St Annes Kite Festival: free beach displays in September
The free St Annes Kite Festival will fill the seafront with display kites from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September 2026. Flying begins at noon on Friday on St Annes beach, adjacent to the pier in Lytham St Annes. The event is aimed at families, children and dog owners, and no entry charge is listed.
Kite teams from across the UK and beyond are due to take part in the award-winning festival. Visit Lancashire Events lists Fylde Council and SmileFactor10 as the organisers, with ongoing support from St Annes Town Council.
Three days of flying beside St Annes Pier
Friday has the longest programme, running from noon until 10pm. The day will finish with illuminated kite flying, bringing colour to the seafront after daylight fades.
Saturday’s kite flying is scheduled from 11am to 5pm, although the beach fairground is expected to continue operating into the evening. Sunday’s programme runs from 11am to 4pm.
| Day | Planned kite-flying times |
|---|---|
| Friday 4 September | Noon–10pm, including illuminated flying |
| Saturday 5 September | 11am–5pm |
| Sunday 6 September | 11am–4pm |
The timetable gives visitors three distinct options. Friday is the day for the illuminated display and the latest scheduled finish. Saturday combines a full daytime flying programme with a fairground operating into the evening, while Sunday offers the shortest planned session.
Five arenas, a fairground and local producers
Five flying arenas will be set out on the beach for the visiting teams and their display kites. One arena will sit outside the dog control zone, allowing visitors with dogs to get closer to part of the action while remaining in the permitted area.
The fairground will operate on the beach, while additional food and drink stalls are planned for the Promenade. An artisan market featuring local producers will also be held in the Promenade Gardens during the festival.
Visitors can use the seafront stalls, head into the town centre for refreshments or bring a picnic. These options may be particularly useful for anyone planning to remain for Friday’s extended programme or Saturday evening’s fairground operation.
What to check before travelling
Entry is free, and the published event information does not give separate booking, transport or accessibility details. Anyone who needs those details can consult the Visit Lancashire Events listing or contact Fylde tourist information on 01253 658443 or at touristinformation@fylde.gov.uk before attending.
The September dates were selected because the planned tides support the safe running of the festival. Even so, every part of the programme is weather dependent. Organisers may change the flying schedule without notice when conditions make that necessary for safety, so the listed times should be treated as the planned programme rather than a guarantee of continuous flying throughout each session.
Source: Visit Lancashire Events
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Dates, daily times, location, entry cost and weather conditions were matched against the Visit Lancashire Events listing.
- Confirmed the festival dates as 4–6 September 2026
- Matched the three daily flying schedules to the published programme
- Confirmed free entry and the beach location beside St Annes Pier
- Retained the organiser’s warning that the programme is weather dependent
- Source
- Visit Lancashire Events
- Scope
- Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
- Updated
- 2026-08-26 16:38
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