Spectacular Qatar Kites Festival concludes Saturday

Fuelled by powerful winds, dozens of colourful kites adorned the skies of Old Doha Port Friday and attracted a large number of spectators at the Qatar Kite Festival 2024.
The 10-day event, which concludes Saturday, is showcasing several kites of varying colours, size and designs from 20 countries, in addition to a number of cultural presentations and family-friendly activities.
Speaking to Gulf Times, organiser Wolfgang Schimmelpfennig described the festival’s latest edition as 'special, bigger and successful', taking place at a beautiful and scenic venue in Doha.
“This park is one of the best spots I have seen in all my 40 years of kite experience, it is huge, wide, and the grass, and the wind from the sea, it’s perfect,” he said, noting that kites were flown in other locations in Doha in the previous edition.
Schimmelpfennig expressed confidence that the festival will become an annual gathering of kite enthusiasts attracting more visitors from different parts of the world.
He noted that China has a significant presence in the event, showcasing unique kites like the centipede, decked with a remarkable row of 1,000 discs soaring into the air. He said that this year's festivities include Qatar-themed kites, celebrating the nation’s role as the host of the AFC Asian Cup.
Besides Qatar, other participants include teams from Thailand, Malaysia, and neighbouring GCC countries such as Oman, among other nations from other regions.
Schimmelpfennig cited the efforts of Safe Flight Solutions CEO, Captain Hassan al-Mousawi, who he said “made this possible as he likes kites very much and he wants to establish this for the next couple of years.”
“Everybody wants to come to Qatar, and we are a group of organisers so we make our decisions to select only the best ones (kite flyers) in the world,” he said.
Mohamad Izwan, a participant from Malaysia, said they are featuring a number of exceptional kites: one is a yellow millipede, which portrays the colour of Malaysia’s national team in the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
As a first time participant, he thanked the host country and the organisers, saying: “It is the best organiser ever in terms of the facilities, the feel, and also we are blessed here in Doha because of the windy environment.”
As Izwan looks forward to participating in the next editions of the festival, he urged the Malaysian community in Doha to support and see the beautiful and colourful kites from Malaysia, as well as other participating kites.