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Stay with confidence. We have a generator backup, and our hotel, restaurant, and bar stay open during storms and outages.
Stay with confidence. We have a generator backup, & our hotel, restaurant, & bar stay open during storms & outages.

The 2026 Lincoln City Kite Festival. Plan a colorful Oregon Coast weekend

There are few Oregon Coast scenes more joyful than a summer sky filled with giant kites. In Lincoln City, the wind turns the beach into a moving gallery of color — with whales, octopuses, spinning shapes, and high-speed performance kites floating above the sand.
June 12, 2026

find serenity on the oregon coast.

The 2026 Lincoln City Kite Festival

Plan a colorful Oregon Coast weekend.

Sat & Sun · June 27–28, 2026

10am – 4pm daily  ·  Free to attend  ·  On the beach beside Chinook Winds Casino Resort

There are few Oregon Coast scenes more joyful than a summer sky filled with giant kites. In Lincoln City, the wind turns the beach into a moving gallery of color — with whales, octopuses, spinning shapes, and high-speed performance kites floating above the sand.

From your room to the festival, a 10 minute coastal drive.

WHEN

June 27–28, 2026

Saturday & Sunday · 10am–4pm

WHERE

Chinook Winds Beach

1501 NW 40th Pl, Lincoln City

COST

Free to attend

Family friendly · Leashed dogs welcome at festival

STAY

The Inn at Spanish Head

4009 SW Hwy 101 · 4 mi south
The 2026 Lincoln City Summer Kite Festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM each day. For 2026, the festival will be held on the beach outside Chinook Winds Casino Resort while construction of the new Welcome Center in Lincoln City takes place at the traditional D River State Recreation Site. The event is free to attend and includes big show kites, professional demonstrations, art kite displays, wind gardens, and free kite-making workshops.

For guests staying at the Inn at Spanish Head, the Kite Festival is a wonderful reason to turn a summer beach event into a full Oregon Coast getaway. You can spend the day watching the sky come alive, then return to an oceanfront setting where the pace slows down again.

SECTION ONE

What to Know About the 2026 Festival

The Lincoln City Kite Festival is one of the city’s signature beach events. It draws families, couples, photographers, kite enthusiasts, and travelers who simply want a memorable reason to spend a weekend on the coast. Most visitors come for the scene itself: the wide beach, the Pacific wind, the bright fabric shapes overhead, and the shared feeling of everyone stopping to look up.

For 2026, the location is especially important. Many returning visitors associate the festival with the D River State Recreation Site, but due to construction, the event will be held on the beach outside Chinook Winds Casino Resort, at 1501 NW 40th Place in Lincoln City. If you have attended in past years, do not rely on old parking routines or familiar meeting spots.

The festival runs both Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Since parking can be limited, arriving earlier in the day is wise — especially if you are traveling with children, older family members, beach chairs, or camera gear.

THE SETTING

Why Lincoln City is such a good place for a kite festival.

The city stretches along miles of open beach, with broad views, steady coastal wind, and enough room for the sky to become part of the experience. On a festival weekend, that openness matters. The kites are not tucked into a small park or framed by buildings — they rise over the Pacific, where the ocean and sky give them scale.

The weather is part of the story, too. Late June can be beautiful in Lincoln City, but summer on the Oregon Coast is not the same as summer in the valley. A day that feels warm in Portland or Salem can feel cool and breezy once you are standing on the sand.

A coastal packing list, briefly.

Layers

A jacket light enough to carry but warm enough for steady ocean breeze.

Sunglasses

Bright fabric against shifting marine sky asks for them.

Closed-toe shoes

Flip-flops work for a short stop, less so for several hours of festival wandering.

Water & snacks

Wind, sun, sand, and crowds all add up.

A camera

Capture the moments: kite tails, faces looking up, color against the gray-blue sky.

SECTION TWO

What you'll see at the festival.

A weekend on the beach, scaled to the sky. Here is what to look for once you arrive — and what to do with a kite of your own.

The Headliners

Big show kites

Oversized, sculptural kites shaped like sea creatures, animals, abstract forms, and long ribbons of color. Some hover slowly; others twist and pull against the wind.

