The Malabar kite festival goes international

Malabar kite festival will be held for three days from May 5 to May 7 International teams from Indonesia and Singapore to participate

The kite festival in Bekal has been renamed as ‘Malabar International Kite Festival’ not for no reason. Unlike the previous years, the festival will be a 3-day affair, which will also see international presence. To be celebrated at the Pallikkara Bekal beach park, the festival is likely to be jointly organised by the District Administration, Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC) and Bekal Fort Lions club.

The participation of teams from Singapore and Malaysia have also been confirmed. Nasar PM, the working chairman of the festival said, "Close to 30 big kites will fly across the Bekal beach. Three teams from Kerala, teams from Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharasthra will also take part."

Some of the other participating teams are One India Kite Team, Kite Life Foundation and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Kite movement. The sky will light up with illuminated kites as curtain raisers. This would be followed by various cultural programs including music and dance. Ghazal night, Bharatnatyam, Mohiniyattam and other dance forms and musical concerts will also be held. The programme will also include a kite-making workshop for children. District Collector K.Jeevan Babu unveiled the logo of the festival on Thursday.