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We have very high hopes of a successful inaugural kite festival in this special year.

For many years now, kite festivals have proved to be a significant draw for members of the public and kite enthusiasts alike. Some of the large, well established events draw in crowds of many thousands. We hope that with our organisation, publicity and suitable backing we can go a good way to emulate the best of them.

The festival organiser, Jon Caton, is a well established member of the kiting community both in the UK and abroad. Having just relinquished the Chairmanship of British Kite flying Association (having served the maximum 3 year term in office) he is now able to put his full weight behind the project.

We have already secured the commitment of some of the best kite flyers in the UK.

Commentary on the event will be provided by George Webster, who regularly performs this task at other top festivals in the UK. George's knowledge of kite flying and kiting history is second to none and we are indeed privileged to have obtained his services.

Andrew Beattie will be bringing his collection of very large show kites, which are always a large draw for the public. Andrew is known internationally for this specialism. He is also a member of the Al Farsi Kite Team from Kuwait, who currently fly the Worlds largest kite, in the shape of the Kuwait flag.

We will also be showcasing some of Britain's up and coming kite makers.
In the last few years, Kelvin Woods has been gaining reputation for beautifully crafted appliqué kites. However, his star attraction is a collection of over 50 butterfly kites, each one individually depicting one of a real species. When all of these are in the air at the same time, it is quite a sight to behold. There is never a shortage of volunteers to fly them all at the festivals!

We will also have an international dimension to the event. The highly acclaimed Team Sky Flyers from the Netherlands are well known at festivals throughout Europe. They do not usually travel across the water but we have managed to persuade them to come over and showcase their impressive range of show kites.

We also hope to have Michel Chantren from Belgium with us. Michel specialises in indoor flying, with particular emphasis on the Ultra-Lightweight "Revolution" four line kite.

As well these attractions, we will have a continuous programme of events for the visiting public. We will be hosting a round of the UK National Rokakku kite fighting championship. This is always a great favourite with the crowds, as they watch the combatants attempt to cut their competitors from the sky and be "last man flying".
We shortly hope to confirm the attendance of one of the countries top sport flying teams who, as well as displaying team flying, will also put on some basic demonstrations of how to fly two line kites.

Our two local kite clubs, White Horse Kite Flyers and Avon Kite flyers have also been invited. Their collections of club kites will also add to the spectacle.
As this event celebrates what might have been the first ever recorded flight, we are also hopeful of having some static displays of early flying machine replicas.

In short, we should have an event which will draw crowds from a wide area around Malmesbury and provide a fitting memorial to "1000 years of flight".