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<\/p>\nOrlando Kite Festival taking STEM, the arts and community to new heights<\/p>\n
Organizer Celina Dozier joins WESH 2 to preview the free, family-friendly event returning to the historic Parramore District Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. <\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWELCOME BACK. IT\u2019S 914, AN EVENT WHERE EDUCATION, ARTS AND COMMUNITY CROSS PATHS IS GETTING READY TO TAKE FLIGHT RIGHT HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. THE ORLANDO KITE FESTIVAL IS COMING BACK TO THE HISTORIC DISTRICT. AND JOINING ME NOW TO TELL US AND HELP EXTEND THE INVITATION IS EVENT ORGANIZER DOCTOR SELINA DOZIER. THANKS FOR JOINING US. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. GOOD MORNING. FIRST OF ALL, I LOVE THE LOGO BACK HERE. IT REALLY GIVES A NICE LITTLE SLICE OF THE COLOR. YES. AND THE POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE AROUND AN EVENT LIKE THIS. THE BEAUTY. YES. WE SAW A LITTLE BIT OF THE VIDEO THERE, BUT IF SOMEONE IS UNFAMILIAR, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS KITE FESTIVAL? WHAT IS IT? THE KITE FESTIVAL IS HONESTLY JUST PURE JOY. IT\u2019S FUN. IT\u2019S BEAUTY. AS I MENTIONED, IT\u2019S FAMILIES COMING OUT ENJOYING THEMSELVES, DOING AN ACTIVITY THAT WE MAYBE HAVEN\u2019T DONE IN A REALLY LONG TIME. FLYING KITES. JUST SIMPLE, PURE FUN. IT\u2019S LIKE AN ACTIVITY OF YESTERYEAR FOR SURE. WE\u2019RE BRINGING IT BACK. HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN DOING THE. THIS IS OUR THIRD YEAR COMING UP, AND I\u2019M SO THANKFUL BECAUSE OUR FIRST YEAR WE HAD 900 PEOPLE TO COME. SO FOR OUR FIRST YEAR EVENT, THAT\u2019S PRETTY GOOD. ABSOLUTELY. PROOF THAT PEOPLE WANT TO FLY KITES. THAT\u2019S ORLO VISTA EVENT GROWN SINCE THEN. SO LAST YEAR WE HAD ABOUT 1200 PEOPLE. THIS YEAR WE\u2019RE EXPECTING 3000. I\u2019M GETTING NOTIFICATIONS ALL THE TIME THAT PEOPLE ARE BUYING TICKETS. I\u2019M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE OUTCOME OF THIS YEAR\u2019S FESTIVAL. OKAY. AND THERE ARE SOME FREEBIES AND GIVEAWAYS THAT WE\u2019RE GOING TO GET TO IN JUST A SECOND. BUT BEFORE WE DO, THERE IS THERE\u2019S AN UNDERLYING STEM COMPONENT TO THIS KITE FESTIVAL THAT I WANT TO CHAT WITH YOU ABOUT FOR SURE. SO I\u2019M A PROFESSOR AT UCF, I TEACH ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING. AND FOR ME, THIS KITE FESTIVAL IS A WAY TO INTRODUCE AND EXPOSE CHILDREN TO STEM. THE REASON THAT WE LOVE KITE SO MUCH IS BECAUSE OF SCIENCE. SO USING THAT FUN AND UNIQUE WAY TO INTRODUCE CHILDREN TO STEM, THIS IS WHAT WE DO, I LOVE THAT. SO WHAT IS THE IDEAL AGE RANGE OF KIDS WHO WILL REALLY BENEFIT FROM THIS? SO WE USUALLY GET CHILDREN AROUND TODDLER AGE, WHICH IS PRETTY FUN. WE STARTED THE FESTIVAL BECAUSE OF MY SON WHEN HE WAS TWO YEARS OH NO KIDDING. YES. SO TODDLER AGE, PRESCHOOL, ELEMENTARY AGE. ONCE THEY GET TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, THEY\u2019RE MAYBE, YOU KNOW MORE INTO IT AS WELL, BUT THEY\u2019RE LIKE TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL. SO I GOTCHA. BUT I MEAN, WHAT\u2019S FANTASTIC IS THIS REALLY APPEALS TO KIDS AT EVERY AGE LEVEL, EVERY AGE TWO, AND CAN\u2019T NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, CAPTURE ALL OF THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT. YOU\u2019RE ALWAYS HAVING FUN OUT THERE. AND BY MIDDLE SCHOOL, I MEAN YOU\u2019D BE ABLE TO DIVE DEEP INTO SOME OF THOSE STEMS. EXACTLY. AND WHAT WE ALSO HAVE IS THE ORLANDO SCIENCE CENTER COMING OUT TO DO A FEW ACTIVITIES. SO WE HAVE A DRONE CAGE THAT THE CHILDREN CAN CONTROL, SOME DRONES. WE HAVE SOME ROBOTICS FEATURES OUT THERE AS WELL. SO IT\u2019S GOING TO BE REALLY EXCITING FOR EVERYONE. YEAH. ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF THIS IS THAT IT\u2019S ALL FREE TOO. AND THERE ARE SOME GIVEAWAYS. SO TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD GET OUT THERE AS EARLY AS THEY CAN, GET OUT THERE AS EARLY AS YOU CAN. THE FIRST 100 CHILDREN GET A FREE KITE THAT THEY GET TO DECORATE AND BUILD. WE HAVE SOME HELPERS AND VOLUNTEERS OUT THERE HELPING THE CHILDREN TO TO BUILD THEIR KITES, AND THEY GO OUT AND FLY THEM. WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO YOU TO BE ABLE TO BRING SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO CENTRAL? YEAH, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS FESTIVAL BEGAN BECAUSE OF MY SON. SO AGAIN, HE WAS TWO YEARS OLD WHEN I HAD THIS IDEA. AND I SAID, WHAT\u2019S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN\u2019T DONE? AND I THINK THAT HE WOULD ENJOY KITES CAME TO MIND. AND BECAUSE I AM THE WAY THAT I AM, WHICH IS WHAT THEY CALL EXTRA, I SAID, YOU KNOW, WE\u2019RE NOT JUST GOING TO GO TO THE STORE AND FLY KITES AND BUY KITE. WE\u2019RE GOING TO DO A FESTIVAL AND INVITE THE ENTIRE CITY OF ORLANDO. AND WHAT\u2019S GREAT ABOUT KITES IS THAT IT TAKES US OUTSIDE, AWAY FROM SCREENS. RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, WE\u2019RE ALL IN THE TECHNOLOGY AND LOOKING AT SOCIAL MEDIA. LET\u2019S COME OUTSIDE AND ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL WEATHER THAT WE HAVE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. AND AGAIN, BUILDING COMMUNITY AND BOND WITH OUR FAMILIES. THAT\u2019S AMAZING. OKAY, SO FOR ANYBODY WATCHING WHO WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE INFORMATION, WHERE CAN THEY GO? THEY CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE, ORLANDO, KITE FESTIVAL.COM AND ALSO ON OUR INSTAGRAM ORLANDO KITE FESTIVAL. REMIND US ONE MORE TIME, WHERE IS THIS TAKING PLACE? WHEN IS THIS HAPPENING? YES, IT HAPPENS THIS UPCOMING SATURDAY, JUST IN THREE DAYS, APRIL 11TH FROM 10 A.M. UNTIL 3 P.M. HAPPENING DOWNTOWN AT THE A SCHOOL ACADEMIC CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE. OKAY, WONDERFUL. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. DOCTOR DOZIER. THIS IS GOING TO BE A GREAT EVENT. I KNOW IT\u2019S GOING T\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Orlando Kite Festival taking STEM, the arts and community to new heights<\/p>\n
Organizer Celina Dozier joins WESH 2 to preview the free, family-friendly event returning to the historic Parramore District Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. <\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tUpdated: 9:39 AM EDT Apr 8, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\tEditorial Standards \u24d8<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Orlando Kite festival is returning to the historic Parramore Heritage District for its third year on Saturday, April 11. Organizer Celina Dozier joins WESH 2 to preview the free, family-friendly event aiming to bring accessible, educational fun to Central Florida.The festival will include STEM activities, music, food trucks and more. The first 100 children will receive a free kite to decorate and build. Kites will also be available for purchase on-site. Event details:Saturday, April 11, 202610 a.m. – 3 p.m. Orange County Public Schools Academic Center for Excellence701 W Livingston St, Orlando, FL 32805Festival admission is free, but guests are encouraged to secure a ticket online. Click here to visit the event webpage.Follow the Orlando Kite Festival on Instagram for more updates.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The Orlando Kite festival is returning to the historic Parramore Heritage District for its third year on Saturday, April 11. <\/p>\n Organizer Celina Dozier joins WESH 2 to preview the free, family-friendly event aiming to bring accessible, educational fun to Central Florida.<\/p>\n The festival will include STEM activities, music, food trucks and more. <\/p>\n The first 100 children will receive a free kite to decorate and build. <\/p>\n Kites will also be available for purchase on-site. <\/p>\n Event details:\t<\/p>\n Saturday, April 11, 2026<\/p>\n 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. <\/p>\n Orange County Public Schools Academic Center for Excellence<\/p>\n 701 W Livingston St, Orlando, FL 32805<\/p>\n Festival admission is free, but guests are encouraged to secure a ticket online. <\/p>\n Click here <\/a>to visit the event webpage.<\/p>\n Follow the Orlando Kite Festival on Instagram<\/a> for more updates.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t