International kite festival to be held at Tannirbhavi beach on January 17, 18

Aerofoil and inflatable kites in different forms namely Octopus and popular cartoon characters and local kites in the form of ‘Venkataramana temple chariot’ and mythological characters namely ‘Pushpaka Vimana’, ‘Rama Seeta’ and ‘Garuda’ will be seen in skies during the two-day International Kite Festival, which will commence at the Tannirbhavi beach from January 17 afternoon.

The local kite flying group, Team Mangalore, is holding the event, in association District administration, as part of the ongoing Karavali Utsava. The kites will be seen flying from 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, kites will be seen flying in night between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Talking to reporters on Friday, Team Mangalore member Prashanth Upadyaya said a total of 62 kite flyers will be taking part in the festival this year. Of them, 30 were from 15 foreign countries namely Germany, Estonia, Italy, Sweden, Thailand, Korea, Ukraine, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Vietnam, Singapore, France and Indonesia. As many as 32 Indian flyers from Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala will also take part.

Apart from traditional kites, an array of aerofoil and inflatable design kites will be flying. There will be performance by stunt kite flyer teams from Thailand, Indonesia and Estonia. The Team Mangalore will display its creations namely Kathakali, Yaksha, Garuda, Pushpaka Vimana, Vibhishana, and the latest ‘Ratha’ (temple chariot).

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Narwade Vinayak Karbhari said people coming to the Kite festival can park their vehicles at Sulthan Bathery and come to Tannirbhavi beach by catching a ferry. For those coming to the venue in their own vehicles, parking arrangement has been made at 10 different places.

Clare Lousie Hardwick, the kite flyer from the UK, said it was the second successive year she was participating in kite festival in Mangaluru. “We have come with a whole range of kites. We are really exited to showcase our kites”. Ms. Hardiwick said due to rain and thunderstorm, they could not completely showcase their kites during the festival held at Panambur beach in 2025.