Weymouth 2011

[chairman]

Dear All

We are sure you may be wondering why you have not heard anything about Weymouth this year - and may have heard some rumours.

We are writing to confirm that the event is NOT taking place this year.

As you are no doubt aware budgets for local government have been cut (quite severely in some cases) and this has impacted the ability for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to offer a realistic budget. In light of this we have reluctantly decided not to go ahead with a scaled back event - once down that path it tends to stay that way! There are some hopes that the event may go ahead in 2012 (the Olympics may help here) but obviously we will not know anything until possibly the end of 2011.

We would like to thank all of you who have supported the event over the years - rain, wind and storms - and look forward to seeing you somewhere soon.

Jon and Gill

[dreamcatcherwolf]

Posted by Arthur on the WHKF forum:

Just had a call from Steve at Weymouth following an email to him. They will still be holding the event even if not hosted by KSGB.
It will be a four day event including the wedding Friday.
They are looking for some one to run the kite side of things and we were offered the chance but with our event the following week it is too much.

[thekitesociety]

Just for clarity - Weymouth are holding "AN event" not "THE event" - as far as we have been told kite activities are just part of whatever they are doing over the long weekend not the main focus.

Jon and Gill

[dreamcatcherwolf]

It might not be THE event, but AN event with kites is better than not having ANY kites ;D

[ekim]

Copied from a post on the Kent Kite Flyers forum

Subject: Weymouth Kite Festival 2011


Weymouth and Portland Borough Council are delighted to confirm that the annual flying festival in Weymouth will be going ahead this year during the traditional May Bank Holiday.

The 2011 Weymouth Beach Kite Festival will be part of a four day mega bank holiday in Weymouth and will include Kite Flying, Sports Zone, Live Music, Fairground, Kite Workshops and Trade Village along with all the excitement and celebration of the Royal Wedding on Friday 29th April 2011.

Information to Kite Flyers:
This year all Kite Flyers, regular visitors and new visitors who wish to take part in Weymouth’s Kite Festival are asked to register their interests by either completing the attached form or contacting Steve Davies by email [e-mail] or 07980 730053.

Kite Facilities in Weymouth will be consistent with previous years which will include Beach Kite Flying Arenas, anchor points, marshalling, control bus, kite workshops, storage and trade stands.

Information to Traders:
If you wish to have a trade space at this years’ Kites Festival, Friday 29th April to Monday 2nd May, please contact Charlotte by email [e-mail]

And finally, Weymouth is hugely proud of its Annual International Beach Kite Festival and would like to thank every club, flyers and visitors to the event over the past twenty years for making a tremendous success and a wonderful showcase for kite flying in Britain. We are looking forward to a fabulous event in 2011 followed by a classic festival in 2012 where Weymouth and Portland host the Olympic Sailing Event.

Regard, Charlie.

Charlotte Sheppard
Events Officer
Weymouth & Portland Borough Council
North Quay, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8TA
T 01305 838512
M 07980 730036

www.visitweymouth.co.uk

Weymouth & Portland -
Sailing Venue for the 2012 London
Olympic Games & Paralympic Games

[MankyBadger]

Jan 28, 2011 14:45:00 GMT 1 ekim said:

And finally, Weymouth is hugely proud of its Annual International Beach Kite Festival

I found myself holidaying in Weymouth last year. Totally by chance I was there whilst the kite festival was on. So I thought I’d have a look-see. After all, I was in the town, and it would be silly not to.

All my kiting friends had expressed amazement that I was going to Weymouth Kite Festival. Having chatted with various kite-flying friends over the preceding few months, everyone seemed amazed that I was going to it. No one had a good word to say about the festival, and so many people tried to persuade me not to bother going.

I received several invitations to other kiting events organised that weekend, seemingly put on as something to do because the expectation was that Weymouth Kite Festival would be rubbish.

I lost count of the amount of times I found myself trying to explain that I was going to “Weymouth”, not “Weymouth Kite Festival”, and that I was only going to the festival because I was in the town anyway.



I think that following several months of brainwashing, I went expecting the worst. And I don’t think my expectations were far off. I don’t want to appear negative, but I’m struggling to find anything good I can say about the event.

Perhaps I was there at the wrong times, but despite popping back at various times, I never counted more than eleven kites in the sky at once. Billed as Britain’s biggest beach kite festival, it didn’t come close to any kite-related event I’ve seen before. Even weekend meet-ups of kite fliers in local fields have had more kites in the sky that this place had.

To give the festival the benefit of the doubt I came back the next day, but found it equally dismal. On a par with the festival held there on 2008 - I’d been there then, and wasn’t impressed by that one either.



Over the following week I got chatting with the locals - shopkeepers all told me the festival has steadily grown smaller over the last twelve years, and none of them seemed to think it did much for the area. The local kite shop owner told me she wouldn’t go as the organisers would charge her over a hundred quid to set up a garden-sized gazebo. Instead she drove fifty miles to set up a stall at another event.

Has the event had its day…? I shan’t be going again….

Sorry (

[-\- Brains -/- FlexiBug -\-]

I've been to this fest once or twice before,
i have to agree there's not a lot of kites so i wouldn'd go there just for the fest BUT Waymouth had a lot of other stuff going on and the kids loved the beaches.