If you love kite flying and a family-friendly atmosphere, check out the 3rd Annual Orlando Kite Festival this weekend.
The Orange County Public Schools Academic Center for Excellence will host the event, which will feature STEM activities, a literacy lounge, food trucks and local vendors. Don’t have a kite? no problem. The first 100 children will receive a free kite and someone to help assemble the kite before flying.
Dr. Serena Dozier, a UCF professor who teaches environmental engineering, said she uses the festival to introduce STEM concepts to children in “a really fun and unique way.” As it turns out, kites are a great example of those concepts in action.
orlando kite festival
Dr. Selina Dozier, a UCF professor who teaches environmental engineering, is the creator and founder of the Orlando Kite Festival. (Courtesy of Orlando Kite Festival)
“Kites fly because of a variety of forces that act on the kite to raise it, keep it in the air, and bring it down, including lift, drag, and thrust,” she says. “So there’s Bernoulli’s principle, which balances the various pressures and forces in the air. That’s why we love kites.”
However, teaching was not her original goal.
She just wanted to fly a kite with her son.
The Jacksonville native had fond memories of attending the Texas ABC Kite Festival, which began in 1929, with her husband while in graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin.
She never imagined she would be performing her version in Orlando.
“[I was]just thinking about things to do[with him]and how much we enjoyed the festival there, and I thought why not bring it here,” she said.
Presented by Orlando Kite Festival
The Orlando Kite Festival will give away free kites to the first 100 children. (Courtesy of Orlando Kite Festival)
The Orlando Kite Festival returns to its familiar location in Paramore, where it was held in 2024 and 2025. Dozier has added some new elements this time around, with more vendors and a family-friendly arcade space.
Sponsors include Winnie Palmer Hospital, Orlando Health, WUCF and its sponsor iHeartRadio.
With so many big names performing in the third edition, she’s working hard to make the festival bigger and better.
“I want this event to grow in size and impact every year,” Dozier said. That impact includes working with community nonprofits like Book’nic.
Book’nic is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting reading and literacy education for children in Central Florida. The festival will feature dedicated spaces featuring local authors and activity stations for families.
She advises those planning to attend to register at orlandokitefestival.com, but “if you wake up one day and decide you want to be a part of the kite festival, you can do that too.”
If you go
The Orlando Kite Festival will be held at 701 W. Livingston St. in Orlando on Saturday, April 11th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. More information: orlandokitefestival.com
