Nothing says spring like flying kites! Or even better, watching other people fly kites. Like… really, really BIG kites! And you can find just that at the Flights of Fancy Mega Kite Festival, held in Lee’s Summit each spring. This year, on Saturday April 18, you and your crew can head over to Metropolitan Community College Longview to the kite festival – a fun, family-friendly, FREE event!
Starting at 10 a.m., you can gaze upon “awe-inspiring, mega kites, power kites, stunt kites, and more including the world’s largest windsock – measuring three stories high and 200 feet long!” Seriously, it’s so, so cool! You pull up to the college to see all of these kites soaring in the air, flying hundreds of feet above the ground so peacefully, flown by expert fliers of the Kansas City Kite Club. Your kids will be enthralled with seeing what kinds and sizes of kites can actually be sent up into the sky!
And there’s more to this festival than watching a bunch of kites be flown; for the kids there is free face painting, a candy drop, a balloon artist, inflatables, and of course…kite making! Yes, those simple kites made of paper and streamers can actually get up and flying! Your kiddos will love being able to make their own and send it soaring! If kite making isn’t their thing, there’s always a tent where kites can be purchased – from the simply designed kites to stunt kites.
There will be music playing, plenty of food vendors for snacking, kites for sale, and more! It’s a great event to go to in between spring soccer games, if you’re wanting to try something new and not wanting to spend a lot of money, or if you’re wanting to just get out and enjoy that fresh spring air! My family always looks forward to this event (when our crazy schedule allows for it!)
In addition to bringing a kite, you’ll definitely want to bring your strollers, some lawn chairs, and a blanket, either for laying on the ground or for bundling up – it is pretty windy in this particular location, and it is also springtime, meaning it could be chilly! All they ask is that no pets, alcohol, or glass be brought to the campus where the festival is held.
After checking out the kites and perusing the different tents at the festival, explore a little more of Kansas City by heading over to the New Longview shopping area as well as driving around the neighborhood to see how the historic R.A. Long Estate is being reinvented.
