Malaysia has a long history of kite flying. Even though kites were probably brought to the Malaysian Peninsula from China, Malaysia has distinct traditional kites that cannot be found anywhere else; they are called “wau”. There are more than a dozen types of wau associated with different parts of Malaysia. Wau bulan, the traditional kite of Kelantan, is regarded as one of the country’s symbols. It is a very large, intricately designed kite with a crescent-shaped lower section.
Modern kite festivals in Malaysia are believed to have evolved from traditional pastime during the harvest season. Farmers used the wau to scare off birds from rice paddies, and once the rice was harvested, a big celebration involving kite flying was held. These celebrations evolved into kite competitions between districts and then into modern kite festivals.
Given the importance of kites in Malaysian culture and the popularity of kite flying in the country, it is not surprising that Malaysia hosts one of the world’s biggest and most colorful kite festivals. The Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival was established in 1995 by the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council (MPPG). The event is organized by the MPPG in cooperation with the Johor Kite Association, Johor Art and Culture Department, Johor Tourism Department, and other stakeholders.
Since its inception, the Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival has become one of the biggest tourist attractions in the state, which attracts hundreds of kiting enthusiasts and hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over Malaysia and abroad. Guests from more than 40 countries have participated in the festival, and the list of participating countries is growing each year.
The official site of the festival is Bukit Layang-Layang in the Pasir Gudang Recreational Park. It is just a half-an-hour drive away from Johor Bahru, the capital city of Johor. For a week every year, the skies of Bukit Layang-Layang are dotted with hundreds of colorful custom kites of all shapes and sizes.
The Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival has a rich and diverse program that includes kite-flying competitions for domestic and international participants, spectacular group displays and kite performances, demonstrations of traditional Malaysian kites, kite-making and kite-flying workshops, musical performances, and other exciting events and activities for kite enthusiasts and the general public.
The 7th Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival that took place in February 2002 saw the establishment of the Kite Museum (Muzium Layang-Layang) in Pasir Gudang. The museum’s collection includes various types of kites, as well as posters from past kite festivals. By the way, it was not the first kite museum to open in Malaysia: the Kite Museum in Malacca City opened its doors to the public in September 1995.
