THE Sipalay City Government, through its Tourism Development and Promotions Office, in partnership with the Kite Association of the Philippines, is again holding its annual kite flying event this week.
Dubbed “Burangoy Tourism Kite Festival,” the four-day activity starting Monday, March 25, is being held at the Poblacion Beach of the southern Negros Occidental City.
Jerick Lacson, city tourism officer, said that now on its seventh year, the event has grown from a small local kite flying activity initiated by former tourism officer Rhia Carbajosa into one of the biggest kite festivals in Western Visayas.
The “Burangoy Tourism Kite Festival” is coined from the terms “burador” or kite, and “barongoy” which is a local word for flying fish.
Lacson said various activities are scheduled for this year's festivity including the kite design and flying competition on March 27 and kite workshop Monday.
There is also a fun kite flying exhibition from March 25 to 28, wind garden on March 26, and the newly added trike and trisikad kite design contest on March 26 and 27, Lacson also said.
For this year, the kite design and flying competition has four categories: Flat Kites, which is open to all schools in the city; Barongoy Kite for locals and organizations; Figure Kite and Geometric Kites for all interested kite enthusiasts.
Another activity is the kite workshop, which will promote kite making and kite flying among elementary school children.
The fun kite flying exhibitions will be the showcase of various kite designs from the facilitators, which can also be tried by locals and guests.
The wind garden, meanwhile, is a showcase of colorful pinwheels in a specific area.
Lacson said that as a new addition this year, the trike and trisikad kite design competition aims to involve transport operators in the event.
This is also to improve the designs of their vehicles with a kite or pinwheel theme both in their night and day appearances.
Lacson said the contest also aims to showcase the artistic talents of the drivers and owners and would also support the program of the city on Tricycle Tour Guides, which started in September last year.
Moreover, the kite entries this year will not utilize plastic as their built materials.
This is part of the efforts of the city to reduce plastic wastes in events and festivals, he added.