St Annes Kite Festival

The popular festival will return for three days in September 2024, for the weekend of Friday 13th and here's all you need to know...

The 2024 award winning St Anne’s Kite Festival will take place in September, this date being identified by suitable tides. Joined by kite teams from across the UK and beyond, the event is a partnership between Fylde Council and kite fliers SmileFactor10 with 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 six flying arenas on the beach, including outside of the dog control zone, so visitors with dogs can get close up to some of the kite action.

There is a planned illuminated kite flying evening on Friday 13th September (N.B. NOT Fireworks). There will be a fairground on the beach and entertainment and additional food stalls on the Promenade, so if you’re looking for refreshments you are very much encouraged to visit the town centre as well or bring your own picnic.

Weather permitting, the event promises a thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable trip out for young and old alike. Timings for this year are as follows:

• Friday 13th – 12 noon to 10pm
• Saturday 14th – 11am to 5pm
• Sunday 15th – 11am to 4pm

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
• Additional event toilets
• Accessoloo at the event for added 'incloosivity'
• Additional bins and litter picking team.
• 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. Cost is £5 CASH per day (strictly no overnight parking)
• Planning to come by train? Log on to TRAINLINE to plan your journey.

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.