JOHOR BARU, Malaysia—In an attempt to break the Malaysia Book of Records, 3,000 students from the Pasir Gudang area flew their kites at the same time, in an attempt to create a new entry in the Malaysia Book of Records, during the 16th Pasir Gudang World Kite Fest.
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Dragons, cupids, giant alligators, stingray, tigers, and even an octopus were among the variety of colorful kites that took to the skies of Johor from Feb. 16 to 20 in what has been described by many as the “world’s largest yearly kite fest.”
A total of 221 international kite fliers from 30 countries joined local kite fliers in the five-day event where participants showcased their skills and creativity under this year’s theme, “Coloring the Sky.”
The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, was on hand for the opening ceremony.
Participating in the Pasir Gudang Kite Fest for the second time was Italian kite maker Edoardo Borghetti.
An engineer by profession, Borghetti has been making and flying kites for the past 25 years, and was preparing to fly the largest kite in the festival: a massive structure made from 340 meters of material, which took him a whole year to build.
He said the pull of his kite is over 2000 kilograms under strong wind and that the kite had to be anchored to a bulldozer. Edoardo added that he liked the kite fest here and would definitely come back again next year.
Flying a green, monstrous dragon kite was Mr. and Mrs. Wolfgang from Germany. The couple said they’ve been participating in the kite event for the past 12 years.
Mr. Wolfgang, 59, who has been kiting since he was 4 years old, said, “I feel very joyful here; I like all the friends I meet here.”
The kite fest was said to have drawn about 100,000 participants.
