The Berck-sur-Mer kite festival 2027

What activities are on offer?

This free event is arguably the biggest one held in the Hauts-de-France region. Thousands of people come to Berck-sur-Mer to look up and admire this aerial ballet.

On the promenade, on the beach or in the air, activities for the whole family run throughout the day.

While the meeting is a popular event that draws the crowds, it remains a genuine world competition. No fewer than twenty nationalities come to defend their creations and techniques in the hope of winning the world champion title. A jury then watches demonstrations of complex, technical figures: a few minutes to pull off genuine acrobatic feats, all at the mercy of the weather.

• Free flying
• Ballets to music, solo, in pairs or in teams
• Flight of the giants
• The different world championship events
• Presentation of the champions' cup
• Ground-level activities for all ages: the garden of Aeolus, the wishing net…
• Concerts
• Kite-building workshops
• Aerial photography exhibition

When can you see the world's biggest kite?

In 2017, a giant manta ray of incredible size paraded across the sky: 150 metres long and 75 metres wide, making it the longest kite in the world.

In 2018, a new challenge of scale: the equivalent of a football pitch took to the air from Berck beach. A monster 48 metres long and 27 metres wide, which gave its creators a hard time, as the weather that day was far from ideal.

In 2022, the giant kite wore the colours of Guatemala.

Why does this festival take place in Berck-sur-Mer?

The festival draws thousands of spectators and dozens of international participants thanks to the beauty of the landscape, the favourable wind and the enthusiasm for this spectacular art form. Berck's vast beaches offer an ideal setting for an event that combines artistic performances, competitions and workshops, and helps put the town on the international map.

It's a genuine moment of sharing, wonder and togetherness, for young and old alike.

A historic gathering

In 1987, a weekend dedicated to kites was held for the first time. This first edition marked the centenary of a brilliant idea: a century earlier, Arthur Batut, a pioneer of aerial photography, used a kite to take aerial shots, at a time when the aeroplane didn't yet exist.

In August 1890, aerial photographer Émile Wenz improved the process and gave Berck-sur-Mer its first aerial photographs on glass plates. Numerous aerial photographers have gathered every year since to mark this invention. In 1987, the mayor of Berck-sur-Mer gave the go-ahead for the centenary celebration.

This celebration has continued every spring since, drawing ever more visitors. Growing from a weekend to around ten days, the Berck-sur-Mer international kite meeting is today a genuine tourist and sporting event.

How to get to the meeting

Berck-sur-Mer is in the south of the Opal Coast, two hours from Lille and three hours from Paris. By car: A16 motorway, exit 25 Berck-sur-Mer. By train: on the Paris-Nord — Calais line, Rang-du-Fliers station is seven kilometres away, with bus line 2 running through to Berck.

Where to park during the festival

The event draws thousands of people. The town of Berck offers nearly 2,200 spaces across free car parks: rue du 11-Novembre (50 spaces), place de l'Entonnoir (100 spaces), parc des sports (300 spaces), parking Sylvia avenue Quettier (250 spaces), among others.

Two car parks have electric car charging points: îlot de la Vague, near the town hall (100 spaces, 2 chargers) and place du 18-Juin (220 spaces, 2 chargers). Many streets are subject to restrictions: blue zones, alternate-side parking.

Two paid car parks reserved for motorhomes offer around 500 spaces between them. If you'd rather not waste time hunting for a space, book accommodation with parking and then walk down to the seafront.

Where to stay during the festival

The seaside town offers plenty of places to stay, from smart hotels to guesthouses. Depending on your budget: expect between €50 and €100 a night for the simplest addresses, €100 to €200 for the mid-range, and upwards of €200 for the finest.

What to do around Berck-sur-Mer

You didn't pick this spot by chance. Ideally placed between the Somme bay and the two capes, Berck is forty-five minutes from Le Touquet and less than an hour from Nausicaá, France's national sea centre. The perfect moment to spend a few hours diving into our oceans, after hours spent with your eyes on the sky.