Meet the kite flyers appearing at KiteFest

Dozens of spectacular kits are set to soar high above the skies at Clontarf this September, with the much-loved Redcliffe KiteFest returning for two big days of family fun and live entertainment.

Billed as the ultimate family weekend, the popular event will be held on September 16 and 17 at Clontarf’s Pelican Park.

Highlights of this year’s event include a special appearance by Cocomelon, as well as Ryder, Chase, Skye, Marshall and Rubble from Paw Patrol.

There will also be lots of rides including a Ferris wheel, dodgem cars, a mini pirate ship, jumping castle and a giant slide, as well as lots of free hands-on activities and more than 150 market stalls.

The main attraction of this year’s festival will be the gigantic kites which will be operated by several domestic and international kite flyers, who are flying in from, Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand.

Redcliffe KiteFest is organised by MBRIT and Kites Queensland in partnership with Moreton Bay City Council and It’s Live! In Queensland, and supported by major sponsors Sesame Lane, Ausbuild and UniSC.

Find out more about the kite flyers here:

Kites Queensland (Redcliffe)

Kites Queensland, also known as the Redcliffe Kite Club, is a club dedicated to fostering the age-old art of kite flying and kite making.

Club members participate in several demonstrations across the state each year, and conduct workshops for other kite flying enthusiasts so they can make and launch their own masterpieces into the sky.

Members work tirelessly throughout the year to organise the amazing displays that are seen at KiteFest.

You will find them in the Ausbuild Kite Flying Arena.

Andreas Ågren (Indonesia)

Andreas is a kite creator originally from Sweden but who now resides in Bali.

He started making kites at the age of 42 and takes pride in flying kites he has personally designed.

His single line kites are very different to what you might expect to see, with some of them showing off his sense of humour.

Andreas attends various kite festivals across the world and is best known for one of his more famous designs the Sverker – the Viking Ship kite.

Karin and Roger Stevens (Belgium)

Hailing from East Belgium, Karin and Roger are enthusiastic kite flyers who have been involved with kites for many years.

They make all their kites themselves and take great pride in making and designing them from scratch.

During the winter months, they can often be found building their own kites in their specially equipped room.

They have flown kites all over the world including India, England, Malta, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Denmark, Canada and Belgium.

Danny Lau (Malaysia)

Danny, affectionally known as Danny Kiteman, is a skilled kite flyer with more than 25 years’ experience.

He became a professional kite flyer in 2003 and specialises in kite events for corporate companies, team building and fun outdoor events.

For the past few years, Danny has been involved in the NTUC Income Kite Festival in Singapore.

Leong Chee Wan (Malaysia)

Known as CEEWAN in the kiting community, Leong Chee Wan has been big into kites for more than 30 years.

Over the years he has become well known in the international kiting community, especially in the United States.

His most successful designs include the Pointer and Plutz kites, which are now sold under licence in America.

He is also known for his collection of rare, stunning and designer kites from all over the world.

Simon and Lyndall (New Zealand)

Simon and his wife Lyndall are two international kite flying enthusiasts from New Zealand.

Over the years Simon has designed some amazing kites, as well as working on all four of the world’s largest kites (including a Guiness World Record Kite).

He also made Toothless the Dragon for 20^th Century Fox to help promote the movie How to Train Your Dragon 2.