FESTIVAL HISTORY
History of the Bristol International Festival of Kites and Air Creations
The Festival celebrates its 22nd year in 2008!
Bristol Kite festival was the brainchild of three friends, Martin Lester, John Peyton, and Avril Baker. Lester and Peyton were designers and kite enthusiasts who had worked together at Bower Ashton College of Art & Design, in Bristol. Avril Jones, as she was then, was working in public relations and marketing. Following a successful flying display they put on for a local Council event the three decided to stage a proper kite festival.
With a working budget of just £300, and the goodwill of the City Council, the first Bristol Kite Festival was born. Thanks to the support of friends and fellow flyers the first festival was a great success and the seeds were sown for an ongoing annual event. Sadly, however, just before that first weekend, John Peyton was taken ill and died. He is still fondly remembered at the Festival each year.
In the first few years Bristol Kite festival rapidly grew to be a major public attraction and an important date on the (then small) international circuit. The organisers were keen to put on a showcase of the best in kites and kite flying for the public together with an enjoyable event for the flyers themselves. All with a lot of goodwill and virtually no budget
In 1991, Bristol hosted the 2nd ever World Cup Sport Kite Championship. This involved teams of flyers from all continents and for the first time attracted welcome sponsorship from outside the kite industry enabling a truly international kite event to take place.
Throughout the 1990s the festival secured its place as one of the world’s most respected and popular events amongst both flyers and the public alike. Highlights have included staging national and international sport kite competitions, hosting the world’s largest kite, Peter Lynn’s Megabyte which broke the Guinness World Record at the festival, pioneering the concept of themed arena displays such as the ‘festival of the sea spectacular’ and while still running crowd favourites such as rokkaku kite fighting battles, parachuting teddy bears and children’s workshops. For the kite community the festival also developed as an important social gathering within the kite community hosting the annual Saturday night on site flyers meal, auction and party followed by night flying with kites, lights and fireworks.
Over the years the Festival has welcomed guest flyers from America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, China, Israel, and many countries in Europe, as well as a regular contingent of the best of British flyers and supporters. Bristol is also grateful for the support of the many kite clubs and societies from around the country who enjoy an opportunity to socialise, swap ideas and show off their wonderful collections of club kites, banners and ground displays.
Highlights through the years
1986 The first ever festival was a small affair, starring Martin Lester, Peter Powell and mostly home-grown talent.
1987 Saw the 500m long Yorvic Dragon, at the time the largest kite in Britain and TV celebrity Timmy Mallet brought along the Wac-A-Day children’s programme and filmed on site.
1988 Kite guests were joined by actor Tony Robinson who was encouraging people to register on-site for Sport Aid’s national “Race Against Time” not to mention the appearance of the parachuting teddy bears who became an annual children’s feature
1989 Team sport kite flying really took off with The Blitz Sport Kite team competing with top European teams for the Kite Store Open Championship.
1990 Team Top Of The Line from the USA dazzled the crowds with their showy aerial ballet and Peter Lynn, from New Zealand, of both kite traction fame, wowed the crowds with his fantastic monster sea creatures.
1991 A first appearance by USA’s George Peters - the one man festival - and French designer Pierre Fabre. The following weekend all the world’s top Sports Kite Teams descend on Ashton Court again for World Cup II. Bristol Evening Post became the Festival’s media partner and produced the now established colour wrap around programme and posters.
1992 Guests include master of the parafoil the late Doug Hagaman, from Oregon and Peter Lynn (again!) It was the first appearance of XStream the popular Bristol eight person sport kite display team.
1993 George Peters, Stretch Tucker, Peter Lynn, Pierre Fabre whilst local kite artist Nick James’ produced his spectacular pterodactyl kite.
1994 Ron Gibian and Spencer Chun from the USA joined Martin Lester with his new lifelike ‘flying torso’ kite to match his trademark jogging legs. Bristol took on London with XStream versus Airkraft/In4mation in a world first eight person team fly off. They then performed a breathtaking 16 person routine choreographed to music.! Durex was the unlikely event sponsor - sporting a 240sq. ft custom delta
1995: USA’s Scott Skinner, Peter Lynn and Jorgen Moller Hansen from Denmark helped the Festival celebrate its 10th anniversary in style. Noel Edmonds brought his Airborne charity offering helicopter rides with Mr Blobby, Ed “Stewpot” Stewart and many other celebrities.
1996 An oriental theme and sponsorship from Kirrin Beer enabled Japanese Hashimoto San and Modegi to make a special appearance . It was a great year for British sport kite teams as Sky Dance, Airkraft and XS limbered up in Bristol before going on to take Gold, Silver and Bronze at the World Cup in Japan.
