Kites pick fights at fest
Published Friday August 14th, 2009
Last kite flying wins in Rokakku Combat event
The saying 'Go fly a kite' may be taken as a challenge this week.
The Dieppe Kite International Festival is well under way with its theme Welcoming Skies of L'Acadie, but those skies aren't so welcoming between 6 and 7 p.m. nightly.
For one hour each night, kites are trying to knock each other out of the sky. The last kite flying is the winner of the competition.
Organizing committee member Nicole LeBlanc says Rokakku Combat is one of the events that organizers really recommend people come watch.
"It's really quite something," says Nicole. "There are two events that we really encourage people to see and it's the Rokakku Combat and the Night Flight on Saturday night."
The combat is not vicious, although it is definitely competitive. There is no limit on the number of kite flyers who participate, but each is limited to flying only one kite. The participants have to knock each other out of the sky by cutting the kite line, or by forcing the kite to the ground. The only tool they have to accomplish this is their own kite.
"Everybody likes a little competition now and then," says Nicole. "This is the only outwardly competitive event in the festival, although we do have prizes for best kite."
Rokakku Combat is a very important part of many kite festivals. Kite flyers have to obey by a very strict code of conduct in order to ensure safety and fairness to all participants and spectators. Some of the kites can shoot to the earth quickly and could cause harm if they hit somebody.
"It's integral to kite festivals so we wanted to make sure it was a part of ours," says Nicole. "Any kite flyer who wants to participate can do so. It's very interesting to watch."
Some things, such as kite line length, whether the launch will be from the ground or in the air and when to launch the kites, are indicated by the head judge of the competition. For all individual competitions, kites must be a minimum of three feet high, have six sides and four points and only one line. The playing square has to be at least 300 square feet and contestants can move around the flying area while flying their kites.
The only way to cut or knock down another kite, disqualifying them, is to manoeuvre your own kite through certain flying techniques to block the wind from an opponent's kite. Contestants cannot use intentional physical force against another kite and glass or coated line, metal, blades, or other devices deemed unsafe or not in the spirit of the competition are strictly prohibited.
Contestants can be disqualified if they are not engaging in the combat, but instead, simply avoiding being targeted for grounding.
Tickets to the festival are $20 for all events, including tonight's big 1755 concert. Daily admission is $5 and doesn't include the concert.
The festival continues until Sunday with daily events from 1 to 7 p.m., including the exhibition where kite flyers display items that have to do with the sport, kite-making workshops, children's activities and kite demonstrations.
From 2 to 4 p.m. daily, there is an acrobatic kite demonstration and from 6 to 7 p.m. is the Rokakku Combat. All the events take place in Dover Park.
Tonight at 7 p.m. is the big concert featuring 1755, Dominique Dupuis and Cayouche. Tomorrow at 7 p.m. is Reveil, George Belliveau and Suroit.
Tomorrow night is also the Night Kite Flying Show which happens simultaneously with the concert.
On Sunday at noon Ti-blanc Morin will put on a bilingual children's show.
Nicole says the weather and the uniqueness of the festival have really made it a spectacular event so far and she expects it to continue to be just that.
"There were upwards of 1,000 kids on site (on Wednesday)," says Nicole. "It's been really great so far."
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