The Sunfest Kite Festival has enthusiasts flying and doing acrobatic tricks

OCEAN CITY, Md. – Community members and tourists are taking flight with their kites this weekend. The 47th Annual Sunfest Kite Festival has taken over the OC Boardwalk.

Kite Loft owner Jay Knerr runs the events and said the event is one of Ocean City’s mainstays.

“This is the 2nd day of our 47th annual kite festival, and everyone is having a great time. The wind just kicked in, and so the kites just went up.”

The event features kite lovers and viewers watching kite experts perform tricks. Jamey Stewart visited the festival from Erie, Pennsylvania, and told WMDT the varied kites people can get.

“You have single-line, two-line, and four-line kites. And the only thing that changes is how much fun you have.”

Lee Tompkins is another expert, and feels kiting is an art form. She expresses that the kiting community is often misunderstood. However, she remains strong about her passion.

“The fact that there is a kite community. I think a lot of people think flying a kite is the little one-line kite you get as a little kid. And then they come to something like this and see what we do,” said Tompkins.

Another tourist, Ron, said the community is larger than life. “That’s the misunderstanding, nobody understands just how big these things can be.”

Sarah Klopp calls the fly community generational. “My great grandmother got my dad started, and then my dad got me started when I was little.”

The festival continues Saturday and Sunday at Kite Loft on the OC boardwalk – and these experts say you can’t miss it.

“What I really like about Sunfest is the family nature ,” said Stewart.

Visit the website here for more information.