Turks and Caicos Kite Flying Competition
Family Fun on Bight Beach Children’s Park on Providenciales
Go fly a kite!
Oh I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m really not meaning to offend you. It’s not a rebuke. Instead, it’s a genuine invitation to take part in a kite contest that is coming up on its 23rd year in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Turks and Caicos Kite Flying Competition is a wildly successful island tradition held annually on the Easter weekend. Organized by the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board, the event is hosted at four island locations including Bight Beach Children’s Park on Providenciales, Horse Stable Beach on North Caicos, Governor’s Beach on Grand Turks and Regatta Village on South Caicos.
Video of Kite Flying Competition on Provo
Alan Lawley, Director of Development and Operations at the intimate Villa del Mar resort next to Grace Bay Beach, captures some of the kite flying excitement in this short video clip.
Friendly Competition for the Whole Community
What accounts for the amazing success of this event? You can’t really point to any one reason. There are many factors that draw people in and keep them coming back each year. Some come for the kite flying. Some are eager to be spectators to the sky pageantry. Others enjoy the social setting and soaking in the island culture.
“The Tourist Board’s Annual Kite Flying Competition is designed to promote friendly community competition, fostering goodwill and community spirit,” says the Official Tourism Website of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The event is a community one from start to finish. Islanders organize, promote, participate and benefit from the Easter weekend tradition.
Kite enthusiasts can build a special high flyer and pit their flying skills against others. There are all kinds of prizes, some focusing on size, such as Smallest or Largest Kite, and others rewarding craftsmanship such as Most Artistic Kite or Best Traditional Kite. There’s even a group honor, Best Company Kite.
Kites must be made locally according to the contest rules. There are kite making instructional opportunities like how-to videos such as the one posted on the Facebook event page. Students gather to construct and decorate kites. Islanders of all ages get busy in their garages or backyards crafting their flying machines out of anything from palm fronds to cotton bedsheets.
Kite making is fun and you might even learn something along the way. One visitor on the Facebook page remarked about the educational benefit to kite making as, “an excellent tool for teaching kids about different kinds of triangles. See how many different triangles and angles you can find. Even in fun, there’s an opportunity to learn.”
A Family Friendly Event on Providenciales
Families and friends work together to build, launch, and fly the kites. If kites are damaged, the contest rules allow repair and re-launch before the end of judging time. Friends can help with repairs and re-launch. It’s an all-out team effort which is why at the end of the day the event builds up a close sense of community.
Everyone is encouraged to take part in the fun even if they don’t have a kite to fly. There is plenty going on for any visitor who attends the event. The schedule usually includes an Easter egg hunt, face painting, clowns, bouncing castles, children’s games, and musical entertainment. Local non-profit organizations provide a variety of beverages and food as well.
So if you’re visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands anywhere around the Easter weekend, don’t be offended if someone says to you, “Go fly a kite!”
