Kite flyers paint the coast with color at Lincoln City festival

Wind, or the initial lack thereof, didn’t stop the Lincoln City Fall Kite Festival on Saturday afternoon. Over 50 kite performers and a few hundred audience members flocked to the beach to watch or fly their own kites.

“There’s always something going on, no matter what the wind size,” said Stephanie Hull, event and outreach coordinator with Explore Lincoln City. “It’s just kind of this kaleidoscope of people that come together to make the Lincoln City Kite Festival what it is.”

The 45th annual event continues on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the D River State Recreation Site. Weather willing, of course. Saturday started with calm weather, but more kites took flight as the wind picked up throughout the afternoon.

Among them was a 100-foot multicolored octopus, dubbed “Wiggles” by the granddaughter of kite pilots Phil and Barbara Burks. Wiggles, with the help of a smaller, parachute-like kite, slowly lifted its tentacles into the sky as heavier wind gusts rippled through the beach.

“He’s going to crawl around on the ground until we get a couple more good puffs,” Phil Burks said after anchoring the kite. “You take what nature gives you.”

Earlier in the morning, before the gusts picked up, performers got creative with windless routines.

Some kite flyers showcased indoor kite flying techniques, generating their own wind by spinning and holding lightweight kites close to the crowd. Other pilots, like Team Oozlefinch, performed their routines on the ground, lifting and moving kites from the sand.

Some pilots got their kites airborne by using larger kites that could catch more wind, or got a workout in by running around to keep their kites in the air.

“Got to use the young legs while I have them,” 21-year-old kite flyer Dylan Nguyen said.

Nguyen is one of the youngest pilots in the festival’s lineup. The Oregon State junior began kite flying with his dad at the age of five and performed in the Lincoln City Kite Festival for the first time at age 11.

“I basically grew up in this,” he said, motioning to the event. “Every year I come back, I’m a little different, but I get a little bit better. It’s a cool way to measure myself and see how far I’ve gone.”

Nguyen gets nervous sometimes, he said. But he comes to the festival just to try and have fun.

“It’s cool to be a part of somebody’s day,” he said.

The Lincoln City kite festival began in 1979, organized by Steve Lamb, owner of Catch the Wind kite stores. The town adopted its self-proclaimed title of “Kite Capital of the World” in 1986 after a city council proclamation.

Today, the festival prides itself on showcasing a wide range of kites and types of flights. This year’s event began on Friday night with a show of illuminated kites lighting up along the dark beach.

“The atmosphere that Lincoln City brings is what’s calling new flyers in and brings people back,” Hull said. “These are world-class flyers from all over the place. And they love Lincoln City, they love coming here.”

Featured fliers will perform on the beach throughout Sunday afternoon and evening. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., children are invited to make their own paper kites at a free workshop. Pixiefest carnival games also operate all day.

Admission to the festival is free. Attendees are able to watch the performances and larger kites from the pavement overlooking the beach or from the shoreline. Visitors are welcome to sit or fly their own kites anywhere outside the flagged-off areas reserved for the performers.

“I love the color,” attendee and Lincoln City painter Catherine Hingson said, set up along the crowds with paints and a canvas. “All the activity, to me, it’s invigorating.”

Parking is available at the Lincoln City Community Center or on the top level of the parking structure at the Lincoln City Outlets. Both locations offer free shuttle service that runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.