By Molly Snyder Senior Writer Published Sep 03, 2024 at 2:30 PM

Sometimes, strings attached is a good thing. Such is the case when the annual Frank Mots Int'l Kite Festival, presented by IKEA and hosted by Gift of Wings, takes place in Veterans Park this weekend, Sept. 7-8. The excitement begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Both the event and parking are free. 

Here are some main events for both days:

  • 12 p.m. – The Grand Launch of 600+ kites.
  • 12:30 p.m. – The Chicago Fire Kite Team, the No. 1 kite team in the United States, starts off the professional kite teams.
  • 2:30 p.m. – The first 100 kids who sign up for and participate in the "Kids Mad Dash" will receive free kites. They will then compete to see who can fly their kite the highest in 60 seconds and the winner will receive a grand prize.
  • During the event – Free kite lessons will be available from "The Kite Whisperer" Jim Cosca. 
  • During the event – Too Much Fun, a precision kite flying team from California, will perform three times each day. 
  • During the event – Yves Laforest and the Canadian Dream Team from Montreal will fly their 2-large Super Giant Whale kites, 120-foot Trilobite kite and all-new, exclusive-to-this-event IKEA Giant Shark Kite. 
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  • Plus, Connor Doran from "America’s Got Talent" will be back to hold the strings along with Milwaukee's own professional kite-flyers Mike Delfar and Paul Koepke.

Let's fly high this weekend, Milwaukee!

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For more information about the International Kite Festival, go here


Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.

Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.