Frank Mots Kite Festival Returns to Milwaukee's Veterans Park

Hundreds of kites will fill the sky over Lake Michigan this weekend as the Frank Mots International Kite Festival returns to Veterans Park in Milwaukee, running Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free for families, and the event brings giant kites flown by performers from across North America to the city's lakefront. The festival is presented by Gift of Wings, according to OnMilwaukee. Gift of Wings hosted the spring IKEA Family Kite Festival, which celebrated its 39th edition over Memorial Day weekend in May, per Urban Milwaukee. Each day at noon, the festival's signature Grand Launch sends more than 500 kites into the air simultaneously. Attendees can bring their own kites or buy one on site to join the mass launch, creating a sprawling display over the lake that has become the visual centerpiece of the weekend. The festival features giant inflatable show kites such as a 120-foot Trilobite and Super Giant Whales. The Chicago Fire Kite Team returned for its 25th straight year at the 2026 IKEA Family Kite Festival, according to the American Kitefliers Association. The festival's reliance on these massive show kites means the display is always at the mercy of the wind. The festival takes place at Veterans Park along Lake Michigan. Families with young kids have their own moment built into each day's schedule. The festival hosts the Window Nation Kids Mad Dash, where the first 100 children who register receive a free kite, followed by a 100-kite launch. The event is called the Frank Motts Annual Kite Festival, and the Marquette Wire column describes September editions from earlier years. Gift of Wings has also extended its community reach beyond the festival grounds this year, hosting hands-on public kite-making workshops in August at the ArtBlaze beach festival finale at McKinley Beach, an annual summer public art series run by the nonprofit Joy Engine covered by Hoodline. A Marquette University student newspaper opinion column recounts one student's experience at the festival, according to the Marquette Wire.