Cape Town International Kite Festival 2026

In 2026, the Cape Town International Kite Festival returns with a vibrant new theme, #ColourTheSky, inviting South Africans to come together for a spectacular weekend celebrating hope, connection and mental wellbeing. Taking place on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October at Youngsfield Military Base in Ottery, the festival once again promises two unforgettable days filled with giant kites, family entertainment and a powerful message of creating mental health awareness. Tickets from R50.

Hosted annually by Cape Mental Health, the Cape Town International Kite Festival has spent more than three decades inspiring conversations around mental health while raising vital funds for essential free mental health services across the Western Cape. Since its launch in 1994, the festival has become Africa’s oldest kite festival and one of South Africa’s most recognised mental health awareness events.

This year’s theme, #ColourTheSky, celebrates the power of kindness, understanding and community. Just as every kite adds its own splash of colour to the sky, every act of compassion can bring hope, encourage connection and remind someone that they are not alone. Together, thousands of colourful kites will become a moving symbol of resilience, inclusion and the importance of looking after our mental health.

“We are excited to host the 32nd Cape Town International Kite Festival this Spring – a time of growth, renewal and colour. The kite festival provides us with an awesome opportunity to brighten the sky with messages of hope, stories of resilience and to celebrate the courage and bravery of those who live with a mental health condition. It’s a time when Cape Town comes alive after the cold winter months to support Cape Mental Health, raise much-needed funds and promote mental health awareness.” – Professor Ingrid Daniels, Cape Mental Health CEO.

Visitors can once again look forward to breathtaking displays from local and international kite flyers, whose extraordinary giant show kites will transform the Cape Town skyline into a living canvas of colour. Alongside the spectacular flying displays, the festival will feature family entertainment, interactive activities, delicious food vendors, kite-themed experiences and plenty of fun for visitors of all ages.

More than just a weekend of entertainment, the Cape Town International Kite Festival continues to make an impact beyond the festival grounds through community initiatives, educational programmes and fundraising efforts that help Cape Mental Health continue delivering life-changing services to thousands of children, adults and families each year.

If you can’t join us at the festival, you can still help #ColourTheSky by supporting Cape Mental Health through a donation. Every contribution helps ensure that vulnerable communities across the Western Cape continue to receive access to essential free mental health care and support.

This October, let’s come together to fill the sky with colour, celebrate the strength of community and show that together we can make a difference.