Kelantan Kite Festival

During a recent trip to Kota Bharu, I took the opportunity to visit Pantai Seri Tujuh, Tumpat for the annual five-day kite festival. This event takes place after the end of the padi harvest season in May each year. At this time, too, the northeast monsoon provides favourable winds that set the perfect stage for the event. The competition is held just a few minutes outside Tumpat on the Beach of Seven Lagoons, or Pantai Seri Tujuh. A popular spot for beach-goers and picnickers, this South China Sea- fronting beach has glassy waters sheltered by a long stretch of lagoon.

The beach has been the venue for the `Kelantan International Kite Festival' since 1983, and boasts of a recreational area with complete public facilities. It has chalets for rent, food stalls, handicraft/souvenir shops, public toilets, a children's playground, a mosque, a floating restaurant, multi-purpose halls, a museum, a boat gallery and a camping ground. Future development plans include the building of a herbal spa, a jetty and more chalets.

And it's not just the locals who pit their skills at kite flying. Since its inception, the international event has seen participation from countries such as Germany, the United States, Britain, France, Australia, Netherlands, Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei. Here is where visitors to Tumpat are able to see the glorious wau that are handmade in local tradition through skills passed down from one generation to another.

The competition itself has 11 types of kites competing in three competition categories of local, national and international levels. The festival also features an expo and sales carnival, a fishing competition, cultural performances, water sports and many others.