Weifang International Kite Festival

Weifang International Kite Festival is usually held in the third Saturday in April and lasts about half a month. Since 1984, it has been held every year with an increasing scale. More than 30 countries and regions from all over the world take part in the festival. It is the first large-scale local festival in China to be titled "international" and recognized by the international community.

Weifang is the birthplace of kites. It has a long history of kite making and boasts exquisite craftsmanship. Now more than 70% of kites in the world are exported from Weifang. In May 2006, Weifang kite was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. The International Kite Federation headquarter is also set in Weifang. Weifang has become the center of kite culture exchange and is called the hometown of kites by people all over the world.

✔ 3 Days Weifang Kite Culture & Festival Tour

Like many Chinese folk art forms, Weifang kites are the entertainment products that embody people's ideals and aspirations. Gradually, the kite becomes the symbol of Weifang and the festival is one of the most important events in Weifang.

Immerse in the World of Kite on Opening Ceremony

Ticket for opening ceremony: vary from year to year, usually CNY 100-300

On the opening day of Weifang International Kite Festival, you will see the most kites in different styles. With a growing scale, now there are over 60 countries and regions attending the festival. It has attracted over 100 thousand audience.

Representative teams from home and abroad gather here to fly their well-designed kites to the sky. Apart from the traditional patterns such as swallow, butterfly, and triangle, you will be amazed by the creativity showed in these kites. There are animals like centipede, fish, dragon, dolphin, bear, octopus; cartoon figures like flower fairy, Calabash Brothers, superman, characters in Pilgrimage to The West, and other shapes like spaceship, satellite and Noah's Ark. People say there is nothing you can not fly to the sky in Weifang. When you get here, you will know it is true.

Make a Kite on Your Own in Yangjiabu Folk Culture Village

Location: Yangjiabu, Hanting District, Weifang City 山东省潍坊市寒亭区杨家埠, about 16 km, 50 minutes’ drive from Weifang downtown
Opening Hours: All day
Ticket: CNY 66 (including kite making and New Year picture painting)

Yangjiabu is the birthplace of Weifang kites with a long history. At the end of the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644), the ancestors have already got excellent kite making skills and they integrated kites with New Year pictures (a form of Chinese colored woodblock print, for decoration during the Chinese New Year). Gradually, Yangjiabu kite has grown its own style with realistic colors and well composed groups.

After watching so many kites, do you want to make one on your own? If the answer is yes, Yangjiabu is the right place for you. Here you can not only make your own kite, but also experience the New Year picture painting, feeling the charm of this art that has been headed down for hundreds of years.

Pay a Visit to Weifang World Kite Museum

Location: No. 66 Xingzheng Street, Kuiwen District, in Weifang downtown 潍坊市奎文区行政街66号, in Weifang downtown
Opening Hours: Closed on Monday, 09:00-17:00 (Tuesday to Sunday)
Ticket: Free

Weifang World Kite Museum (潍坊世界风筝博物馆) is the first large-scale kite museum in China. It adopts the characteristics of centipede kite, whose roof is made of peacock blue glazed tiles and looks like a dragon flying in the sky. It is a landmark building of "kite capital of the world".

The kite museum collects and displays kite treasures and cultural relics in eight exhibition halls. They respectively introduce the history, application, evolution and development of kites, the schools and classification of kites, foreign kite exhibitions, and international kite fairs. Here you can see the most exquisite kites in China and other countries. Seeing the kites, it is like you have become a child again who is running freely in the fields to fly your beloved kite up high.

✔ 3 Days Weifang Kite Culture & Festival Tour

• From Weifang downtown (Weifang World Kite Museum): about 53 km, 1.5 hours by car, 2.5 hours by bus
• From Weifang Railway Station: about 55 km, 1.5 hours by car, 2.5 hours by bus
• From Weifang North Railway Station: about 42 km, 50 minutes by car, nearly 2 hours by bus
• From Weifang Airport: about 62 km, 1.5 hours by car, 3 hours by bus.

Note: To get to Weifang, you can take a high speed train from Beijing (2.5~3.5h), Qingdao (1h), Jinan (45min~1.5h), Taian (2h), Qufu (2.5h), Yantai (1.5~2h), Weihai (2~2.5h), etc.

Travel with China Discovery

If you want to save all the transfer troubles, you can travel with us China Discovery. We provide private transfer service for our customers who book a Weifang tour with us. Our professional local guide and driver will escort you from your hotel, train station, airport to all attractions with comfortable private licensed car and let you catch the highlights of every site and city, so you can get really relaxed on the way and focus on what you are interested in. The tour can be tailor made according to your plan, time and interests and demands. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us and tell us your needs, and we will customize a memorable tour for you!

During your stay in Weifang, it is most recommended to stay in Weifang downtown (around Weifang World Kite Museum). Though where the festival is held is a little far from downtown, it is held during the day and there are not many accommodation choices in that area. You can come back to Weifang downtown after attending the festival. What’s more, in Weifang downtown, you will have a more convenient access to other featured attractions such as Weifang World Kite Museum and Shihu Garden.

Hotels in Weifang downtown may not be as luxury as those in Qingdao or Jinan. So in order to have a more comfortable living experience, 5-star or 4-star hotels are more recommended.

Generally, a classic Weifang tour takes at least 2 days. We suggest you focus on the best highlights of Weifang, including Kite Museum, Yangjiabu Folk Culture Village and Shihu Garden. Of course, it is strongly recommended to visit Weifang during Weifang International Kite Festival. In the Opening Ceremony of the festival, you will be overwhelmed by the beautiful kites in the sky. With more time, you can take a hiking to Yunmen Mountain, have a relaxing time in Huanghuaxi Scenic Area or learn more about Weifang in Qingzhou Museum.

✔ 3 Days Weifang Kite Culture & Festival Tour

Weifang is usually traveled with other cities in Shandong such as Qingdao. It is really worthwhile to spend 2 days savoring Qingdao highlights, like Badaguan Scenic Resort, Qingdao Beer Museum, and Laoshan Mountain.

✔ 5 Days Qingdao Weihai Yantai Coastal Tour

If you have more time and want to have a comprehensive understanding of Shandong to learn more about its history and culture, it is highly recommended to visit Mount Tai and Qufu. Mount Tai is the first UNESCO World Natural & Cultural Heritage site while Qufu is the hometown of Confucius. Spending another 2~3 days visiting these two destinations will deliver you an unforgettable experience of Chinese culture discovery.

✔ 2 Days Most Classic Mount Tai Hiking with Sunrise Tour
✔ 2 Days Mount Tai Qufu Tour from Beijing by Bullet Train
✔ 9 Days Shandong Panorama Tour (Qingdao / Weihai / Yantai / Weifang / Zibo / Qufu / Mount Tai / Jinan )