To mark one year since the Taliban took over Kabul, in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, the Fly With Me Festival will be launched across the UK, with events to be held in Dover, Folkestone, Glasgow, London and Manchester.
Fly With Me, which uses kite flying, storytelling, music, poetry and dance, is a free festival organised by Afghan artists and Good Chance Theatre. It will be hosted at 16 venues in Europe and the United Kingdom.
Participants will be able to take part in kite-making and storytelling workshops, as well as come together for a kite-flying celebration.
Master kite-maker, and Afghan refugee Sanjar Qiam, who is based in the UK and is one of the co-organisers of the festival, said: “Kite flying is one of the world’s earliest art forms – there are depictions of kites in cave paintings in Indonesia which are 40,000 years old.”
He added: “In Afghanistan, kites occupy a unique space between national art form and national sport. They are a universal symbol of expression, skill and cultural pride.”
“Fly With Me is an act of solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and an opportunity for all of us to come together and feel between our fingers the strings that connect us to this incredible country, its culture and its people.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Fly With Me Festival.
When is Fly With Me Festival?
Thousands of Afghan kites will fly in the skies of the UK and Europe on August 20, 2022, in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan. Events kick off at 10 am and finish at 6 pm.
There are over 35 events happening across the UK and Europe.
Where is Fly With Me Festival?
Kite flying events are happening in Berlin, Bradford, Copenhagen, Dover, Folkestone, Glasgow, London, Manchester, and Paris.
Alongside these, smaller community kite events (with limited capacity) will also take place in Bangor, Barnet, near Barcelona, Flintshire, Isle of Wight, Glastonbury Tor, Halifax, Hay-on-Wye, Liverpool, Manningtree, Newham, Portsmouth, Preston, Scunthorpe, Sheffield and Waterloo and at Shambala Festival in Northamptonshire.
Fly With Me is also open to everyone, so if you’d like to bring your community together to fly kites, use the hashtag #RememberAfghanistan on August 20.
Follow the events on social media and you can share photos or videos of your kite using the hashtags #FlyWithMe #RememberAfghanistan.
How can I get tickets to Fly With Me Festival?
Events are free and open to everyone, so you don’t have to buy tickets to attend, you can just show up.
Find your closest event on the goodchance.org.uk website.
What is the line-up for Fly With Me Festival?
Sanjar Qiam, Elham Ehsas, Elaha Soroor and other Afghan artists across the UK and Europe will present a festival of solidarity filled with Afghan kite-flying, storytelling, music, poetry and dance.
