Bali Festival of Kites July 20-23, 2006

Organizers of the annual Bali Festival of Kites have announced the official dates of July 20-23, 2006, for this year's competition. On each day of the event, large teams of young men from local villages - all dressed in traditional Balinese costumes, will launch kites of every shape and description over Padang Galak's beach front in an effort to win honors for their home community.

Organizers are targeting for an increase from the 800 kites that were flown in 2005 to 10,000 kites at this year's Festival. Held at Padang Galak Beach, near Sanur, last year's event attracted hundreds of local kite enthusiasts from villages across Bali, together with international teams from Japan, Australia, the United States, and Denmark.

In an effort to expand participation this year, the organizers have publicized the event nationality hoping to attract kite teams from Jakarta and other cities in Indonesia.

All participants at the year's Bali Festival of Kites are expected to attend a technical meeting on July 16 to be briefed on the various rules governing the competition, including the requirement for each team to compete while wearing traditional dress. The briefing will also set out guidelines intended to avoid disturbing local communities or civil aviation on the Island.

Kites, entered in the Bali Festival of Kites, are often larger than a truck causing traffic in the Sanur area to come to a complete standstill as groups crowd local roads while bringing their kites to the competition area.

Source: www.balidiscovery.com