St Annes International Kite Festival
4th, 5th, 6th September 2026
Visitor information – what you need to know…
The 2026 award winning St Anne’s Kite Festival will take place in September, this date being identified by suitable tides for everyone’s safety. Joined by kite teams from across the UK and beyond, the event is a unique partnership between Fylde Council and kite fliers SmileFactor10 with ongoing support from St Annes Town Council. The skies above St Anne’s seafront will be awash with colour on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday as fabulous display kites take to the air on the beach adjacent to the pier. There will be five flying arenas on the beach, including one outside of the dog control zone, so visitors with dogs can get close up to some of the kite action.
There is an illuminated kite flying evening on Friday 4th September. There will be a fairground on the beach and additional food and drink stalls on the Promenade, so if you’re looking for refreshments you are very much encouraged to visit the town centre too or bring your own picnic.
Weather permitting, the event promises a thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable trip out for young and old alike. Timings for kite flying for 2025 are as follows:
- Friday 4th – 12 noon to 10pm featuring illuminated kite flying
- Saturday 5th – 11am to 5pm (N.B. Fairground will operate into the evening)
- Sunday 6th – 11am to 4pm
Plus, in 2026 an artisan market featuring local producers in the Promenade Gardens.
Please note the event is entirely weather dependent and the planned programme may be changed without notice, for safety reasons. The dates have been chosen as the planned tides support this.
Facilities at the event
- Information point, lost children point, lost property and security desk
- First aid team constantly on patrol
- Food, drink and merchandise stalls on the Promenade
- Please note the dog exclusion zone either side of St Annes Pier – from the RNLI ramp to North Promenade car park beach entrance
- Additional event toilets
- Additional disabled toilets are available at the swimming pool on the Promenade.
- Additional bins and litter picking team on patrol
- Parking – please research prior for car parks away from the busy sea front. A list of car parks is HERE.
- Additional event parking signposted on South Promenade (up to 600 cars) adjacent to Fairhaven Rd Car Park – FY8 1NW. What 3 Words – flanked.flagpole.twisting. (strictly no overnight parking)
- Planning to come by train? Log on to TRAINLINE to plan your journey.
Artisan Market – Promenade Gardens
We are delighted to once again team up with Bespoke Events North West who will be running an artisan market on the Saturday and Sunday in the Promenade Gardens (adjacent to the Promenade) opposite the St Ives Hotel and Inn on the Prom Hotel. If you’re looking for locally sourced food, drink and gifts then just stroll through gardens both days from 11am where you’ll find a great range of traders. If you are a trader looking to get involved in this part of the kite festival, then contact them via bespokeeventsnw@outlook.com
Thanks to supporters and sponsors…
Thanks to support from local businesses and a big thanks to St Annes Town Council for their ongoing support on this event. Thank you to Inn on the Prom Hotel for their support for 2026 and will be hosting kite making workshops once again.
If you’d like to get involved with a sponsorship opportunity, please email the team at events@fylde.gov.uk
St Annes International Kite Festival Art Trail
Bring the magic of the Kite Festival into the heart of St Annes with our brand-new art trail! Wander through town and discover 15 shop windows brought to life with colourful kite designs, created by pupils from local primary schools and hand-painted by community art studio Durose Studios.
- Free to take part, and completely self-guided
- Spot the hidden letters on your travels for the chance to win a kite hamper
- Explore all 15 participating businesses across St Annes town centre, including Dawson Art & Craft Emporium, Durose Studios, Eat the Italian Way, Fable, Fresh Café, Holland & Barrett, Margaret’s Florist, #NoFilter Coffeehouse & Bistro, Orchard Tea Rooms, Palace Pets, Scarlett & Jack’s, Storytellers Inc., The Cheese Emporium, The Pier Inn and Wood Street Coffee
- Collect your map from the Discover Fylde bus on St Annes Promenade, or from any participating business
- Once you’ve found all the hidden letters, hand in your completed leaflet to the Discover Fylde bus or Pot Bound on any day over the festival weekend to be entered into the prize draw
The trail runs throughout the St Annes International Kite Festival weekend, Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September — the perfect excuse to explore beyond the beach!
St Annes town centre
Away from the main event on the beach and Promenade, do take time to visit the town centre of St Annes on the Sea, where you will find many shops, cafes, restaurants and the beautiful Ashton Gardens with its popular Pavilion. There’s additional parking and toilets in the town centre too, and good accessibility too. The town centre is just one hundred yards from St Annes pier. St Annes on the Sea train station (on the South Fylde line from Preston) is just a five-minute walk through the town centre to the beach.
Make a weekend of it!
There are plenty of good quality, welcoming guest houses, holiday apartments and hotels in the area and use the accommodation section on this website where there’s plenty to chose from (ALWAYS book direct for the best rates and information).
Image shown –The Mode, St Annes, just across the road from the beach!
There are fabulous places to eat locally too.