Kites & Bikes Festival
Next Kites and Bikes Festival - March 2011
The Brunswick Heads Kites and Bikes Festival has become such an enormous task for a small Chamber of Commerce and township to fund and stage, that the organisers have reluctantly decided to hold it every second year.
The next Brunswick Heads Kites and Bikes Festival is therefore scheduled for March 2011. The exact date is yet to be announced.
Kites and Bikes Festival 2009
The much-loved Brunswick Heads Kites and Bikes Festival was held on Saturday and Sunday March 21st and 22nd 2009, when the seaside village of Brunswick Heads played host to an affordable big day out for children and their families in the fresh air and sparkling sunshine. Therte was plenty of wind on the beach for the kites and one very short-lived downpour during the day only added to the excitement.
On Saturday, kite enthusiasts from the east coast joined in a fly-in, and kite making and bike decorating workshops were very popular on Saturday 21st in preparation for the big day on Sunday. Bike rides around the hinterland behind Brunswick were organised to suit all abilities. Circus Arts performed at the Soundshell and eight talented children were selected at the Junior Star Search heats to compete in the finals on Sunday.
Sunday 22nd March was packed full of visual treats, kite and bike related activities, rides, stalls, food, live entertainment and loads more eco-friendly activities for fun lovers and thrill seekers of all ages to enjoy.
Giant kites of all shapes and sizes were flown at the beach as Michael Richards from Kite Magic and the SE Queensland kite flyers flew Australia's largest kites, giant cows and other creatures plus other amazing kite forms, including a giant Country Energy arch and two giant grounded soccer balls, which delighted the children. Kite surfers demonstrated their kite surfing skills, but the kiteboarders had trouble finding a space on the beach!. The sky was filled with colour as hundreds of kites made and decorated at the kite making workshops were flown by children and their parents both in the park and on the beach. Business and community groups took part in the Hotel Brunswick Rokakku kite fighting challenge in teams. The business challenge was won by Fiery Food Works and the community challenge by Lilly Pilly Pre School, who were sponsored by Belinda Eyers Solicitors.
COUNTRY ENERGY KITE RECORD ATTEMPT
The highlight of the day was the attempt on the Australian and World Record for the most kites flown in the air at once. It was a logistical challenge, as so many people only registered on the morning of the event! Kite flyers started assembling on the beach in their zones stretched way down Brunswick beach for the attempt from 1.30. Two official attempts were made - the first at 2pm and the second at 2.15pm. The officlal count from the 2.15pm attempt was 811, easily surpassing the NSW Record of 368, but not unfortunately not making the Australian Record of 1127. The wind was so strong that the hooters could not be heard and the signal was given using synchronised watches by the zone marshalls. Lisa Parkes and the organisers think that there were probably about 1200 kites flying on the beach during the time, but the rules require a count of the number in the air simultaneously for 30 seconds. The sight was breathtaking and the atmosphere was absolutely magic! Kite expert, Michael Richards, has never in his life seen so many kites on a beach, even at Bondi's Festival of the Winds.
The Decorated Bike Parade was a hit as usual on the Terrace. Bike maintenance workshops, bike safety activities and games, and a bike skills circuit challenged and educated the children on the closed road. New skateramps were specially purchased for the day by Eagle Insurance and Brunswick Surf for the keen skaters. Several exhibitions of extreme trial bike tricks wowed the whole family!
Families gathered on the grass to enjoy the Spaghetti Circus Performance, Pinocchio Pantomime and Youth Group. The Lucky Duck Race course had to be reversed at the last minute because the SE wind was stronger than the incoming tide, but the winning ducks came in 15 minutes later cheered on by spectators on the riverbank.
The day concluded with Junior Star Search finals, contested at the Hotel Brunswick to a packed audience and the raffle and various other draws.
An estimated 7000 turned out for the Sunday festival activities.
COUNTRY ENERGY KITE RECORD ATTEMPT
Sunday 22nd March 2009 - 2pm - on the beach
811 kites were recorded flying in the air at once on the beach during the attempt, short of the Australian record of 1127 set in Glenelg SA in 2007 and also the World Record of 1655 set in Malaysia in 2008. However, it was a truly amazing spectacle with kite flyers from sporting and community groups and schools gathered along the beach in a display of colour, excitement and goodwill.
Beneficiary
$3,500 was raised from this activity went to the local charity "Our Kids" to purchase medical equipment to enable children to receive medical treatment in hospitals close to home.
http://www.ourkids.org.au
