CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL KITE FESTIVAL PUTS MENTAL HEALTH AT THE HEART OF #COLOURTHESKY
Now in its 32nd year, the festival returns to Youngsfield Military Base in Ottery on 24 and 25 October 2026, inviting South Africans to #ColourTheSky while helping to shine a brighter light on mental health.
AS OUR EARLY BIRD TICKET SALE ENDS 31 AUGUST, we take a look at WHY DO WE FLY?
Every October, people gather to watch hundreds of kites rise above Cape Town. But behind the colour, movement and spectacle is a much bigger question: why do we fly? For the Cape Town International Kite Festival, the answer has always been about more than kites.
Hosted by Cape Mental Health, the festival is a celebration of hope, connection and community – but it is also an opportunity to have conversations that too often remain unspoken. Because mental health affects far more people than we may realise. South Africa Stress and Health (SASH) study has estimated that 16.5% of adults experienced a common mental disorder within a 12-month period, while around 30.3% experienced one during their lifetime. South African Mental Health Conference (SAMHC) held in Johannesburg in April 2023 noted that common mental illnesses are estimated to have increased three- to seven-fold since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019. Yet access to support remains a significant challenge, with stigma, limited resources and other barriers preventing many people from getting the help they need.
Globally, the picture is equally urgent. The World Health Organization estimates that more than one billion people live with a mental health condition, while most do not receive adequate care. WHO also identifies stigma and discrimination as persistent barriers to people seeking and receiving support.
This is why the conversation matters. Mental health is not something that belongs behind closed doors or only enters the conversation when someone reaches crisis point. Talking openly about emotional wellbeing can help challenge misconceptions, encourage people to seek support earlier and create communities where asking for help is seen as a strength rather than a weakness.
And this is where the kite becomes so powerful. A kite does not rise because the wind is absent. It rises because it learns to work with the wind. It bends, pulls, dips and climbs – and somehow finds its way upwards.
That is the spirit behind this year’s #ColourTheSky theme.
“Why do we fly? We fly because we believe that hope should always have somewhere to go,” says Professor Ingrid Daniels, CEO of Cape Mental Health. “The kite is a beautiful symbol of resilience. It reminds us that even when life brings difficult winds, we can find ways to rise, but we cannot do that alone. We need connection, compassion, support and communities where people feel safe enough to speak about how they are really doing.”
For more than three decades, the Cape Town International Kite Festival has used the simple joy of kite flying to open the door to a much bigger conversation. What began in 1994 has grown into Africa’s oldest kite festival and a flagship fundraising and awareness event for Cape Mental Health. Today, every kite in the sky represents something more: a reminder that every person carries their own story, that struggles are not always visible, and that none of us should have to navigate them alone.
The festival also turns awareness into action. Every ticket purchased and donation made helps Cape Mental Health continue providing essential services to vulnerable communities across the Western Cape. The organisation currently reaches over 71 000 service users and family members through 22 mental health intervention programmes.
“The Kite Festival gives us a platform to bring people together in a joyful environment while talking about something that affects every community,” says Professor Daniels. “We want people to leave having had fun, but also having thought differently about mental health – about their own wellbeing, about the people around them and about the importance of reaching out.”
This October, the skies will once again become a canvas of colour as local and international kite flyers bring giant creations soaring above Cape Town. Families can enjoy entertainment, activities, food and the spectacle of the kites, but the invitation goes deeper than simply looking up.
Look up. Start a conversation. Ask someone how they really are. Listen. Reach out. Because sometimes, changing the conversation is where change begins.
And sometimes, all it takes is a little colour in the sky to remind us that there is always a reason to keep looking up.
The 32nd Cape Town International Kite Festival takes place on 24 and 25 October 2026 at Youngsfield Military Base, Ottery. Tickets are available via Quicket. Heart FM is the official radio partner.
EARLY BIRD TICKET SALE ENDS 31 AUGUST 2026:
Date: 24 – 25 October 2026
Venue: Youngsfield Military Base, Ottery
Tickets via Quicket: https://bit.ly/CTKiteFest2026
For more information, visit www.capementalhealth.co.za/ColourTheSky or follow @CTKiteFest on social media.
About Cape Mental Health:
Cape Mental Health is an award-winning non-profit organisation dedicated to providing and facilitating comprehensive, proactive and empowering mental health services throughout the Western Cape. Its work focuses on quality, inclusion and advocacy for the rights and dignity of people affected by mental health conditions and intellectual disability.
CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL KITE FESTIVAL CONTACT:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CTKiteFest
X: https://x.com/CTKiteFest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ctkitefest
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ctkitefest
Website: https://capementalhealth.co.za/ColourTheSky
Hashtags: #ColourTheSky & #CTKiteFest
All photos by Sulize Terreblanche.
