COLOURFUL kites will fill the skies in Berrow as the Beach Kite Festival returns for its sixth year.

Organisers of the free two-day long festival say it is set to be the biggest one yet with a forty foot high dragon called Amarinth and a wide variety of entertainment and kite traders scheduled to appear.

The annual festival has moved location after being held in Burnham-on-Sea for the last five years.

Gaynor Brown, organiser of the event, said she hopes visitors enjoy the new venue.

“We have run The Beach Kite Fest for five years on Burnham-on-Sea beach in September,” Gaynor said.

“Last year we had 70mph winds which was really a problem because it can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.

“The buggy racers went from the pier up to the historic lighthouse in ten minutes flat and took ages to come back against the wind.

“We didn’t know but apparently it is against the bylaws to let them race there so we couldn’t do it again.

“It also takes ages to get the mud out of the kites each time too.

“So to get away from the mud and the restrictions we went and talked to the owners of the private beach at Berrow and got such a welcome from Beachside Holiday Park that somehow we came away having agreed to bookend the season doing two kite festivals instead.”

Burnham-on-Sea Events hosted the first event last month and Gaynor said it was a big success with more than 3,500 people turning up to enjoy the festival.

She said kiting enthusiasts from across the country will be coming to this year’s festival on Saturday and Sunday, September 8-9, and she hopes this year’s event will be a success.

“There will be two flying arenas on the grass and one on the sand and catering facilities with a DJ to keep the atmosphere going and tell everyone about the flying displays,” Gaynor said.

“We will be bringing back our Learn to Fly Area and there will be a display arena on the beach as well as the power kites and we have a huge dragon arriving too.”

There are limited overnight spaces for kite enthusiasts visiting the festival and plots available for stallholders.

For more information call Gaynor on 01278 238714.