This year, the amazing St. Anne’s International Kite Festival,  takes place over three days in September:

• Friday, 8 September, 1.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m.
• Saturday, 9 September, 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
• Sunday, 10 September, 11.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.

Bigger and better than ever,  the 2023 Festival will see six arenas spanning the beach on either side of St Anne’s Pier, with even more amazing kites taking to the air for this truly spectacular family event. The 2023 Festival will welcome over 200 kite fliers from the UK and across the globe. Gigantic creatures will form the backdrop to art banners, mobiles, spinners and zany beach bouncers. Stunning handmade art kites will dance in the breeze, and 2-line and 4-line sport kite flyers will perform incredible choreographed feats of flying in the main arena.

The best of our homegrown flyers will stand alongside some of the world’s greatest kite makers and flyers, including teams from Ireland, Germany, India, Norway, France and Holland – all guaranteed to display fantastic kites and add their unique style to the festival.

Visitors are welcome to join in too! Bring or buy a kite to fly on the beach.

The organising team at SmileFactor10, in partnership with Fylde Council, say there will be more to see and more time to see it this year! By extending the festival into Friday afternoon, they hope to make the event even more accessible to visitors, particularly those who work weekends or wish to visit at a quieter time.

Sunset will signal the moment when floodlights spring into action to illuminate the giant inflatable kites on the north side of the pier. On the south side, daytime kites will be given a new lease of life with brightly coloured LEDs and dazzling effects, dancing in the sky until the show closes at 10.00 p.m.

In a break from previous years and looking towards a more sustainable future, organisers are working on a sound and light spectacular to replace the traditional fireworks. There will be no pyrotechnics, but the organisers say you’ll not be disappointed! The dogs and cats of St Anne’s will certainly sleep easier this year!

In addition to kites, there will be performers and entertainers, funfair and donkey rides, traders, and food and drink vendors on the beach and promenade from Friday through Sunday. Plus, there will be some fantastic sand art this year on the beach.

Supported through funding from St Anne’s Town Council there will be an Accessoloo on the Promenade which offers a modern mobile Changing Places toilet facility at the event to allow for a full day of fun with added inclusion.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of this year’s international kite flyers:

• Shahir and Abdullah from Kerala in southern India.
• Team Jeem from Gudjarat in northern India.
• Øystein Høyland from Norway.
• Herman and Ina Plattje from Holland.
• Bernhard Dingwerth, Florian Janich, Ralf Maserski and Markus Münstermann from Germany,
• Florent Slonski from France
• Festival-regulars, Kitecrew Ireland.

Sue Kennedy from SmileFactor 10 said, ‘We are excited to be back with a new format for 2023 and we are looking forward to welcoming new friends from across the world and closer to home. A big thank you to Fylde Council for their ongoing support, not forgetting the fantastic kite fliers who return year after year – we couldn’t do it without you! You have made St Anne’s Kite Festival the biggest in the UK. High Five!!”

Councillor Jayne Nixon, Fylde Council lead Member for Tourism said, This will be a fabulous event once again and I can’t wait to see the skies of St Anne’s awash with colours of all shapes and sizes and I thank the organisers, supporters and sponsors of the event for their kind support. It is also great to see such a busy weekend on the coast with an array of events with something for everyone’.

The kite festival takes place on a very busy weekend in Fylde and beyond! Here are some other events:

• Fairhaven Regatta taking place on Sunday 10th September,
• The Lytham Vehicle Show on Lytham Green on Sunday 10th September.
• Saturday 9th September sees the rescheduled Blackpool Colour Run in aid of Trinity Hospice near Starr Gate.
• Plus it’s the Southport Air Show weekend so you may well see aircraft just across the estuary, including the Red Arrows on Saturday 9th September