Kite-flying enthusiasts turn out for Dubai festival

Giant blue whales, tigers and teddy bears will fill the emirate's skyline this weekend as the city welcomes some of the best kite flyers from around the world.
The three-day Dubai International Kite Festival started in spectacular fashion on Thursday on the beach at Jumeirah 3, behind Sunset Mall.
Dozens of colourful kites of all shapes and sizes floated on the sea breeze and people of all ages took photos and tried their own hands at flying some of the designs.
Colin Mortimer has been passionate about making and flying kites for almost 20 years and has brought with him from South Africa no less than 25 kites for the festival.
"This is the first time I've been to Dubai and I have to say the location and festival are amazing,” he said. "There are some absolutely amazing kites here and I'm really impressed at how the event has been organised.”
Mr Mortimer's favourite kite is his own handmade arch made up of about a dozen small, yellow and red-coloured kites.
"I've been making kites since 1996 and it's something that I really enjoy,” he said.
He advised newcomers to the hobby to research different designs before setting out on making their own.
"There are a lot of interesting designs available by searching online but the key advice I would give is to keep it simple.”
Clement Gerard, from France, is the former president of the French Kite Federation and has a shop in Paris called The House of Kites.
"I've loved making and flying kites for more than 30 years and it's grown to such an extent that I now work full-time in the field,” said Mr Gerard, who is also making his first full visit to the emirate.
"It's amazing to see so many kites from all around the world here.
"The weather is perfect and the wind is just right and keeping the kites in the air.”
Bana Idris, from Canada, brought her five-year-old son on a day trip to the festival.
"I found out about it online, and my son was really looking forward to it,” she said as her son tried to unwrap the string from his own kite.
"There are some really amazing kites here and you only get the scale of how big they are by being here. ”
Solomon Chris, one of the organisers of the kite festival, said he was delighted at the turnout from the public.
There are 81 participants from 25 countries taking part and among the highlights are the 150kg kite in the shape of the UAE flag made by a team from Kuwait.
The festival is free and runs all today. There are also food stalls and music to entertain visitors.
Source: The National