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The skies above Clontarf will fill with colour again this September when Redcliffe KiteFest returns to Pelican Park, this time with a renewed focus on the thing that started it all: kites.
VietJet Redcliffe KiteFest will take over the foreshore on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, bringing experienced kite flyers from Australia and overseas to the Peninsula. General admission will be free in 2026, with organisers reshaping the festival to put kite flying firmly back at the heart of the weekend.
For anyone who remembers KiteFest before it grew into one of the Peninsula’s best-known annual events, there should be something familiar about that approach. Pelican Park’s wide-open space beside the bay has long provided the setting for the festival, and this year visitors will again be encouraged to join in rather than spend the whole day watching from the sidelines.
More Kites in the Clontarf Sky
Giant inflatables and artistic kites will be among the displays overhead, with international and Australian flyers taking to the main arena throughout the weekend. As always with kite flying, exactly what happens in the sky will depend on the wind and conditions on the day.
There will also be plenty of room for amateurs to have a go.
Public flying zones will give visitors somewhere to launch their own kites, while children can make one at a kite-making workshop before heading outside to test their handiwork.
That hands-on element fits neatly with the direction organisers are taking this year. The 2026 festival has been pitched as a return to what made KiteFest popular in the first place — a weekend built around kites, the foreshore and people getting involved.
VietJet returns as naming-rights sponsor, with the festival also recognising Vietnam’s kite-flying culture.
Plenty Happening Back on the Ground
Kites may have reclaimed top billing, but Pelican Park will still be busy at ground level.
The program includes rides, pony rides, a dedicated kids’ zone, kite-making and food trucks, with plenty of open space for families to spread out for the day. Visitors can also bring their own food and drinks, although alcohol and glass are not permitted within the festival.
Entry is free and no ticket is required, but some activities and rides will carry a charge.
The timing also gives local families an easy option for the first weekend of the spring break. Queensland state schools finish Term 3 on Friday 18 September, with KiteFest opening the following morning.
The festival runs from 10am until 4pm on both days.
A Busy Weekend Around Pelican Park
For Clontarf residents, KiteFest will bring some temporary changes to the streets around Pelican Park.
The speed limit along Hornibrook Esplanade will drop from 60km/h to 40km/h from 7am on Saturday until 4.30pm on Sunday, with additional parking and stopping restrictions applying around nearby streets during the weekend.
Parking at Pelican Park will be reserved for vehicles displaying valid accessible parking permits, and an accessible drop-off area will operate at the main entrance.
A free shuttle bus service is also planned, with buses able to accommodate wheelchairs and prams. The Pelican Park boat ramp will remain open for people using the ramp, although access to its car park will be managed by traffic marshals.
For everyone else, the attraction is considerably simpler. Find a spot on the grass, look towards the bay and, if the wind plays its part, watch Pelican Park’s usually open sky become crowded with kites.
After years of the festival growing around that idea, KiteFest is putting it firmly back at the centre of the weekend.
VietJet Redcliffe KiteFest
Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September 2026
10am–4pm
Pelican Park, 101 Hornibrook Esplanade, Clontarf
Free general admission
Published 31-August-2026
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