1997 The Malaysian Kite group came over on an Arts4Everyone grant to make traditional Wau Bulan kites in workshops with members of Avon Kite Flyers. Robert Trepannier came from Canada and Peter Lynn brought the awesome Megabyte on behalf of Mencap. Computer company SLC Europe came in as late event sponsors. As the funeral of Princess Diana took place on the Saturday, the Festival opened with a minute’s silence and the flying of a single black kite before a mass ascent of kites with black tails.
1998 Dave Brittain, the unicycling quad line supremo, Peter Lynn, Scott Hampton from USA and local talent from Anne Harris with her giant inflatable zoo. Martin Lester unveiled his monster 3D skin diver. Demon Internet were generous event sponsors as part of a welcome two year deal.
1999 The Decorators, quad line display team, celebrated their 100th festival and were joined by their kite designer, Jorgan Moller Hansen. Kite legend and pioneer of multiple sport kite flying Ray Bethell won over the crowd whilst aerial art was in abundance with The European Air Gallery, Artist Joan Moncada from Barcelona together with the sculptors Martine Chatel and Joel Theze from France.
2000 Master of the big softees Peter Lynn (back at last) as well as the German contingent of Rolf Sturm, Jurgen Eppinghaus and Frank Schweimann, Italian Marco Casadio with his voluptuous mermaid, the Holland Kite team and Torsten Schacht from Denmark. The crowd favourite was undoubtedly the Bay Area Sundowners sport kite team from San Francisco with their routines flown with stacks of 20 kites and swirling tails.
2001 The Festival sadly fell foul of the dreaded foot & mouth scare and the full event was cancelled. The spirit if the event lived on however with a scaled down series of arena displays and kite making workshops run by Avon Kite Flyers which took place during the International Balloon Fiesta in August.
2002 A welcome return for the full festival with sponsorship from Linden Homes. The festival teamed up with Cancer Research UK as the nominated charity. A poignant was the flying of stunning giant delta kite decorated with a pink bow, the worldwide symbol of hope with a 50 metre long tail which carried messages for loved ones battling with cancer. Other guests included Peter Lynn, Austrian Jan Houternams with his 3D cellular kites and a wind orchestra from Dutch duo Robert and Heleen Valkenburgh.
2003 Linden Homes were back as sponsors and the event teamed up with Bristol Kidz, GWR FM’s new local charity. Through Bristol Kidz a kite making and poetry competition was run with local primary schools which resulted in a giant kite arch of over 45 mini kites. Overseas guests included kite inflatables expert Phil McConnachie joining the popular Peter Lynn flying collection. There was a strong artistic theme with flying pictures from the Italian club Settimo Cielo Aquilonisti, Collectif Zoone and generation from France and Johan Hallin from Sweden with his kites made from feathers, driftwood and fossils.
2004 The festival, this year sponsored by Schloer, broadened its theme to include the world of air creations and other ground based inflatables, including the debut of the world’s first inflatable pub (used as the on site bar), the world’s first inflatable church and Anne Harris’s growing menagerie of air creations. The flying highlight was the attempt at a new record for the world’s largest kite by Peter Lynn. His 3D Kuwaiti flag, which at 42m x 25m is the size of an Olympic swimming pool, took to the air and thrilled the crowd but was not airborne long enough to set the record. (It officially broke the record in Kuwait City in early 2005).
2005 Perfect weather for the Festival’s 20th year (but 19th Festival) with sunshine and the right type of wind! Team Mangalore from India visited the Festival for the first time, and wowed the crowds with their fantastic brightly coloured kites based on Indian folklore. Also showing off his brightest colours was George Peters from the USA.
2006 The stars from down under come out to celebrate the 20th Festival The Festival welcomed the best Antipodean kite designers – Phil McConnachie and Peter Lynn from New Zealand, Robert Brassington from Tasmania and Bill Farber from Australia for a fantastic mix of large kites and smaller artistic works. UK based Team Spectrum made their first visit and showed off their amazing pairs flying skills.
2007 This year’s Festival, sponsored by Ritter Sport Chocolate, saw the return of the world’s largest kite, which managed to take to the skies on Saturday afternoon. Other big softees from Marco Cassadio’s Pedro Gonzalez’s were joined by artistic kites from Claudio Capelli and UK star Kelvin Woods The Festival supported Wallace and Gromit’s ‘Grand Appeal’ to raise money for the Bristol Children’s Hospital.
