What a sight: Families taking advantage of the weekend to view the giant kites at the Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival at Bukit Layang-Layang in Pasir Gudang. — THOMAS YONG/ The Star
JOHOR BARU: This year’s Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival has added another highlight to its array of events – the kite exhibition gallery.
The exhibition features unique kites from various countries including Indonesia, Sweden, Cambodia, Thailand, Brunei and Malaysia.
Malaysian Kite Council president Datuk A. Rahim Nin said a total of 250 Malaysians and 126 international participants from 44 countries took part in the festival.
“We have participants from three new countries – La Reunion, Tasmania and Tahiti,” added A. Rahim.
As of 11am yesterday, the five-day festival had welcomed more than 310,000 visitors.
“We are expecting 500,000 visitors this year,” said A. Rahim.
He also highlighted the use of an AI-powered visitor tracking system, developed in collaboration with Pasir Gudang Community College, to improve crowd management.
First-time visitor Chris Choong, 48, and his wife Susan, 40, said they decided to drop by the event to spend some quality time together.
“We usually see the flying kites by the roadside when driving past, but since we are free this weekend, we decided to take a closer look.
“It’s beautiful to see such large kites in the air, and these kites are only here once a year, so it’s the perfect chance to take some memorable photos,” said Choong.
Sharing the same sentiment was 61-year-old Shelia Raman, who visited the festival every day with her grandson Wesley Valentino, 10.
“We live in Taman Rinting, so it’s just a short drive here. We have come every day to see and experience the different kites the international participants brought here,” she said.
Also making her daily visit to the festival was Norazima Sariran, 35, and her two children, who wanted to take photos with as many kites as they could.
“My husband Ahmad Yusof Toniman is here with us because it is his day off. We plan to stay the whole day, as there will be a fireworks display at night.”
The Pasir Gudang International Kite Festival, a flagship annual event in Johor since 1995, returns for its 27th edition from Feb 12 to 16 at Bukit Layang-Layang in Pasir Gudang.
The festival’s 2025 theme “Stay Clean, Enjoy Fly” encourages visitors and the community to maintain a clean environment while enjoying the art of kite flying.
