Treasure Island Kite Festival returns after 2024 storms

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — The annual Treasure Island Kite Festival will return to the beach on Friday for the first time since a pair of hurricanes devastated the area in 2024.

“It feels fantastic,” said organizer Torrey Lindemann. “Kite flying is all about community and bringing people together and having fun.”

The organizer said the public can expect to see hundreds, maybe even thousands of colorful kites flying over the beach at the same time. Lindemann said he has 30 years of experience and enjoys flying a sports kite.

“There’s also going to be a lot of giant inflatable kites,” he said. “We’ve got a kite flying team from Texas that just rolled in, and they have a 90-foot octopus.”

The massive sea creature kites will be lit up with LED lights for the night fly on Friday and Saturday. The return of the kite festival is another sign that much of the area has recovered from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The iconic Thunderbird Beach Hotel, which was the lead sponsor of the event, has been temporarily closed since being flooded by Helene. Instead, the Bilmar Beach Resort next door has taken over the sponsorship.

“We’re so glad that we’re able to do that,” said Clyde Smith, Bilmar general manager. “We’re happy to pick up the ball and run with them.”

Smith said dozens of rooms have been booked for the festival, which will be the first big event of the year in Treasure Island.

“It’s definitely the best weekend in a little while,” he said. “It was a little soft this holiday period.” 

Lindemann said players from all over the country have been arriving for the festival. The pro flyers will participate in stunt shows, battle in competitions and choreographed ballets set to music.

“There’s over 10,000 people who said that they are interested in coming,” he said. “So we hope that that we get a lot of people to show up and help boost the economy here and get to learn about kite flying because it’s so much fun.”

The 29th annual Treasure Island Kite Festival begins on Friday and runs through Sunday. The family-friendly event is free to attend, and the public can bring their own kites to fly.