Colourful kite creations and live music at annual Kite Festival

Colourful kite creations were flown in the skies above Boyn Grove Park (Punt Hill) on Sunday as ‘at least’ 1,000 people enjoyed Norden Farm’s annual Kite Festival.

The free-to-attend event brought family fun, live entertainment, stalls and plenty of food and drink to the park as guests sat on blankets on the hill, enjoying the atmosphere.

Kicking off at 12pm, the festival was officially opened by Maidenhead MP Josh Reynolds and Royal Borough mayor Cllr Mandy Brar who both gave speeches praising the event, which was back for its fifth year.

Mr Reynolds said: “Five years of the Kite Festival and every year it just seems to be getting bigger and bigger and better and better.”

Cllr Brar added: “I really, really appreciate charities, the stallholders and all of the fantastic work [that] goes [on] at Norden Farm.”

The Dhol Collective then took centre stage and crowds clapped along to their energetic drumbeats and enjoyed some Bhangra dancing. 

The festival was a hive of activity, with plenty of food vendors and community stalls lining the field.

Presto Italian were serving pizzas and guests also enjoyed treats from KaNa Homecooked, Smoking Skewers, and Ssug Korean food.

Visitors could tuck into crepes from Chiltern Crepe Co, cookies, gelato from Agosti Gelato, ice cream from Franca’s ice cream van and treats from Jessie’s Coffee.

The Eco Action Windsor & Maidenhead team were chatting to festivalgoers and panto favourites The Comet and Robin Hood also turned out to provide visitors with more information about what is coming up at the Altwood Road arts venue.

Norden Farm’s bar was open all afternoon for guests to enjoy refreshments.

Families were also busy designing their own kites at a designated stall throughout the afternoon. 

Sea creatures were among the array of kite characters being flown through the skies by families across the park.  

Children's poet Simon Mole was leading storytelling for youngsters throughout the afternoon. 

Sass and Sparkle were offering an array of creations at their face painting stall and there were plenty of arts and crafts on offer.

Over by the main stage, Miss High Leg Kick’s Bird Rave saw crowds join in with some old-school moves.

Musician Oscar Scannell and classic rock and roll band The Rymatones kept the energy going before the Souful Sistas took to the stage to belt out a host of tunes, including a rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

There was balloon art to enjoy from Mark’s Magic Mayhem and festivalgoers could also take photos with the giant decorative wings.

Charity Stand Out For Autism were offering families sensory sessions in their sensory bus. 

Speaking at the event, Jane Corry, chief executive and artistic director at Norden Farm, said: “It’s fantastic.

“It feels like the whole of Maidenhead is here.

“There’s a really wonderful atmosphere. Everyone’s here doing their own thing.”

Kayleigh Robinson, education manager at Norden Farm, added: “We had people flying kites before the festival actually started.

“All day it’s been busy and popular.”

Jane spoke of the importance of providing ‘really exciting, creative things for the community to get involved in, that make people feel really happy and proud of their town’.

She added: “That’s so important to us at Norden Farm that we put on things with are free, so that everybody can get involved.”

Around 1,000 people, including schools and community groups, took part in the free kite-making workshops held at Norden Farm and in the Nicholsons Centre, ahead of the event.

The arts venue is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year this month with a host of events including the Norden Farm Forever Gala on Wednesday, September 17 and The Great Big Community Show on Saturday, September 20.

Norden Farm’s popular Lantern Parade will also be back in December.

Jane expressed thanks to all those who support Norden Farm, including the Louis Baylis Charitable Trust.

The Kite Festival was sponsored by Spoore, Merry and Rixman, the Cyril Taylor Charitable Foundation, and the Prince Philip Trust Fund.