Clockshop's Kite Festival

Explore these frequently asked questions to guide your experience.

Why RSVP to a free event?
RSVPs do more than save your spot. They help us understand community interest, plan for the day, and—most importantly—demonstrate how much people value open, public space.

Clockshop believes everyone should have access to meaningful cultural experiences. That’s why our Kite Festival is free, with a suggested donation. We don’t turn anybody away.

Your RSVP also helps us secure future sponsors who make events like this possible for our community. A donation-based ticket, when you’re able, helps keep these programs sustainable and thriving.

RSVP today for Clockshop’s 6th Annual People’s Kite Festival! Let’s take to the sky together.

Can I buy a kite at the Clockshop’s Kite Festival?
Clockshop encourages attendees to make their own kites or visit the ‘eco-friendly kite options’ section here for suggestions on where to purchase or make kites ahead of the event. Additionally, we will offer a Kite-Making Station with a limited number of donation-based kites for attendees to assemble, decorate, and fly on a first-come, first-served basis.

We highly encourage attendees to make their own kites, purchase a kite from our friends at Bridge Kite Shop, or visit the American Kitefliers Association here for resources to ensure you can join in on kite-flying festivities! 

Why does it cost money to park at the kite festival?
Parking in overflow lots is overseen by a third-party vendor, according to park protocol. All parking fees go directly to the vendor to cover their staffing and administrative costs. We recommend biking or taking public transportation to avoid traffic and parking fees.

Accessibility
A limited number of accessible parking spaces will be reserved as close to the festival entrance as possible and are available for vehicles displaying a valid Disabled Person parking placard.

For guests who have difficulty walking long distances, drivers may proceed through the parking line to briefly drop off attendees closer to the event entrance before parking.

The festival site features accessible, paved walking paths throughout the park to help ensure a comfortable experience for all attendees.

What should I bring to the Kite Festival?
In anticipation of warm weather, we encourage you to bring a refillable water bottle and wear sunscreen. A hat and sunglasses are also encouraged! There will be two water refill stations available at the event, one located near the Welcome table and the other near the food vendors.

Food Options
The Kite Festival is a great place for a picnic in the park. You are welcome to bring your own food or purchase food from the vendors at the event. This year, we are excited to feature the following food options: Bun Boss, The Original Tamale Co, Gochu Gang , Pickles and Peas, Happy Ice, and Morales Fruit. 

What should I do if my kite becomes stuck in a tree during the event?
Please keep a safe distance from trees or poles where your kite could become stuck. Tangled kites pose a hazard to wildlife in the park, and we encourage you to be mindful while flying! That said, if your kite does become stuck, we are here to help. Please check in with the Welcome/Info table staff, who can assist with rescuing stranded kites. 

What should I do if my kite breaks?
Kites are fragile and can easily break. If this happens, pay a visit to the Kite Station, where festival volunteers will be ready to help with tape, scissors, and other supplies to perform quick mends and troubleshoot.

Can I bring my pet to the event?
Los Angeles State Historic Park permits pets; however, this event draws thousands of attendees and may be overwhelming for some animals. We recommend leaving your furry companions at home. If you decide to bring your pet, please note that this is a family-friendly event with many children present. Keep dogs leashed at all times and be mindful of their interactions with other guests.

Each year Clockshop commissions a contemporary artist to use the form of the kite to create imagery related to the natural environment of the park and speak to its history.

Francisco Ramos, this year’s commissioned kite artist and two-time kite competition winner, will create a design that reflects on the meditative nature of our park spaces, realized in the style of a Guatemalan barrilete.

Ramos hails from Guatemala, where there exists a long and storied history of kitemaking, both as objects of play that require few resources and as symbols of the union between the spiritual and material worlds, flown on the occasion of El Día de los Muertos. The hexagonal designs, decorated with scenes cut from papel chino and tails strung with noise-making instruments, are formal nods to the traditions of his homeland. A husband and father, he is teaching the techniques of his craft to his two daughters, imparting to them the freedom he feels when flying kites, where he lets his imagination soar. Parks, to him, are places where one can find calm and healing, and he often spends weekends in nature with his family.

