Gracetown community flying into fourth festival

The fourth annual Gracetown Kite Festival is set to paint the skies above Gracetown Oval all the colours of the rainbow on the last Sunday in November.

The free community event attracts up to 300 locals and visitors each year, eager to soak up the local coastal vibes and marvel at the impressive displays from Michael Alvarez from Kite Kinetics, with his flotilla of kites, including a 12 metre long whale shark, and a 7 metre dolphin kite.

The kite flying professional’s wife Jan also runs kite-making workshops during the event for children, while local DJ Saramony provides tunes for ambiance.

Festival organiser Elizabeth Reed said she was extremely grateful for the strong support by local businesses and community groups.

“It is incredibly gratifying to see the growth in support for the kite festival,” she said.

“The growing number of event sponsors will allow the event to develop its modest framework to become an iconic event in the southwest.”

The event is backed by local businesses Flor Marché, The Farm, Olio Bello and Gracie’s General and this year, the Gracetown Cowaramup Bay Community (GCBC) Association also joins the list of supporters.

“The GCBC provides a forum and voice for people with links and/or a love of Gracetown and Cowaramup Bay, and is a conduit for members to engage in local events.”

This year’s kite festival theme is native flowers, displayed on the event poster thanks to the creativity of local artist, Chloe Wilder.

The theme will be carried through to the event, with a banksia installation by Nigel Lullfitz and collaborators on site.

The Gracetown Kite Festival is a free event open to the whole community and will be held on Sunday November 26, from 2pm to 5pm on the Gracetown Oval.