Sky comes alive at Westport Windriders Kite Festival
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Colorful kites filled the skies over Grayland Beach July 11-13 as families and enthusiasts from across Washington state and beyond gathered for the annual Westport Windriders Kite Festival.
With kite games for all ages, people took time to enjoy the summer’s beautiful kite-flying weather.
Families and groups of friends filled the Grayland Beach, setting up chairs, spreading blankets, and starting grills to watch the sky full of kites. Children eagerly chased after kites, and cheering and laughter could be heard as crowds enjoyed their time at the festival on the beach.
Bary Crites, the organizer and president of the Westport Windriders Kite Club, said, “We exist because we want to spread the sport, the hobby of kite flying.”
Sharing the same passion for kites, Crites states he has “hundreds if not into the thousands” kites of his own. Offering some advice to people who want to get into kite flying, he laughs and said, “Start slow because it gets expensive real fast.”
When it comes to kites, the Westport Windriders Kite Festival shows a passion for the craft. Activities ranged from kids’ games like the “Running of the Bulls,” where children raced against the wind while tethered to kites, to the traditional “Teddy Bear Drop.” The festival boasted a plethora of opportunities for fun activities. Attendees came in rows as cars fill the beach, and people came to fly, participate and observe.
The sky is open to everyone, experts and beginners. The festival offers kite-making workshops free to anyone who is curious, and these hobbyists welcome questions for an opportunity to share their knowledge with whoever needs it.
The festival showcased kites of all kinds, from parafoil, box, and even revolution (sport kites people compete with), could be seen filling up the Grayland skies.
Wayne Dowler, a kite enthusiast with 40 years of experience, credits kite-flying with helping him through hard times as he recovered from a stroke. Many others share this same passion with Dowler, with a team of dedicated sports kite flyers who can be seen showing off their coordinated moves in the sky.
Fellow kite enthusiast Frank Eshpeter points out the “camaraderie” at the festival. Eshpeter also points to the “American Kite Flyers Association” website as a way to access a list of kite shops for anyone interested in getting their hands on a kite of their own.
For younger people interested in kites, a festival attendee offered sport kites as a viable option, noting that they require interaction with the kites. The sports kite allows you to do tricks and move it about in the sky, with options available to even participate competitively.
With this year’s annual festival coming to an end, participants and organizers already look forward to next year’s even, if the weather proves to be kite-friendly.
