It's the third year of Port A's Mother's Day kite weekend in its current three-festivals-a-year shape, and the formula is the same one that worked the first time: a flag line in the sand, a few hundred kites, no admission, no vendor row, and whoever shows up.
The Day
What to expect
By 10 AM Saturday, Fly It Port A's flying line goes up between beach markers 1 and 20 — the south-end stretch of beach closest to the south jetty. Resident kite fliers from across the Gulf coast and beyond — Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Louisiana, sometimes farther — set up large display kites, banners, line laundry, and rotating stunt demonstrations through the afternoon.
It's a watch-or-fly event by design. Bring your own kite and you have the same flag-line real estate as anyone. Bring nothing and the show is just as good from a beach chair. Last year drew several hundred fliers at the peak; the 2026 Facebook event is already showing 443 going and 3,400+ interested.
Weather permitting, the line stays up all day Saturday and rolls into Sunday morning for an additional informal session. Some years the conditions are good enough that fliers stay through dusk for illuminated night kites — call Fly It on Friday for the call.
Run of show
Schedule
Updated as we hear from the host. Check back the day before for any wind-driven changes.
Fri May 8 · afternoon
Out-of-town fliers arrive
Fliers from Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Louisiana begin arriving and putting display kites up informally. Not the main day, but worth driving the beach for a preview.
Sat May 9 · 8 AM
Park early — beach access fills
South-end beach access (Access 1A) fills fastest. By 9 AM the closest parking is gone. Either roll in by 8 or plan to walk a quarter-mile.
Sat · 10 AM
Setup begins
Flying line goes up at the marker 1 end of the beach. Display kites are rigged, sand anchors driven, banners raised.
Sat · 11 AM – 12 PM
First kites in the air
First wave of large display kites and banners up. Onshore breeze typically freshens around this hour. Best photo window of the morning.
Sat · 12 PM – 2 PM
Peak attendance + stunt demos
Peak crowd. Rotating stunt-kite demonstrations, dual-line and quad-line teams, line laundry. Bring shade — limited natural cover.
Sat · 2 PM – 4 PM
Sustained fly + family hour
Crowd thins slightly mid-afternoon. Best window for kids to walk up with their own kite — more flag-line space, friendlier wind.
Sat · 4 PM – sunset
Wind-down or night kites
Either the line packs up around 5 PM or — if conditions hold — illuminated night kites stay up after dark. Call Fly It at (361) 749-4190 Friday for the night-kite call.
Sun May 10 · morning
Informal Sunday session
Lighter and less structured than Saturday. Often the best wind window of the weekend — dawn-into-mid-morning onshore is reliably clean. Worth the early drive if Saturday's crowd was too much.
Plan ahead
Good to know
- Beach parking permit
- $12 annual permit required to park on the beach. Buy at the Port Aransas Welcome Center, most local convenience stores, or the H-E-B / IGA grocery.
- No vendors on the beach
- By design — bring your beach essentials. Water, sunscreen, snacks, chairs, hats. Stop in town first.
- Where on the beach
- Markers 1–20 — the south end of Mustang Island closest to the south jetty. Drive on at any beach access between Beach Access 1 and Access 1A.
- Bring your own kite
- Walk-up fliers welcome. Or buy at Fly It Port A on Avenue G before driving to the beach — staff can rig you for the wind that day.
- Wind conditions
- Best fly windows are typically 10 AM–2 PM as the onshore breeze freshens. Check Port A Local's live conditions page before heading out.
- Family friendly
- All ages, no admission, no entry list. Stroller and wagon friendly on packed sand near the flag line.
Watch from anywhere
Beach cams covering the flag line
Curated subset of Port A's live cams that point at the south-end stretch where the festival sets up. HDOnTap opens in a new tab.
Aransas Princess Beach Cam
LiveBeach and Gulf — closest cam to the festival flag line
On the beach at Access 1A · approx. marker 5
Casa Condos Beach Cam
LiveRotating shoreline and surf views from the south stretch
South end · approx. markers 8–15
Sandpiper Beach Cam
LivePanoramic southeast-facing beach view
South end · approx. markers 10–18
Sea Gull Beach Cam
LiveNortheast surf and shoreline on the south stretch
South end · approx. markers 15–20
Gulf Shores Beach Cam
LiveEast-southeast — waves, horizon, often picks up flying line
South end · approx. markers 6–12
The Dunes (PTZ)
LivePan/tilt/zoom — operator can scan south to catch the line
Mid-island PTZ · scans south end
See all 10 cams + tides + ship traffic at Island Pulse.
A Port A staple
Fly It! Port A — four decades on Avenue G
The shop is older than the festival in its current shape. Here's how it got here.
~1985
Jean Yocum opens the original Fly It
First incarnation of the kite shop on the south end of Avenue G. Sponsored competitive kite flyers including Ralph Pyle in the early years.
1991
Ralph & Suanne Pyle buy the shop (July 13)
Jean retires and asks the Pyles if they want to take it over. They say yes. The 31-year Pyle era — Fly-It! as the island knows it — begins.
1997
Move to 405 W Ave G (current location)
Bigger building, room for expanded inventory. Avenue G stays the spine of the shop's identity through every owner.
2022
Jeremy & Courtney Timms take over
The Pyles retire after 31 years. The Timms inherit the inventory, the location, and the kite-flier community that drives across two states for it.
~2023
Three-festivals-a-year cadence begins
Winter (Presidents' Day weekend), Spring (Mother's Day weekend), Fall (Indigenous People Day weekend). Free, unmonetized, by design — same as the informal flies the Pyles ran before.
Why this page exists
Three years in is when an event stops being a maybe and becomes the thing locals plan around. We're hosting the festival here because the Fly It! Port Acrew earned it — and because every event on this island deserves a digital home that isn't a Facebook post.
Send us a photo
Got a photo from a past festival?
We're collecting photos from previous Spring, Fall, and Winter flies — anything from the past few years that captures what this weekend actually looks like. They'll feature in the gallery on this page leading up to May 9.
Day-of, the same inbox loads photos in real time. Tag your kite, the year, and your name (or stay anonymous).
We won't publish your email or full name unless you ask us to. Anonymous is the default.
Day-of coverage
Live from the beach
This page goes live the morning of the festival. Photos, conditions, kite-of-the-hour highlights, and any schedule updates will land here in real time. If you're on the beach and want a kite featured, email hello@theportalocal.com with a photo.
Questions
Frequently asked
Do I need to RSVP?+
No. The Facebook event tracks interest but there's no entry list, no ticketing, no gate. Just show up.
Can my kids fly a kite there?+
Yes. The whole point. Walk up and start flying anywhere along the public stretch of beach behind the flag line.
What if it's not windy?+
Fliers will still be there — many of the display kites can fly in surprisingly light wind. If conditions are completely flat, the event becomes more social. Sunday morning often has the best wind window of the weekend.
Is there a rain plan?+
Light rain — fly continues. Storms — Fly It will post a call on their Facebook page Friday and Saturday morning.
Where can I buy a kite?+
Fly It Port A's shop at 405 W Ave G stocks beginner through expert kites and can match you to the day's wind. Open 9 AM–6 PM, walk-in only.
Is this related to the Fall Kite Festival?+
Same host, different weekend. Fly It runs three a year — Winter, Spring (Mother's Day), and Fall (Indigenous People Day weekend).