The Weifang International Kite Festival () is an annual

kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...

-flying festival held from April 20 to 25 in

Weifang Weifang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The city borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to the L ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

is known as ''the kite capital of the world'' as people consider Weifang to be the birthplace of kites. Each spring, people in the city fly kites as a leisure outdoor activity. The designs on many Chinese kites have a symbolic meaning or illustrations from Chinese folklore or history. On April 1, 1984, with the help and support of the Chairman of the Seattle Kite Association, David Checkley, the first International Kite Festival was held in Weifang. On April 1, 1988, the presidium of the Weifang International Kite Festival unanimously adopted a proposal to set Weifang as the "Kite Capital". In the following year, during the Sixth Kite Festival, the International Kite Federation was founded by representatives from China, the USA, Japan, the UK, Italy, and twelve other countries, with the headquarters also being set in Weifang. During the Festival, performances are held in the evening with various Chinese singers performing at the gala.

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* April events Festivals in China Kite festivals Recurring events established in 1984 Tourist attractions in Shandong Sports festivals in China Spring (season) events in China {{Shandong-stub