This year's kite festival on Treasure Island — you know the one, the one you always see as you drive by and say, "Man, I gotta go see that next year!" — has the theme “Honor America’s Veterans.” No big shocker, then, that the fest features red, white and blue kites, banners and flags.

What's the point of a kite fest? Well, it isn't just to watch other people fly kites — they'll have kite flying, sure, but also kite games, stunt kite lessons, demos, bubbles and candy falling from the sky (sounds like a dream, doesn't it?). On Nov. 10 at dark, there'll also be a night fly. It isn't a competition, but organizers hope that newbie kite flyers will take the chance to learn what an actual kite competition is like. And hey, what a coincidence, there is an official competition on Jan. 19-20 this year.

Treasure Island Kite Festival | Treasure Island, behind the Thunderbird | Nov.10-11, all day with a night fly on Nov. 10 | Parking and contact information available at local.cltampa.com

This article appears in Oct 25 – Nov 1, 2018.