The story
Bali Kite Festival in Padang Galak/Sanur
Bali Kite Festival grew from an agrarian harvest-thanksgiving tradition into an organized competitive event launched in 1978 by the provincial government at Sanur's Padang Galak beach. Held during the windy dry season, typically July, it features village teams of seventy to eighty people flying giant traditional kites, fish-shaped bebean, bird-shaped janggan, and leaf-shaped pecukan, judged in separate categories.
Bali's kite-flying traditions trace back as an agrarian thanksgiving practice, kites flown as a message to Hindu deities asking for abundant harvests, but the organized, competitive festival known today began in 1978, when the provincial government launched it at Sanur's beaches, specifically Padang Galak and Mertasari, to promote Balinese culture and draw tourism.