Canada

Hundreds attend East Coast Kite Festival, bringing joy during COVID-19 pandemic

Few large gatherings have been permitted in Nova Scotia during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the East Coast Kite Festival is one of them.

The annual outdoor event drew a crowd of hundreds over two days on Citadel Hill.

After months of being cooped up indoors in order to respect public health orders, many recreational flyers were keen to participate, enjoying sunny skies and strong winds.

“It’s nice after the pandemic to come here with everyone around,” said Anton Emanuel, visiting with his wife Agnes and son Aidan. “It’s a perfect day, it’s so windy out here, and a perfect location too with Citadel Hill — it’s an elevated spot and we’re having a great time.”

There were more than 70 different kinds of kite at the festival, the largest of which was 50 feet in diameter and the smallest of which was 24 centimetres.

Not all kites are easy to fly, said Atlantic Kite Festival Society board member Nik Kachhadiya, as a team of several people handled a train of large, inflatable kites behind him.

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“It’s about the maneuver, so we are just making sure than when we’re putting big kites in the air it doesn’t come in somebody’s way, because these kites are a little nasty when there’s wind,” he told Global News.

The East Coast Kite Festival is four years old. Organizers checked with municipal and public health authorities to ensure it was safe to hold the event during the pandemic.

Ten-year-old Nalin Garg, who took part in the event last year, said he was happy to be able to get outside and brush up his skills.

“You have to make sure that when (the kite) comes down you have to pull back because if you don’t then it will just come down,” he explained.

“The hardest part is probably holding tight.”