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© Etienne Frossard

Lift Off: A Waterfront Kite Festival

Location
Pier 5
Date
May 13, 2023
Saturday
Time
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Watch your kite soar above the Manhattan skyline and explore the science of flight!

The Conservancy’s 2023 season kicks off with the return of Kite Festival! Watch your kite soar above the Manhattan skyline the one day of the year kite-flying is open to the public at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

This family-friendly festival takes over the beautiful sports field of Pier 5 and unites S.T.E.A.M concepts, the Caribbean’s rich history of kite-flying, and outdoor adventures. Launch your kites, enjoy live entertainment, and learn all about the science of flight through kite-flying activities and experiments.

We highly encourage families to celebrate their own kite-flying traditions as well as their heritage by bringing their own kites. Kites will also be for sale, alongside workshops to make kites in the Caribbean tradition. Tasty food and beverages provided by local food trucks.

Multiple partners join us for the day to bring additional activities and crafts!

  • Brooklyn carnaval troupe Bloco From Da Block will be sharing their magical combination of family-friendly Brazilian carnaval culture, with live music, song, dance, and parading.
  • Brooklyn Public Library asks you to fly high with us and make a paper helicopter that twirls, leaps and soars!
  • The Carlos Lezama Archives and Caribbean Center (CLACC-C) joins us for the day – a 501(c)3 organization established in 2005, they are devoted to the development, promotion and preservation of Caribbean culture and history through the collection of archives and Art memorabilia.
  • Steel pan group Eruption Steel Orchestra provide live music!
  • Genspace will be flying kites and taking a look at microbes caught on the spring breeze, looking at microcosmos on petri-dishes with their microscopes.
  • Kaisokah Stiltwalkers will be roaming the field, showing off their impressive skills and creating awe for kids of all ages.
  • Enjoy NORY STEM’s hands-on projects: young inventors will be thrilled as they build a motorized propeller project, learning about circuits and components, while older creators transform everyday objects into interactive computer controllers with our captivating robotics activities!
  • Park Slope Parents will provide fun crafts and their signature giant bubbles.
  • Stop by the Private Picassos’ table to make your own kite! Kids will decorate a paper bag with stickers, markers, and colored pencils. Colorful crepe paper streamers will then be added to the bottom of each kite and yarn to the top, creating the perfect kite to enjoy in the park!
  • Trail Blazers joins with a craft – kites may seem like toys but they have taught us a lot about flight! Over time, kites have been replaced by airplanes and they’ll be teaching how to make and fly your own paper planes.
  • Celebrate with face painters on site. Due to high demand, designs will be limited to roughly 5 minute time limit, be first come, first serve, and a $5 donation is suggested per face painting, cash only.

This event is a part of It’s Time For Culture℠! It’s Time For Culture℠ is a proprietary program of New York City Tourism + Conventions, Inc.

Scroll down for Kite Festival FAQ’s!

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Details

Date:
May 13
Time:
11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Event Categories:
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Event Tags:

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KITE FESTIVAL INFO & RULES

We can’t wait to see you this Saturday for the return of Kite Festival! Please review the following information and FAQ’s about the event:

  • You are encouraged to bring your own kite! This is the one day of the year that kite-flying is permitted in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Don’t have a kite? We’ll have kites available for purchase at Conservancy Welcome Tents, or build your own on-site!
  • Family Friendly! From watching kites soar, to enjoying the many activities, crafts, and live music on site, this event is family-friendly and all are welcome. Please note that all activities are located on the first quarter of the field, with the rest reserved for active kite flyers.
  • Face painting is first come, first serve with a suggested donation of $5, cash only.
    Enjoy food for purchase from food trucks on site, or one of our Park concessions. Water fountains are available on Pier 5.
  • Nearest restrooms can be found at Pier 6 Fornino’s (to right when exiting the Pier) as well as Quay Tower (south side)
  • All turfs on Pier 5 will be closed to soccer for the day.
  • No bicycles, scooters, or dogs allowed on the field at any time. Please use designated stroller parking on the edge of the turf.
  • Unfortunately, if your kite gets caught on the the Pier 5 fencing or lighting fixtures, we must cut it down. Park staff will remove and dispose of any stuck kites after the event, but Conservancy staff do not have the ability to rescue or save any stuck kites beyond reachable height. Fly at your own risk.
  • Additional questions? Please view general FAQ’s below or ask a Conservancy staff member on site. Thank you.

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