Kite Festival Grand-Fort-Philippe: 2026 Review and 2027 Edition

2026 in a nutshell

Two days of celebration, a sky bursting with colour and a town that doubles in population for the weekend: the 12th edition of the kite festival Grand-Fort-Philippe lived up to its promise. Here are the figures worth remembering.

• Nearly 10,000 visitors across the weekend, according to the Town of Grand-Fort-Philippe
• Around sixty kite flyers from all over Europe
• 36 stallholders: local associations, craftspeople, shopkeepers, restaurateurs and chip vans
• 2 days with free entry, from 10.00am to 6.00pm, completely free of charge
• 1 Indochine tribute concert on the Saturday evening on the beachfront

10,000 visitors for the 12th edition

It's the figure that sums up this edition: nearly 10,000 people walked along the promenade and the beach at Grand-Fort-Philippe over the weekend. A level of attendance which, by the organisers' own admission, confirms the kite festival Grand-Fort-Philippe's firm place in the Dunkirk area's summer calendar.

For the town's mayor, Romain Agez, the Kite Festival is now unmissable: with nearly 10,000 visitors, it is the biggest festive event held during the summer at Grand-Fort-Philippe. The deputy mayor, Christèle Wadoux, in charge of festivities and events, for her part praised the involvement of local associations, without which such an event could not exist.

Twelve years after it began, the festival keeps on growing: it started with around thirty kite flyers and a dozen exhibitors, compared with 36 exhibitors for this 2026 edition. It has to be said that the setting is ideal: between the beach at Grand-Fort-Philippe and boulevard Léon-Marchal, the coastal wind almost always does its job.

Weekend highlights

From 10am on the Saturday, the boulevard turned into a cheerful market: stalls, food and drink stands, craftspeople and community groups. On the sand, enthusiasts were getting their kites ready before the first flight. Here's what stood out at this 12th edition of the kite festival Grand-Fort-Philippe.

🪁 A sky full of heroes

Majestic dragons, monumental octopuses, Spiderman, Goldorak, Hulk… The giant inflatable structures and the kite flyers' creations gave the 10,000 visitors an aerial spectacle of the kind the Opal Coast knows how to put on. Some of the structures, dozens of metres long, could be admired from the promenade, the lighthouse at Petit-Fort-Philippe or the ramparts of the Vauban citadel at Gravelines, a few kilometres away.

🎉 Sunday's parade

On the Sunday, the big parade ran from the Calvaire area to the Parc de l'Estran. On the bill: nine mascots, the majorettes, the Comédie Philippoise band, the Géants du Nord, the Solex riders and plenty of local community groups. A family-friendly procession that drew visitors along the whole route, before the edition wrapped up at 6pm.

🎶 The Indochine tribute concert

On Saturday 8 August at 8.30pm, the beachfront hosted the festival's traditional free concert: this year, a tribute to Indochine. A tradition that has built up over recent editions — previous years have paid homage to Jean-Jacques Goldman, ABBA and Les Forbans — and one that keeps the party going long after the kites come down.

A free festival, run by the town itself

While the kite festival Grand-Fort-Philippe remains 100% free for the public, putting it on relies on a huge amount of work behind the scenes. The event is orchestrated by the Town of Grand-Fort-Philippe together with Cerf-Volant Service (Dominique Miquet) and R-Sky Events (Roger Tessa), and enjoys the support of the Communauté urbaine de Dunkirk (CUD) as well as several sponsors.

Kite flyers are welcomed throughout the weekend at the town's campsite: accommodation, meals and catering are all covered by the council. On the ground, it's the councillors, municipal services, volunteers and local associations who keep the stalls, catering and entertainment running. "The whole town takes part in this event," the mayor summed up.

Save the date for 2027: the 13th edition

Good news for anyone who missed it: the kite festival Grand-Fort-Philippe is back. According to the diary of Cerf-Volant Service, the long-standing organiser of the event, the 13th edition is scheduled for Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 August 2027, once again on the beach and boulevard Léon-Marchal in Grand-Fort-Philippe. The dates have been announced well in advance — as every year, they will need to be confirmed by the Town Council as summer approaches.

So you don't miss any of the other events along the coast, our what's on guide for the Opal Coast is updated every day. You can also browse the full calendar of kite festivals in France on the Cerf-Volant Service website.

Practical Information

The Holiday home's Review

"The kite festival Grand-Fort-Philippe is without doubt the most magical event of the year in Grand-Fort-Philippe — and it takes place literally at the end of our street. Just 300 metres from the holiday home, you can spot the biggest inflatable structures from the garden. For the 2026 edition, our guests were able to walk there, at their own pace, without hunting for a parking space. Our tip for 2027: book your weekend now, because the 7th and 8th of August are often fully booked months in advance!"

— The Bouteille à la Mer team 🏠

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