FREE Kite Festival!

On Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th August 2017 Workington Town Council will be putting on a FREE kite festival at Harrington Marina, Workington from 11am- 4pm on both days.

Harrington Kite Festival is a new event for the town and will feature large professional kite displays by company, SmileFactor10, along with fun fair, children's activities and more.

Smile Factor 10 was founded in 2008 by Craig and Sue after seeing a black and white dog being flown at a kite festival in Morcombe. They purchased a few kites to fly themselves and quickly realised they had an enthusiasm and love for this interesting hobby. Their team is now made up of a group of kite flying friends based in Kendal.

As kite enthusiasts they love to fly whenever and wherever they can. The beach at Arnside and Kendal Castle are their local flying sites but you will also find them at various locations at kite festivals, music festivals, car shows, agricultural shows, food festivals and more... wind permitting!

Their first SmileFactor10 event in their home town of Kendal in 2011 was a huge success with over 1,000 people joining in for the two day event to fly kites, parachute their teddy’s, and watch the professional kite displays.

2014 saw them take their first steps into Europe at the Berck Sur Mer International Kite Festival in France and in 2016 they entered the world stage when they joined flyers from across the globe in the desert at Bnaider. Annually, the Alfarsi International Kite Festival in Kuwait hosts some of the greatest names in the kite world with flyers travelling to Kuwait from over 15 countries.

The Kites

Over the years their kite collection has grown not only in size but also in scale with their first giant kite being added in 2012 - a Peter Lynn gecko measuring nearly 100ft. Once Craig had got to grips with an industrial sewing machine there was no stopping him, he designed and built a 32ft hippo, followed by a giant manta ray (lovingly handcrafted from tents left behind at Solfest Music Festival) and a record-breaking purple teddy bear called Oscar.

Since then they have added even more impressive kites to their collection, including a red manta ray, multi-coloured rainbow cuttlefish, and their biggest kite to date - a 120ft octopus - all designed and built by Peter Lynn Kites, New Zealand. 2016-2017 they added a giant red and black guppy fish and two kites by English designers and makers; a 45ft scuba diver by Martin Lester, and a gorgeous phoenix kite by Karl Longbottom.

FREE Kite Making Workshops

As well as the weekend event there will also be FREE Kite Making Workshops on Wednesday 16th & 17th August 2017. 4 x 1 hour workshops over the 2 days will allow children to make their own kite and then collect and fly it during the Kite Festival in Harrington. Workshops are completely free to schools within the parish of Workington and will be run by Kite expert Alan Poxon. Alan will also talk to the children about kite safety while helping them create their own. Venue is to be confirmed.

This is a great opportunity for the children to do something different, learn new things and be creative. If you are interested then get in touch, e-mail office@workingtontowncouncil.gov.uk or call 01900 702986.

If you are visiting the festival why not beat the traffic and get the train to Harrington? Check out train times here www.thetrainline.com/train-times/workington-to-harrington