The annual Civita Kite Festival has quickly become a special tradition for the San Diego community. This year marked the third consecutive festival, drawing hundreds of residents and visitors together for a day of outdoor fun, live music, creativity, and kite flying. Here is the flyer that was used leading up the the event date.
The festival provides an opportunity for families to step outside, enjoy live entertainment, and receive free kites to decorate and fly. The event is made possible through a wonderful partnership between Civita, Sudberry Properties, and the San Diego Kite Club, whose volunteers help wherever needed throughout the day. Our club must give a quick shoutout top the professional photographer on the scene that day, Jeremiah Kendle. All of the photos you see throughout this article were provided by him. He photographs all of our major events and it was a joy to see him pointing his lens our way once again. Thank you for doing a job well done Jeremiah.
Sudberry Properties, which developed Civita Park and the surrounding community, deserves special recognition for helping bring this event to life. Their vision was to create an annual kite festival that would bring the community together through music, recreation, and family activities. Since launching the event in 2024, they have remained committed to making that vision a reality each year.
The kites provided to attendees were classic diamond-shaped kites, with twin tails and features the Civita logo.
While a small amount of assembly was required, volunteers worked diligently both the day before and the day of the festival to prepare hundreds of kites for distribution. Thanks to the many helping hands from both Civita and the San Diego Kite Club, the workload was shared and the preparations ran smoothly. We had some hiccups along the way but everyone worked hard, kept their heads down to let fliers keep their heads up. As the festivities began you could see a line forming to receive one or more of the hundreds of free kites.
Behind the kite-decorating booth, the San Diego Kite Club set up feather banners, a branded canopy, and information tables. With additional shade structures and equipment provided by Civita, volunteers were able to comfortably assist families and answer questions throughout the day.
The music was well rounded with different genres playing and a quality sound. Many of us worker bees were shaking around and people kept commenting on how good the band was. The band for this years festival is, Jason Mann. Here is their Instagram handle https://www.instagram.com/j_mann_music/
One of the most rewarding parts of the festival was hearing parents tell us that it was the first time their child had ever flown a kite. Those moments are a true gift to everyone involved. There is something special about watching a first-time flyer experience the excitement of seeing a kite rise into the sky. The smiles, laughter, and sense of accomplishment remind us why community kite festivals are so important.
While all of the action was happening. Our field kite master Don Fox (Club Treasurer and Region 12 Director of the American Kitefliers Association) could be seen roaming the field helping the crowd and getting kites out of trees. He has been called a lot of friendly names, like “Stick Guy” or “Tree Man” for his rescue of kites stuck in trees. So if you ever see this sweet smiling dude when you roam a kite fesitvla or kiting event, be sure to thank him for saving hundreds of kites.
Check out these photos of our new club gear being put to use. This gear helped us look sharp and well represented throughout the festival. Club President Ziggy has been dedicated to improving the way we promote ourselves and present the club to the public. With the support of our members through fundraising efforts and club votes to invest in ourselves, we now have professional-looking equipment and apparel that helps us put our best foot forward wherever we go. We are proud of how far the club has come and look forward to representing the San Diego kite-flying community for years to come.
Each year, Anne and Sudberry Properties provide the San Diego Kite Club with a generous $1,000 donation. This contribution helps our club remain organized, continue its community outreach efforts, and promote the joy of kite flying throughout San Diego. We are grateful for their continued partnership and support, and we look forward to many more successful Civita Kite Festivals in the years ahead. The San Diego Kite Club has been fortunate to be involved with the Civita Kite Festival since its very first year. Working with Anne Law has been a pleasure throughout that time. As Vice President of Marketing for Sudberry Properties, Anne has been a strong supporter of both the festival and our club. She provided much-needed food for our club volunteers and made electric carts available to help transport equipment and supplies across the festival grounds. Her assistance was greatly appreciated and helped make the event a success.
We have some missing people from the group photo. Ashley Hernandez, the Civita Community Manager and Yahaira Cazares, the Assistant Community Manager. Barbara Metz is the community/public relations person for Civita. Don Fox (club treasurer) and the photographer taking this photo, Jeremiah Kendle.
Anne Law wrote, “We are grateful to the San Diego Kite Club for the expertise, enthusiasm, guidance, and hands-on help they have provided every year. When we envisioned a Kite Festival at Civita, we really didn’t know where to start. We were lucky to find the Kite Club because we couldn’t have done it without their help.”
For all you readers out there. We want you to think about how important a day like this is. A day like this provides so much for so many. Access to free outdoor activities is extremely important for the San Diego region. We hope to see you next year.