area Sport Kite League, traditional kites from Japan, giant creature kites, and the awesome Team Kite Ballet event.
There are tons of food booths, free kite making for kids, and a designated area along the ridge for families and their kites. Each area of the festival will give you a different taste of what kiting is all about.
I would bring a blanket to sit on, a picnic lunch, a kite or two, and a sweater. One little warning, the parking can be tough. If you don’t mind walking, you could go over the pedestrian/bike bridge from the other side of the freeway (enter from Addison Street, just a couple of blocks off University on the opposite side of Spengers). Otherwise, I would go well before the official opening to save a lot of frustration with parking. If it’s a sunny and slightly windy day, then it’s perfect weather for a trip to the Kite Festival at Berkeley Marina. Everyone should go at least once.
Article by Stuart Gruendl. Stuart is the developer of OakWalk, and an Oakland native.
*Pictures Courtesy of www.highlinekites.com
