Category: kites

BERKELEY, Calif. — Thousands of people from around the country gathered at the annual Berkeley Kite Festival this past weekend, some to fly kites, and some to watch, eat and play on the hills of the Berkeley Marina.

Dan Perez drove 32 miles from San Ramone with his young son, who proved to be more successful than Perez himself at kite-flying.

Cam Zhao drove 30 minutes with her kids to the festival.

“We tried and failed,” Zhao said when she couldn’t keep her kite up.

But she said they would definitely come back. They watched as others struggled, too, to keep their kites flying.

Lina and Diya Nihar, a mother-daughter duo, drove 20 minutes to see the festival, which they heard about on the news. This was their second time trying to get to the festival.

There was too much traffic the previous day, they said; about 35,000 people attended the two-day event, vying for parking spots along the marina and designated areas from which shuttle buses took people closer to the entrance area.

They’d just arrived after waiting an hour for parking, and while they weren’t planning the fly any kites, they couldn’t wait to see them.

Although there were dozens of food vendors selling hot dogs, chicken, grilled oysters, pork sandwiches and fresh cut fruit, Lina and Diya said they always worry about whether there will be vegetarian options.

Danata Aaron came from East Oakland with her child and godson. They said they had a lot of fun and participated in many different activities for kids, including the moon bounce.

Aaron thought she would come back next year. “Seeing him [her son] happy was the best part,” she said.

 

BERKELEY, Calif. — A booming voice carried across the hills of the Berkeley Marina as the 32nd annual Berkeley Kite Festival was under way. That voice belonged to none other than the well-respected Ron Gibian.

Gibian was the main announcer for the competitive field, but he has fulfilled roles such as a judge or a side field announcer as well. And he said his usual role is as a featured guest for his ability to create stunning kites. “I’ve been a relentless kid all my life,” he said.

Since his early days in Chile, Gibian has been surrounded by artists; both parents, especially his father, a commercial artist, were involved in the artistic community. Gibian first became interested in kites as a child when he attended Chilean Independence Day kite festivals. He talked about how the sport of kite fighting is central to the culture of the Chilean people, and how that inspired him to take his artistic ideas to the realm of kite-making.

“I found kites to be are an interesting platform, and the sky to be my gallery,” he said.

He is also a graphic artist and a percussionist for the band Zzah but he’s passionate about kites.

“Kites have taken me around the world,” he said.

Gibian began attending the Berkeley Kite Festival in 1987, a year after its inception. He has been at this festival ever since, with the exception of a five-year hiatus; this was his first year back. He said the Berkeley Kite Festival is “second to none,” with nearly 35,000 people attending over the course of this past weekend. Gibian said the Washington State Kite Festival draws 100,000 visitors over a week but Berkeley’s large crowds are still impressive over the two-day period.

Gibian also said he has enjoyed seeing the festival grow every year; it started in just a single field with a few large kites and grown to the sprawling event it is today.

 

In the future, Gibian doesn’t plan on slowing down or leaving the kite community. He usually goes to 12 or 15 kite shows and festivals a year and said he always enjoys the Berkeley festival’s mix of competitive fliers, food vendors and playgrounds. “It’s a 10-ring circus,” he said.

Featured Image: Kite flyers competed in  a synchronized kite show at the festival. Photo by Avery Trigg

BERKELEY, CALIF. — As you walk up the hill, surrounded by endless rows of vendors you catch the smell of kettle. You look over and spot Ron Mallory of Kettle Korn moving back and forth in his tent as him and his business partners are busy popping slightly caramelized popcorn for the thousands of attendees.

Kettle Korn has operated at the Berkeley Kite Festival for the past 12 years.

“We like it because it’s nice and cool,” says Mallory, adding that because kettle has to cook at 700 degrees, the cooler temperatures of Berkeley —- which was around 68 degrees and partly cloudy on Sunday —- keep his work space cooler. Mallory, a contractor in his day job, enjoys the kite festival particularly because he said he is “amazed at the size and length of the kites.”