Colourful Kites Fill Tamil Nadu Skies

More than 200 giant kites invaded the skies over Mamallapuram on Sunday, turning the Tamil Nadu coastline into a riot of colour for the fifth Tamil Nadu International Kite Festival.

Footage shows enormous inflatable marine creatures, a bull, a horse, giant strawberries and cartoon characters soaring above TTDC Ocean View. A kite bearing the word ‘Bharat’, a traditional name for India, also flies overhead, while flags from participating countries line the festival site.

“It’s exciting and the wind is good. We love it here,” a participant from Vietnam said.

First held in 2022, the festival has ballooned into an international showcase for giant and performance kites, with its fifth edition taking to the skies in 2026.

Global Kite Flyers Gather

More than 30 professional kite flyers from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and India joined the three-day spectacle from August 14 to 16.

Organisers said more than 200 giant show kites filled the skies during the festival, alongside cultural designs and other aerial displays.

Gaddis, a participant from Singapore attending for the third time, said Mamallapuram’s coastal winds keep bringing her back.

“Here it’s maybe because you have the beach, you know, you have the good wind here. So it’s very lovely. Immediately our kite can fly without problems,” she said.

Festival Celebrates Culture

The festival was organi...