UPDATE: The Zilker Kite Festival has been postponed until March 9, due to inclement weather.
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This weekend, citizens will claim sovereignty over Zilker Park with the return of one of the biggest annual community events in Austin — and it doesn’t involve keynote speakers or a giant Doritos machine. Given the rich festival's history — and huge attendance each year — here’s a look the Zilker Kite Festival by the numbers.
Over $250,000: The amount of money raised for local charities by the festival over a 10-year period.
20,000: The estimated number of people who will gather on the Great Lawn to enjoy kite flying. If that seems like a lot, just remember that ACL Fest usually has more people waiting in line to use the bathroom.
300-400: The number of volunteers it takes to make the Kite Fest the most fun day of the year.
86: The number of years that the Zilker Kite Festival will have taken place after Sunday's event.
67: The total number of vendors and booths at the festival, handing out cool stuff for you to take home or delicious food and drinks to put in your belly.
43: The number of food and drink vendors making sure that you don’t go hungry or thirsty while flying your kite. Yummy examples include Amy’s Ice Cream, Hey Cupcake!, Daily Juice, Chi’Lantro BBQ, Kebabalicious, The Peached Tortilla and many more.
10 and counting: The number of activities you can take part in when you’re not busy flying. Enjoy a kite making workshop, picnicking, face painting, zip lining, rock climbing, mechanical bull riding, henna tattoos, live music, a muralist painting live and more.
8: The number of separate kite contests to be held. Contests include the 50-yard dash, the highest angle kite, the strongest pulling kite and the most unusual kite. A few have separate categories for youth and adults, so test your kite might during the fun.
7: The number of places to get a kite inside the festival. There will be one HEB kite construction tent, along with six booths selling or giving away kites. For just $5 you can buy the official Kite Festival Kite as a special keepsake.
6: The time Barton Springs Road will reopen on Sunday evening (it will be closed from 9 am until 6 pm during the festival), so consider your transportation options before hitting the road.
5: The number of ways to get to the festival. Biking is highly recommended, with plenty of bike rack spaces on the south side of Barton Springs Road, and Austin B-cycle will have its first mobile pop-up at the event. Other options include the bus (shuttle rides for $3 from the downtown state parking lots at 1604 Colorado and the Toney Burger Activity Center), walking, or driving and parking at the One Texas Center or Palmer Events Center.
2: The number of musicians performing on the British Airways Stage, with Dan Croll on at 3:30 pm and Gabby Alpin at 4:15 pm.
0: The number of times the Zilker Kite Fest has been rained out, but the National Weather Service is predicting a 40 percent chance of showers with winds around 5 - 10 mph on Sunday. You can call the Kite Fest hotline at 512-448-KITE (5483) for an update before heading to the park. Any decision will be posted by 9 am Sunday, and the rain date will be March 9.
Weather permitting, Sunday sees the return of the Zilker Kite Festival.
