The Frederiksted beachfront boutique resort and spa The Fred took the phrase “go fly a kite,” to another level Saturday as it sponsored its first “Christmas Winds Kite Festival.”
The event was in celebration of the return of Christmas winds to the U.S. Virgin Islands and took place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the beachfront of The Fred hotel in Frederiksted.
Participants of all ages took to the beach for some fun in the sun. No registration was required, just a day to celebrate the winds and family with their kites of different shapes and sizes. There were kites in the shapes of butterflies, turtles, fairies, dragons and fighter jets.
“I am happy we were able to encourage people to come out, have some fun outside and enjoy the nice weather,” said Brian Weller, manager of The Fred.
The event was well accepted by those attending.
“This was a great family activity for Frederiksted,” said Omega McIntosh Abramson, who participated in the event with her family. “We are definitely looking forward to more events like this in the future.”
There were also moments where the winds were not as strong, but participants made the best of it and caught a few gusts when they were available. Kite flyers were also encouraged to adhere to social distancing regulation by maintaining six-foot spacing while on the beach.
The Fred plans to continue the “Christmas Winds Kite Festival” next year.
“We hope to do it again and make it even bigger. Hopefully, at that point the pandemic is not an issue,” Weller said.
