During one International Kite Festival, kites of all shapes and sizes filled the sky like a host of colorful reef fish fleeing a large pink octopus. Photo by Wayne O'Neil, by permission from www.funbeach.com

LONG BEACH, Wash. – Fair winds prevailing, a sky filled with colorful kites is forecast for the Washington State International Kite Festival, which will take place from Aug. 18 through 24, along the Bolstad Avenue beach approach, boardwalk and beach in Long Beach.

The weeklong festival will see the return of compelling past attractions – fighter kites, kite ballet, fireworks, exhibitions, the magical lighted night fly and more. The festival has scheduled four mass ascensions, each promising a spectacular exhibit of 250 kites in the air at one time. Indoor kite flying utilizing ultra-light kites will be added at Long Beach Elementary School, just a few blocks from the beach.

While spectators will find ample visual attractions, kite enthusiasts of all ages will be invited to participate in kite building, flying competitions and hands-on activities throughout the festival.

This year’s featured flyer promises to add a unique blend of art and ingenuity to the week’s colorful skies. Olivier Reymond, a Swiss biologist, will be flying his signature portrait kites. First influenced by two American artists, Roy Lichtenstein and Patrick Nagel, he has since developed his own style of flying portraits with interesting and expressive faces and eyes. His models are principally taken from comics or advertisements.

The festival, which began as a humble gathering of nine participants and one kite team, has grown into one of the largest kite festivals in North America, enticing thousands of visitors from around the world to share their passion for kite flying. The first kite festival in 1981 still holds the Guinness record for keeping a kite in the air for the longest time – 180 hours. The team from Edmunds Community College set that record. In 1983, the festival began attracting an international audience with flyers from Japan and now sees flyers from Australia, Italy, England, Indonesia, New Zealand, India, France, Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, China and other far-reaching places. For detailed Kite Festival events, featured flyer biographies and a full schedule ofactivities, visit www.kitefestival.com

With wide sandy beaches and coastal breezes, Long Beach has been called the Kite Capital of the U.S. Kite shops, resident kite flyers and the World Kite Museum and Hall of Fame provide enjoyment for kite enthusiasts and first-time flyers alike. For event and visitor information, call the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau at (800) 451-2542 or visit www.funbeach.com