Kite festival goers traded in their flip-flops for fur coats today at the Zilker Kite Festival. And yes, fur coats were spotted on humans, not just the dog attendees. With temps hovering around 40 degrees all day, festival attendance was low but higher than last year’s event which was cancelled due to rain.

Around 3 p.m., nearly 100 kites soared simultaneously in the grey skies overhead. Roy Orbison’s “Only the Lonely” blared through the speakers as handmade and manufactured kites took flight.  Jellyfish, sharks, owls, dragons, superheroes and princesses were popular with the younger set. 

Dodging invisible kite lines zigzagging across the fields, people could watch the handmade kites compete in various categories like “Strongest Pulling Kite” and “Smallest Kite.”

HEB sponsored a kite building tent where string, tape, sticks and streamers were used to construct rudimentary flying objects, some flying even higher than the store-bought varieties.  

Attendees seemed in much better spirits than the food truck vendors, some who wished the event had been postponed until next weekend.  The snowcone stand served hot chocolate instead.

Despite the cold weather, most guests seemed happy not to fight the usual traffic and crowds. Bob Marley’s voice resonated of the speakers with “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right.”