National Kite Festival ‘Nil Ahase Wasanthaya 2017’ in Negombo

The glamorous 10th anniversary of the National Kite Festival ‘Nil Ahase Wasanthaya’ will take flight from 12-13 August. 

Organised by the Kite Sri Lanka Organization, this year the National Kite Festival drops anchor at the Negombo Beach Park, reaching out to national and international kite events. The Kite Sri Lanka Organization is a coalition of young people striving to popularise kite flying not only as a means of recreation but as a sport and medium of conveying positive messages to society. Meanwhile, the organisation has represented the inherited kite culture at a number of international festivals and has worked towards getting tourist attractions to Sri Lanka. 

‘Nil Ahase Wasanthaya’ is one of the major successful events organised by the Kite Sri Lanka Organization annually. Further, the organisation is credited with conducting international kite festivals, residential kite camps, kite fashion shows, photography exhibitions, film festivals, art exhibitions and many kite-related events during the recent past in Sri Lanka.

This year as well the organisers have joined hands with the Presidential Task Force on Drug Prevention for a special 1 km walk from the Negombo town to the Beach Park where the festival is being held. 

The walk will focus on educating the general public and specifically the youth of the nation on the harm caused by drug use and hopes to spread a positive message to society.

The kite competition will be open to both children and open groups. Competitions for children will be held on 12 August and children under 14 years can participate in these three kite-related events namely ‘The Most Creative Kite’, ‘A Drug Free Country’ (kites made under the theme of drug prevention) and ‘Let’s Prevent from Dengue Menace’ (eco-friendly kite made under the theme of prevention from the dengue menace).

The open category is being held on 13 August under four different areas including ‘The Most Creative Kite’, ‘A Drug Free Country’ (kites made under the theme of drug prevention), ‘Let’s Prevent from Dengue Menace’ (eco-friendly kite made under prevention from dengue) and ‘The Best Fighting Kite’. Fighting kites should be made in the ‘Combuwa’ or ‘Waula’ style and the size should not exceed one and half feet. 

Parallel to the kite festival there will be a sand creation competition at the Negombo Beach Park. The sand creation competition for children will be held on 12 August and the open category of the sand creation competition will be held on 13 August. The entry requirement for both categories is that competitors should be in a group of five comprising a mix of male and female participants. Registration for all the events will be held from 8.00-11.00 a.m. at the Negombo Beach Park on 12 and 13 August. 

The Kite Sri Lanka Organization has made the necessary arrangements to award trophies, medals, certificates, prices and gift vouchers to the winners. You can enjoy the festival as a competitor or by simply flying kites with your loved ones. The event’s premises will be filled with music from a DJ, face painting, magic shows, kite workshops, film screenings and much more. The Kite Sri Lanka Organization, together with the event’s sponsors, has arranged valuable gifts for participants and spectators of the kite festival. The festivities will be enhanced further with the participation of international kite flyers, film stars, celebrities and sport stars and others will get the opportunity to meet them at the festival grounds. It will be a place where the whole family can enjoy together. 

For more information on the event call the Kite Sri Lanka Organization on 0778390490 or the Presidential Task Force on Drug Prevention on 01140386485 or 0713664911. Information is also available on kitesrilanka.lk or you can email [email protected], [email protected] and the Kite Sri Lanka Organization’s Facebook page.