Once a year, Parliament Hill turns into the most colourful sky in London. Here's everything you need to know about the Kite Festival, and why it is worth planning your calendar around.
The Hampstead Heath Kite Festival is one of the most joyful events in North London's calendar, a day when Parliament Hill fills with spectacular kites of every shape and size, display flyers, families, and a community united by the simple pleasure of sending colour into the sky. This is the complete guide to the kite festival.
- The kite festival is held on Parliament Hill, the Heath's premier kite-flying spot
- A free, family-friendly celebration of kites and community
- Features display flyers, giant kites, stunt kites, and family flying
- Typically held in spring or summer when winds are favourable
- Bring your own kite or simply come to watch the spectacle
- Combine with the Parliament Hill view and a Heath day
A Celebration of Kites
The kite festival transforms Parliament Hill into a riot of colour and movement. On a good wind day, the sky above the hill fills with kites of every description, from simple children's kites to enormous display kites, intricate stunt kites performing aerial choreography, and spectacular novelty kites in the shapes of creatures and characters.
The festival celebrates Parliament Hill's long heritage as a kite-flying destination. The hill's exposed summit, reliable winds, and the dramatic backdrop of London's skyline make it the natural home for such an event. For one day, the everyday pleasure of kite flying becomes a community spectacle.
What to Expect
Display Flyers
Skilled kite enthusiasts and display teams bring their most impressive kites to the festival, giant inflatable kites, elaborate box kites, and stunt kites flown with precision. Watching an expert put a dual-line stunt kite through loops, dives, and synchronised manoeuvres is mesmerising.
Family Flying
The festival is a wonderful event for families. Children can fly their own kites alongside the experts, and the open, festive atmosphere makes it a perfect day out. Some festivals include kite-making activities, stalls, and entertainment.
The Atmosphere
The combination of colour, movement, the sound of wind in the kites, the panoramic view, and the gathered crowd creates a uniquely uplifting atmosphere. It is a celebration of something gloriously simple, and a reminder of why Parliament Hill has drawn kite-flyers for generations.
Amara Johnson took her two young children to the kite festival for the first time in 2024. "I expected to spend twenty minutes there before they got bored," she said. "We stayed five hours. There were these enormous kites shaped like octopuses, a man flying four stunt kites at once, and my kids got their little shop-bought kite up for the first time ever. The look on my daughter's face when her kite caught the wind and climbed, that was the whole day, right there. We've been every year since. It's pure joy, and it's free."
When It's Held
The kite festival is typically held in spring or summer, timed for the seasons when winds are most reliable and the weather most favourable for a day out. Exact dates vary year to year, check local listings and the Heath's official announcements as the season approaches.
Because kite flying depends on wind, the festival's success is weather-dependent. A breezy, sunny day produces the best spectacle; calm days are quieter (kites need wind to fly), while very strong winds can be challenging. The organisers plan around the most reliable windows, but, as with all outdoor events, the weather has the final say.
Taking Part
Bringing Your Own Kite
You are welcome to bring and fly your own kite at the festival. For tips on choosing and flying a kite, see the kite-flying guide. The festival is a great occasion to fly alongside experts and pick up advice from the kite-flying community.
Just Watching
Many festival-goers come simply to watch the spectacle, enjoy the atmosphere, and have a Heath day out. No kite is required, the display flyers and giant kites are a show in themselves.
Making a Day of It
The festival is best enjoyed as part of a full Heath day:
- The view: Take in London's best free panorama from the summit where the kites fly.
- The playground and café: Parliament Hill Fields has facilities for families at the foot of the hill.
- A Heath walk: Combine the festival with a walk on the Heath, the ponds, the woods, or Kenwood.
- A picnic: The open grassland is perfect for a festival picnic.
Practical Tips
- Check the date and weather: Confirm the festival date and check the wind forecast before setting out
- Arrive early: For the best spots and parking, and to see the displays build through the day
- Bring a picnic: Food stalls may be limited; a picnic is reliable and pleasant on the grass
- Dress for the Heath: The summit is exposed, bring layers and sun protection
- Bring your kite: If you have one, the festival is the perfect occasion to fly it
- Getting there: Hampstead Heath or Gospel Oak Overground, then a climb to the summit
Practical Information
- Where: Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath
- When: Spring or summer (date varies, check local listings)
- Cost: Free
- Best for: Families, kite enthusiasts, anyone wanting a joyful Heath day
- Bring: A kite (optional), a picnic, layers, sun protection, a camera
The Hampstead Heath Kite Festival is one of those rare events that captures something pure, the simple, ageless delight of a kite climbing into the wind, multiplied across a hilltop crowded with colour and shared with a whole community. Whether you bring your own kite or come just to watch the sky fill with spectacular creations, the festival is a free, joyful celebration on one of London's finest hills. It is the everyday magic of kite flying on Parliament Hill raised, for one glorious day, into a festival.
