It’s a Sky Full of Tradition at the Fortieth Newport Kite Festival
The Newport Kite Festival’s fortieth anniversary shines a spotlight on the community members who have kept the beloved event soaring since 1986.
Photography courtesy of Newport Kite Festival.
This summer — which marks the fortieth anniversary of the Newport Kite Festival — it’s not magic you’re witnessing in the sky, but 100 percent volunteer effort that enables an estimated 20,000 attendees to enjoy the celebration at no cost.
In the four decades since the celebration’s conception in 1986 as part of a cultural exchange with Newport’s sister city, Shimoda, Japan, the Newport Kite Festival has become a staple for Rhode Island families of all backgrounds.
This status was recognized by Newport mayor Charles M. Holder in an official proclamation wherein Saturday and Sunday, July 11–12 was named Newport Kite Festival Days. The proclamation specifically recognizes the festival director of the last nineteen years, Ron Kitt, who has stewarded this tradition of what Mayor Holder describes as “community, joy and dreams taking flight at Brenton Point State Park.”
“This recognition means everything to everyone who has ever shown up to fly a kite at Brenton Point, packed up in the wind and rain, and come back the next year anyway,” says volunteer lead Rashida Black.
This summer’s celebration extends its presence in the community with a children’s kitemaking workshop on Saturday, June 27; a month-long international kite cultural exhibition at the Newport Public Library opening Wednesday, July 1; and a commemorative documentary short film called Go Talk To Claiborne, which traces the festival’s history in the words of founder Tom Casselman.
As a former child of Newport County, my early memories of the Newport Kite Festival at Brenton Point State Park would sound like a dream if I described them to a non-Rhode Islander. From my low position on the ground, I watched as billowing swirls of color and inflatables — ranging from cartoon characters to aquatic animals to astronauts — formed a coalition in the sky. A parent’s hand would guide me through the festival as I felt the breeze coming off the water and eventually got to try my hand at kite flying. Not understanding why certain things became skyborne while others did not (my Barbie attached by the leg to a balloon, for instance) made the event’s attractions seem like magic. For my parents, an activity that could occupy their three children without the usual associated costs probably seemed like a work of magic, too.
Brenton Point State Park, Ocean Drive, Newport, 401-594-3443, newportkitefestival.com
RELATED ARTICLES
