The kite festival of Berck is one of the largest festivals in Europe, both in terms of size and duration. This year, I participated again for the second time in this magnificent festival. This time, we were there for the last 4 days.
Festival Details
| Arrival | Thursday |
| Festival | Sat, Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun |
| Ground Type | Sand |
| Kite Teams | Taiki productions, Vliegeren is voor iedereen, Sky pirates |
Thursday, April 25th
For most of our group members, the day started quite early. I had some time because I could join the convoy to Berck later on.
I myself come from halfway along the route.
Once in Berck, it was a bit of an adventure to get to the parking lot,
We’re not allowed in the parking lot without a parking card. To obtain that card, you must first be able to park in the parking lot….
After this debacle was resolved, we could start a fun weekend.
First, we put our stuff in the apartment we had rented for the weekend.
We had a great view of the festivities from the balcony.
Then it was lunchtime.
After lunch, we could also go to the beach to fly some kites.
The Vliegeren is voor iedereen octopus quickly filled the sky.
I had brought Nathaniel with me.
Of course, there was more to see on and around the field. You can find some extra photos below.
After kite flying, it was time for dinner.
Friday, April 26th
On Friday, we started the day with a morning walk in search of…
… seals. You can spot quite a few in the bay near the lighthouse.
After the morning walk, we went to the beach. Today, rain was on the agenda, so I had to improvise a tent for a while.
With a tarp and some sticks, this was quickly arranged.
In between the rain showers, we flew kites, of course.
The wind was too weak for my kites, so I helped out where needed.
I even tried a 4-line REV kite, but I didn’t find it very successful.
Since there was little wind, I took a walk around the field.
Saturday, April 27th
Today we started the day again with seals…
… many more seals. This time from a different location.
The weather looked a bit better, but the wind could have been better.
But I still had a bit of wind to test this Conyne stack.
As the day progressed, the bad weather came in, after packing everything up, it was time to return to the apartment.
In the evening, there was suddenly a party on the dike, a show band gave a performance.
An hour later, a countdown clock suddenly appeared.
Once the clock reached 0, the real spectacle began on the beach. A 17-minute fireworks display.
I filmed the entire show, you can watch it below and on our YouTube channel.
The fireworks show starts at 05:00.
Sunday, April 28th
The day started for the last time with spotting seals.
It quickly became clear that the weather wasn’t great today.
It was drizzling during the morning walk, but this did create a double rainbow.
By noon, the wind picked up to 9 BFT, and kite flying was canceled, marking the end of the festival.
A few more foto’s
Here are some more photos from the weekend.
Conclusion
Berck is a fun festival to participate in, it’s a shame the weather didn’t allow for much flying.