Lahaina Kite Festival Slated for April 15 & 16

Robert Loera flies large tetrahedral kite made by Lahaina’s Kite Festival participants during last year’s event while participants fly their own kites on kite flying day.
Photo courtesy of Lahaina Restoration Foundation

Lahaina will celebrate National Kite Month with two days of family fun, featuring Chinese cultural arts, games and foods along with kite making, kite flying, multiline sport kite and kite fighting demonstrations.

Lahaina Restoration Foundation’s Chinese Kite Festival will be held at Wo Hing Museum & Cookhouse in Lahaina on Friday, April 15, 2016, from 2 to 7 p.m.; Kite Flying Day will be held at Lahaina Cannery Mall’s open space lawn on Saturday, April 16, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Admission is free to both events, which will celebrate a global and colorful world of kites.

During the Wo Hing Museum festival on Friday, attendees can see kites from around the world in traditional and modern styles; kites are available for purchase.

Dr. Douglas will offer a presentation on ancient Chinese kites and Kite Master Robert Loera will present “East Indian Art Kite Fighting and Multi-line Kites” at 2 and 6 p.m.

Festival-goers are encouraged to help make the giant tetrahedral kite, putting together large cells to build a kite that will be 9 to 12 feet tall.

From 3 to 6 p.m., traditional Chinese erhu (stringed instrument) music will be performed by Hong Zhou.

Chinese teas will be served in the garden in front of the cookhouse between 4 and 7 p.m.

The Manapua Bakery will offer a variety of manapua and chow fun for sale.

Robert Loera and volunteers setup a giant, 175-foot-long Chinese dragon kite for flight at Lahaina’s Kite Festival flying day. Photo courtesy of Lahaina Restoration Foundation

The festival on Saturday will begin at 9 a.m., when attendees can watch the flight of the giant 175-foot-long Chinese dragon kite.

A demonstration of acrobatic sport kites will be held at 10 a.m.

Participants can fly their own kites at noon, followed by a kite fighting demonstration by members of the Hawai‘i Kitefliers Association from 1 to 2 p.m.

“I love showing my mastery of flying all kites, big or small, and seeing the smiles on people’s faces as they gaze up at colorful kites in the big blue sky,” noted Kite Master Robert Loera of the Hawai‘i Kitefliers Association.

“I’m hoping our kite festival will bring all kite lovers together with our community,” said Busaba Yip Douglas, PhD, Lahaina Restoration Foundation’s Wo Hing cultural director. “The joy of kite flying is not only for the ones who fly kites, but also for those who watch them. We invite the whole family to come out and have a good time!”

The festival is sponsored by Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and the County of Maui Office of Economic Development and supported by Wo Hing Society, Lahaina Cannery Mall and Hawai‘i Kitefliers Association.

Lahaina Cannery Mall’s open space lawn is located at the intersection of Honoapi‘ilani Highway (Highway 30) and Keawe Street.

Wo Hing Museum & Cookhouse, located at 858 Front St., will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday.

For more information, call the museum at (808) 661-5553, go online.