DC Kite Festival Tips & Activities with Kids for 2023

Table of Contents

Overview of the Festival
Dates and Times for 2023 (+ my mom tip!)
Metro & Parking for the Festival
Activities and Schedule
1. Competition and Demo Field
2. Family Field

Overview of the DC Kite Festival

Our family really enjoyed the DC Kite Festival but it can get pretty crowded so want to share some tips! It is an annual event held in Washington, DC that celebrates the joy of kite flying. The Festival features hundreds of kites from all over the world from professionals to kids. Every year, kite enthusiasts from all over the country come to fly their creations in the skies above the Nation's Capital.

Dates and Times for the 2023 DC Kite Festival

The DC Kite Festival is usually held on the first Saturday of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

This year in 2023, they moved the Kite Festival portion to Sunday, March 26, 2023 because rain is predicted for Saturday.

Festivites will take place from 10 AM to 4:30 PM mainly on the Washington Monument grounds. All the activities are free to watch and participate in!

My Mom Tip: I highly recommend you bring your own kite as sometimes it's hard to find a kite seller or there can be long lines. Dollar Tree and CVS usually have them in the Spring for very cheap or Wal-Mart and Target will definitely have them!

Metro and Parking for the Kite Festival in DC

I read recently that an additional 1.5 million visitors come to Washington, DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival and the Kite Festival definitely attracts many!

Metro for the DC Kite Festival

The best way to get to the Washington Monument grounds is to take the Metro to the Smithsonian Metro Station. You ascend the escalator directly onto the National Mall!

Parking near the Washington Monument DC Kite Festival

When we went to the Kite Festival, we found close parking at the Ronald Reagan Building using their 14th Street Entrance. I do remember that there was a little wait (maybe 15-20 minutes) as cars need to be check for weapons which are not allowed. The pro is that the Ronald Reagan Building has clean restrooms and a nice food court too.
Another idea is to park closer to the Tidal Basin at the Portals "SP Parking." Google Maps says it is only 13 minute walk or 0.6 miles. I wrote more about this parking lot in my Cherry Blossoms post here.

Activities at the National Kite Festival, DC

I had younger kids when we visited the DC Kite Festival so they were mostly interested in flying a kite and watching the other amateurs. We had a picnic on the grass in front of the National Museum of African American History and Culture which was a perfect view of the National Mall!

In addition there are lots of professional kite flying around the Washington Monument that can be fun to watch! A master of traditional Edo-style kites will even be there to show his kites after traveling from Japan. kites for attendees! Below are some of the scheduled programs for the 2023 festival.