During Mental Health Awareness Month worldwide in October, the Cape Town International Kite Festival, as the Cape Mental Health CMH flagship event since 1994, will gather artists, mental health ambassadors, staff, mental health care users, volunteers and others to share their stories of pain, healing and recovery.
The theme of this year's festival is HopeOnAString. CMHs primary goal each year is to find a theme that facilitates their mental health awareness and promotion campaign and a pathway that encourages early intervention and mental health support. It is an opportunity to ensure conversations about mental health are normalised.
The festivals annual pop-up fly event will take place at Melkbosstrand Beach on October 27 from 10h00 to 15h00. It will feature local professional kiters such as Mari and Bradley Ware-Lane , Bobby Gathoo and Brian Skinner among others.
Aligned with CMHs aim to uplift less fortunate communities and marginalised people, the festival will again feature its annual Community Fly at Heideveld Sports Field on the Cape Flats on October23. CMH invites children with intellectual disabilities from its Special Education Care centres in Heideveld, Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain to join the Community Fly with Grade R learners and preschools in the Heideveld community.
The festival will also host its EduKite kite-decorating and kite-making competition for learners from mainstream primary schools and others with special educational needs at Curro Century City on October 26 this year. The winning teams will receive monetary prizes.
