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Help Us Celebrate 40 Years of Dreams Taking Flight!
In 1986, someone had a simple idea: bring families to the edge of the Atlantic, hand them a kite string, and let the wind do the rest. Nobody knew it would last 40 years.
But it did because this community refused to let it go.
The Newport Kite Festival has survived funding crises, organizational changes, and a pandemic that silenced gatherings everywhere. During the years when there was no official organization, no budget, no infrastructure — families still showed up at Brenton Point. They brought their own kites. They kept the tradition alive through sheer love and stubbornness. That's not something you plan. That's something rare.
This July 11–12, 2026, we celebrate our 40th Anniversary at Brenton Point State Park. And we need your help to make it worthy of everything this community has carried for four decades.
The Newport Kite Festival has always been, and will always be, completely free. No tickets. No barriers. Every family welcome, regardless of means. That's our promise and our mission.
But free to attend doesn't mean free to produce. Your donation covers:
- Permits & insurance to safely host 20,000+ people
- Master kite performers traveling from across the country
- Sound systems, safety equipment, and volunteer coordination
- Kite-making workshops and hands-on programming for children
- A first-ever 40th Anniversary Sky Passport & Festival Guide distributed to thousands of families
Every Dollar Has a Name
$25 — Kite-making supplies for one child's workshop
$50 — Helps bring a professional kite performer to Newport
$100 — Covers essential permits and safety equipment
$250 — Sponsors a family activity station for the full weekend
$500 — Becomes a foundational supporter of our 40th anniversary
Any amount — No gift is too small to matter
Forty years is not just a number. It's a grandfather who first flew a kite here as a child, now watching his grandchildren do the same. It's volunteers who have shown up every July, year after year, for nothing except the look on a kid's face when a kite catches wind for the first time. It's proof that a community, given something beautiful and free, will protect it.
We've been changing lives one kite at a time since 1986. With your support, we'll keep that promise for 40 more years.
Newport Kite Festival 40th Anniversary
July 11–12, 2026 | Brenton Point State Park, Newport, RI
Free admission for all families
The Newport Kite Festival is entirely volunteer-run. Every donation goes directly to festival programming and expenses.