Qatar can become one of the best and most popular kite-flying destinations in the world due to its unique features for a major kite event, art director of the Aspire International Kite Festival 2018 has said. Speaking to Gulf Times, Caterina Capelli cited the beauty of Doha’s Aspire Park, the venue for the second edition of the festival, which opened yesterday and will run until March 9.

“We found in Doha a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere and we have here an amazing location,” she said. “Doha is in the right direction to have a really top world festival growing every year.” Capelli and his father Claudio, who both run the world’s biggest kite festival in Italy, have been invited to be the art directors of this year’s Aspire kite fest.

Apart from the venue, she said the festival’s several side activities and attractions such as entertainment shows, theatre performances, music and workshops for students attract a large number of families and children. With “a very good promotion” in various fronts, Capelli said the event will witness more residents and visitors coming and joining the various activities. In Italy, she noted that around 200,000 people visit Artevento, which will mark its 38th edition next month. The Capellis have brought to Doha a selection of what they described as “the best kite artists” from more than 20 countries around the world.

 “One of the most interesting things of our festival (Artevento) and what makes it unique from others is that we are focused on art – art that flies – so the sky is like a gallery,” Capelli said. “If you look at the sky, people can see some pictures or painted kites (with different designs) as my father is a painter so he paints his kite,” she added.

Kite-flying at Aspire started with a light wind in the morning, featuring synchronised and traditional kite movements which can also be seen from afar, according to the art director. “It is very interesting and we have many stocks of many different kites of different sizes, shapes and designs such as train kites, and we have many other traditional kites,” she said, adding that they also have a good representation of inflatable and large kites representing animals like cats, sea horse and stingray, among others.

Artevento Kite Festival

The Artevento Kite Festival attracts more than 2,000 kite enthusiasts from all over the world, according to Caterina Capelli. She said kite-makers in the early 90s said that Artevento is not a festival but a pilgrimage “because everyone who likes kites dream to come to the festival at least once in his or her life.” “What makes our festival so different is it that it has a very friendly atmosphere and so having so many countries represented. It is like a cultural exchange running for nearly 40 years so all became a family,” Capelli noted, stressing that Qatar, through the Aspire International Kite Festival, can achieve a similar feat.

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