SEE PAST KITE FESTIVAL ARTISTS HERE.

Artists Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader will unveil an inflatable sculpture, ‘The Weather,’ that continues their collaborative practice of addressing the complexities of communication in signed and spoken languages.

Five inflatable sculptures representing a pointed finger, a tongue, and three colored winds serve as visual elements illustrating the ASL movements for the phrase “finger to the wind.” The phrase originated from gauging wind direction by wetting a finger, holding it up, and observing which side feels cooler to determine the wind’s source. Idiomatically, the phrase conveys sensitivity to trends, opinions, and the cultural climate. In ASL, the same metaphor is used to express “let’s hope for the best” by bringing the index finger to the lips and raising it toward the sky. The tone—whether optimistic, ironic, or cynical—depends on how it’s conveyed in context.

Have you ever made your own kite? The Handcrafted Kite Competition will return to the Kite Festival for its third iteration in 2026. We welcome kitemakers of all skill levels, from beginner to experienced, to showcase their creations and enter the competition for a chance to win.

This all-ages competition will be judged by this year’s Kite Masters, with awards for the top three designs based on creativity, structure, and craftsmanship. We can’t wait to celebrate the vibrant communities of makers, artists, and visionaries whose creations brighten our skies.

This year, we are excited to share that the winners of our youth category will each receive a gift certificate for one week at Rediscover Center’s Summer Tinkering Camp in Glendale! Here, young makers will spend their days learning, tinkering, and building in a fully hands-on makerspace using upcycled materials. This prize is valued at $600 and is non-transferable.

Alongside kite flying, Clockshop presents free arts workshops in collaboration with local organizations and artists, offering creative experiences for participants of all ages and skill levels. Please note that children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Clockshop is pleased to welcome Maria Maea and Rediscover Center to host arts workshops during the kite festival. Guided by Rediscover’s mission to equip makers with the tools, resources, and confidence to explore creative reuse and self-expression, these hands-on sessions are open to all. 

Ribbon Wand Workshop with Rediscover Center
In this workshop, participants will create their own ribbon wand using colorful ribbons, simple handles, and reclaimed materials. The activity is designed to be accessible for all ages and skill levels, making it especially well-suited for young children, families, and anyone who enjoys playful, movement-based making.

Parachute Toy Workshop with Rediscover Center
This hands-on workshop invites participants to design and build a small parachute toy inspired by classic childhood experiments. Participants will explore how different materials, shapes, and weights affect a parachute’s movement through the air.  After building and testing their designs, participants will launch their creations from a nearby bridge to watch them fly!

Wind Chimes with Maria Maea
Participants are invited to construct windchimes out of natural and unnatural materials gathered for them to make their own one of a kind sound sculpture. They can forage through our materials that include charms, crystals, keys, bells, seashells, buttons, feathers, palm leaves, yarn, thread, strings, ribbons, flowers, sticks, rocks, and more. The sculptures will be hung on our workshop tents to create a sound environment for the duration of the kite fest.

Kites traverse boundaries. They can soar over national borders and are important symbols of cultural heritage. We hope that this resource guide can enrich the work you’re already doing in your classroom to inspire curiosity about a wide range of academic subjects and a deep sense of care for the wide world we belong to.

Kites have much to teach us, whether we approach them through the lens of history, science, literature, art, or mathematics — or all of the above. The study of kites invites opportunities for joyful, hands-on exploration; meaningful social-emotional learning; and the focused deepening of academic skills. This activity and resource guide is a collection of kite-related offerings for you to explore and adapt, in combination or individually, with your students in leading up to Clockshop’s Kite Festival.

Explore the Activity & Resource Guide here.