A spectacular kite flying day took place in San Antonio, Ibiza on the 25th January 2009. This traditional event is part of the town's month-long fiesta programme and sees hundreds of kites, of all shapes and sizes, take to the air from the town's beaches.

The tradition of kite flying is one of the oldest ever documented, with its history dating back to Chinese culture almost 3000 years ago. Kites had a practical purpose before any leisure concepts were developed and were said to be used for sending messages, measuring distances, gauging wind strength and even lifting things. Later the sport of kite fighting developed in Asia, a cultural tradition described in Khaled Hosseini's successful 2003 novel, The Kite Runner.

In Ibiza, the kite flying day will be less aggressive and feature a display of kites purely for their style, colour and general splendour. The event in 2008 was delayed by a week or two due to high winds (the same winds that in January 08 sank or stranded over 30 yachts and boats on the town's Arenal beach). The hope is that in 2010 the weather will be kinder and allow the kite flying day to take place during the Fiesta amongst the folk dancing, music concerts, sailing regattas and other events on the programme.

Some of the kites will be commercial models, some purchased on the day from the retailers on hand, but many will be home-made, testing the skills and designs of their makers. Children play a big part during the kite flying day, which has taken place for more than a decade now. The main challenge of the day will be to get as many kites as possible up in the air at once, creating a wonderful colourful spectacle.

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