"Kites Compete in Splendor, Fun with Kites" - The 2017 Pingtung International Kite Festival is about to kick off

After last year's International Kite Festival won acclaim for decorating Pingtung's skies, the "2017 Pingtung International Kite Festival" will grandly take the stage on November 4 and 5 at the Gaoping River Riverside Park and on November 11 at the Qingzhou Coastal Recreation Area at Dapeng Bay in Donggang. The Pingtung County Government held a pre-event press conference on the morning of the 26th, at which County Magistrate Pan Meng-an sincerely invited friends from all over the country to join in the grand occasion.

County Magistrate Pan Meng-an stated that over the 3-day event, professional kite teams from home and abroad are specially invited to perform in kite-fighting PK competitions and other shows, including kite enthusiasts from Taiwan, China, Japan, France, Sweden and Germany, showcasing their artistic kite creations and superb flying skills, with distinctive shaped kites, hard-panel kites and stunt kites blooming in the sky at the same time.

County Magistrate Pan Meng-an pointed out that over the past decade or so, "kites" have combined fluid mechanics, craft design, artistic painting and sports, transforming into colorful and diverse shapes. This year's themed kite is the "Fruit Republic", for which art-class teachers and students from 6 schools in Pingtung County jointly painted Pingtung's 6 most representative fruits on a 3.5 m white-backed kite: wax apple, pineapple, mango, papaya, banana and lemon. They will be flown together at the opening at 3 p.m. on November 4.

In addition to the sky full of shaped kites and the ground landscape kites, the event also features a Pingtung County specialty industry market, creative challenge games and activities such as donating receipts to exchange for kites, as well as parent-child kite painting DIY, bubbles flying everywhere, 3-on-3 basketball games, Tee-ball games and riverside cycling tours. The public can not only watch wonderful kite performances, but also actually take part in kite-making tutorials and various kite experience activities. The Pingtung County Government invites everyone to come together to share in and enjoy this feast that adorns the sky.