Coolum Kite Festival - Press release

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Go fly a kite on the Sunshine Coast

One of Australia 's largest kite festivals will see the skies over Coolum Beach on Queensland's Sunshine Coast transform into a kaleidoscope of colour. The 8 th annual IGA Coolum Kite Festival, which is expected to attract over 40,000 people to its spectacular beach setting, will be held from October 11-12.

The vibrant event, which has grown in popularity over the years, will attract some of the best national and international kite flyers who will showcase their impressive skills over the two days.

Kites of all shapes and sizes will be on display including some massive character and theme-based kites and spectators will also have the opportunity to participate in a series of windsock, kite and lantern-making workshops.

The weekend festival is not just about kites, there will be plenty of fireworks, roving performers, food and market stalls, night-time skydiving, kite surfing, lantern parades, sculptures, a huge cultural arts component and a popular music festival that simmers in the moonlight over Stumers Creek.

IGA Coolum Kite Festival Chairman, Noel Mooney says that the festival will celebrate all that's great about the coastal lifestyle – sun, surf and beach, with the most extensive program to date.

“We are really excited about the high calibre of entertainment at this year's event and are confident that the festival will continue to attract the rave reviews it has received in the past from the thousands of visitors who make the pilgrimage down the beach to the creek,” said Noel.

“The skies will be alive with the spectacular array of kites during the day and the evening program will provide a diverse range of entertainment by moonlight, including fantastic live bands.”

This year's theme will be the ‘Future of Ikarus' and will focus on ethereal fires in the water, the Dragon's breath, and physical stage acts displayed in a technological age where the audience will get a glimpse at what the future may hold if not protected and respected.

The arts component will also include a re-creation of Benjamin Franklin's kite flying stunt in 1752. Franklin famously flew a kite in thunderstorms to prove that lightening was electrical in nature following his less safe experiment of standing in a box on a tall tower with an iron rod in ones hand. The latter resulted in several casualties so the kite was deemed to be a safe substitute and proved his theory.

IGA Coolum Kite Festival Artistic Director, Colt Sandberg will fly a custom built pyrotechnical stunt kite into a man-made Telsa Coil created by Carlos van Camp of New Zealand, simulating what could have happened if the original attempt by Benjamin Franklin missed.

Sand sculptures and art installations will surround the staged performances which will include a giant metal fire dragon, fire lotuses, and custom rainbow gas jet visuals. This space will also encourage the public to create their own piece of work in Coolum's interactive “Gas Light District”.

Don't miss out on one of the Sunshine Coast 's most popular events. For more information on the IGA Coolum Kite Festival, please visit www.coolumkitefestival.com.

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A Queensland Events sponsored event

The IGA Coolum Kite Festival is benefiting from a three-year investment under the Significant Regional Events Scheme (SRES), part of the Queensland Events Regional Development Program (QERDP).

SRES funding is designed to maximise the outcomes and performance of regional events that have a proven track record of sustained growth under the QERDP core program.

SRES funding is highly competitive and typically limited to one or two events each year across the state.

Since the QERDP began in 2001, more than $9.7 million has been invested in over 460 regional events, an indicator of the important role these events play in their communities and wider Queensland.