One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
It started as a protest against the Dodgers gondola. LA's Kite Festival now draws thousands
The scene at last year's Clockshop Kite Festival.
(
Gina Glyne/Gina Clyne Photography
/
Courtesy Clockshop
)
Listen
0:37
This Kite Festival started out as a form of protest. Now it's bringing thousands to Chinatown
Here's Robert Garrova.
The sky above Los Angeles State Historic Park in Chinatown will be dotted with color Saturday with the annual Kite Festival.
Clockshop's Kite Festival
Los Angeles State Historic Park
Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m.
The festival had its beginnings as a joyful protest in 2021, back when a proposal for a Dodger Stadium gondola included cutting through the airspace above the park. Organizers say last year’s Kite Festival drew a crowd of about 7,000.
“The Kite Festival, [for] some people, it’s their favorite day in Los Angeles,” said Sue Bell Yank, executive director of Clockshop, the nonprofit arts org that runs the festival. “It’s the time when they really feel connected to their city. More so than any other time.”
This year’s programming includes a kite-making station where you can build your own flying art for a donation of $5, along with art workshops and the unveiling of a large floating, inflatable sculpture.
Additionally, Guatemalan kite artist Francisco Ramos will present a traditional Guatemalan barrilete-style kite specifically commissioned for the festival.
Corrected May 10, 2026 at 10:33 AM PDT
A previous version of the story mischaracterized the kite made by artist Francisco Ramos through an editing error. We regret the mistake.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
