- Bali Kite Festival 2017 -
With the Arts Festival just finished you might wonder where to go next to blend in with the locals and experience Balinese culture at its finest. Don't worry! The windy season has started and that means the Bali Kite Festival has taking off.
The main events during this festival are taking place mostly along the eastern coast of Bali on various dates in July and August. Padanggalak Beach is one of the most famous places where you can enjoy watching incredible giant kites fill the sky.
The festival once started as an agrarian festival where the locals thanked their gods for their generous harvests. In Bali kites were originally used as a way to pass on messages to their Gods. Now it is a competition where local communities (called banjar) participate to win prices from sponsors.
Even though the competition is a big part of the festival now, the religious symbolism surrounding flying kites in Bali is definitely not forgotten. Youth groups in the banjar sometimes spend weeks designing and making the kite under the supervision of elders. During this whole process rituals are preformed at every stage, with a blessing from the priest when it's finished, for good fortune during the competition.
Balinese traditional kites can measure up to 4 meters in width and 10 meters in length, real gigantic proportions! They are made from bamboo for the framework and lightweight fabrics. The traditional colors often used in the kite's designs are red, white and black. The kites come in all shapes and forms. The most common design is the 'bebean' though, which has an outline in the shape of a fish. The 'kedeber' is easy to recognize by its long ribbon tail. The 'janggan' is the one that looks like a bird with shorter and rounder wings than the bebean. Nowadays you can see more and more non-traditional kites with every imaginable shape. Some kites are even fitted with vibrating bows called 'guwang' as sound instruments making a humming sound caused by the vibration.
Getting a 10 meter kite in the air is not easy. Sometimes up to 20 men are needed to overcome this challenge. The 'sekaa layangan' kite team who manages to airborne their kite in the most gracious way can win the price for best launch. Points are also given for best design, longest flight, how high the kite flies, stability of the kite in the air and of course for the landing.
Hopefully you have become as enthusiastic about the Bali Kite Festival as we are and can you simply not wait to enjoy Bali's windy season. Please see the dates and places of the 2017 events of the Bali Kite Festival below. Please note that dates may shift depending on the weather conditions.
- Pelangi Gianyar Kite Competition: 15-16 July, Masceti Beach, Gianyar
- Dangin Peken Dhananjaya Cup Kite Festival: 22-23 July, Mertasari Beach, Sanur
- Belega Kite Competition: 29-30 July, Masceti Beach, Gianyar
- Ungasan Kite Competition: 29-30 July, Ungasan
- Sanur Kite Competition (Sanur Village Festival): 3-6 August, Sanur Beach
- Biaung Kite Competition: 12-13 August, Biaung
- Banjar Banjaran Kite Competition: 17 August, Abiansemal, Badung
- Klungkung Kite Competition: 17 August, Klungkung
- Pelangi Denpasar Kite Competition: 19-20 August, Denpasar
- Tanjung Kite Competition: 26-27 August, Sanur
- Pelangi Badung Kite Competition: 2-3 September, Padanggalak Beach, Sanur
- Pelangi Tabanan Kite Competition: 9-10 September, Padanggalak Beach, Sanur
- Peliatan Kite Competition: 9-10 September, Peliatan, Ubud
- Namaste Kite Club Kite Competition: 16-17 September, Padanggalak Beach, Sanur
- Tangsi Kite Competition: 23-24 September, Sanur
- Ganeca Kite Competition: 23-24 September, Tabanan
- Bekul Kite Festival: 30 September - 1 October, Padanggalak Beach, Sanur
- Rockiller Kite Festival: 7-8 October, Padanggalak Beach, Sanur
- LPM Kuta Kite Competition: 14-15 October, Kuta
- Batuyang Kite Competition: 21-22 October, Ubud
- Bali Kite Festival 2017 Closing: 28-29 October, Padanggalak
