THE 25th Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival, set to take place from Feb 22 to 26, will attempt to make it into the Malaysia Book of Records to mark its silver jubilee.
Johor Kite Flyers Association secretary Ismail Mat Taib said 25 participants from the international and local kite-flying community would be flying 25 traditional wau at Bukit Layang-Layang in Pasir Gudang.
“The traditional wau from the different states such as wau merak, wau bulan and wau kucing will be flown on Feb 25 in an attempt to enter the record book for most wau flown at the same time.
“We are also aiming to raise more awareness of Malaysia’s beautiful kites.
“Aside from the record attempt, visitors can expect to see colourful and eye-catching kites of various shapes and sizes dotting the Pasir Gudang sky across the five-day event.
“So far, about 110 international kite flyers from nearly 40 countries around the world and 400 local kite flyers have confirmed participation.
“Kite flyers from Tahiti and Isle of Man will be joining the festival for the first time,” he said.
Other confirmed countries include India, Germany, England, Scotland, Japan, China, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei participate in circuit with Satun International kite festival, Kabong International Kite Festival
Ismail added that the event, organised by Malaysian Kite Flyers Council and chaired by president Datuk A. Rahim Nin for the first time, was expected to draw over 400,000 visitors.
“We hope the weather will be as predicted by the Meteorological Department – strong winds with minimal rain suitable for kite-flying and other outdoor activities.
“The kite-flying community and the public are very much looking forward to the festival, which was postponed from 2020 because of concerns over the spread of Covid-19,” he added.
A series of interesting activities have been lined up for the young and old such as kite-flying demonstrations, kite-making workshops and contests, karaoke competitions and artiste performances.
“Some 300 exhibition and sales booths will be set up.
“Visitors can not only admire the kites during the day but they can also enjoy night kite-flying performances by a group from Singapore,” he said, adding that the opening ceremony would be held on the night of Feb 24.
The festival last took place in February 2019 with participation from 45 countries including Colombia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Venezuela.