The Precision

Pro demonstrations

Throughout the event, professional fliers run synchronized routines and faster performance kites that cut sharply across the sky — careful maneuvers in coastal wind.

On the Sand

Wind gardens & art kites

Ground displays add another layer to the festival — especially good for families and photographers, and a quieter break between the larger aerial moments.

For the Kids

Free kite-making

Workshops are typically part of the experience, giving younger visitors a hands-on way to connect with the event before heading back to the sand to fly.

Good to Know

Can you fly your own kite?

The main festival kite field is reserved for professional fliers, which keeps the event safe and organized. Bring your own kite, but plan to fly it at another stretch of Lincoln City beach away from the professional zone. Watch the experts first, then find a quieter spot and let the kids, or the grown-ups, try flying their own.

Spectacle,
then sand to
play on.

SECTION THREE

A suggested kite festival weekend.

Festival weekends bring more traffic through Lincoln City. Starting the trip Friday night and pacing the weekend in pieces makes everything feel easier — especially with the festival itself running on its own, full-color clock.

Fri

Arrive · Evening

Settle into the coast

Check in at the Inn at Spanish Head, take in the ocean view, and let the pace shift. For dinner, keep the first evening simple at Fathoms Restaurant & Bar — watch the water and ease into the weekend without another stop.

Sat

Festival · Morning

Get there early

Head north with extra time. The festival begins at 10am and parking can fill up. Walk through the area first — look at where the largest kites are flying, where the wind garden is set up, and where your group will be most comfortable.

Sat

Festival · Afternoon

Watch, wander, breaks

The festival runs until 4pm but is best enjoyed in pieces. Watch the big kites a while. Walk through the displays. Stop by the kite-making workshop. Then step away when you need a quieter moment, head back to the Inn for a reset before dinner.

Sun

Slow · All day

Return or wind down

Sunday can be a second festival day or a slower coastal morning. A shorter return visit might catch displays you missed; otherwise pack early, take a final beach walk, and drift out at your own pace. A good coast weekend has flexibility built in.

YOUR HOME BASE

Staying at the Inn at Spanish Head during festival weekend.

The Inn makes a strong home base for the Kite Festival weekend because it provides balance to the trip. The festival itself is lively and visual with crowds, colors, movement, and energy. Afterward, it feels good to return to a quieter oceanfront setting where the view remains the main attraction, but the pace is slower.

For couples, the weekend can feel playful without being over-scheduled. For families, the festival gives the day a clear centerpiece while the hotel provides a comfortable place to reset. For travelers coming from Portland, Salem, or Eugene, staying overnight turns the Kite Festival into a real getaway instead of a long day trip. Note that pets are not allowed at the Inn at Spanish Head, so plan accordingly.

Ocean views from every unit
110 suites, studios & bedrooms

Fathoms Restaurant & Bar
On-site coastal dining

Inn at Spanish Head fathoms restaurant dinner steak scallops wineInn at Spanish Head lobby ocean views

“Oregon’s only beachfront inn — for over 50 years.”

“You can enjoy the busy, colorful part of the day without feeling like you have to stay on the go until bedtime.”

A note on pacing the weekend

SECTION FOUR

Practical tips for a better festival day.

Small adjustments that make a long day on the sand more comfortable for everyone in your group.
 
Kites on the beach

01

Dress for the beach, not the calendar.

Even in late June, Lincoln City can be breezy and cool near the water. Layers are your friend, and a jacket light enough to carry pays for itself by mid-afternoon.

02

Wear shoes that handle sand.

Flip-flops may work for a short beach stop, but they are not ideal for several hours of festival wandering. Closed shoes save your feet by the second hour.

03

Sunscreen even on a cloudy day.

Coastal weather can fool you. A gray sky does not mean you are protected from sun exposure, and steady wind can hide how long you have been outside.

04

Bring your dog — leashed and responsibly.

Leashed dogs are welcome on the beach, but a busy kite festival can be overwhelming for some pets. Read your dog and step away when it gets to be too much. Check with your hotel to see if they are pet-friendly.

05

Prep the kids on the pro field rule.

Personal kite flying is not allowed in the main professional zone. Explain that ahead of time, then promise a quieter stretch of beach later — and keep that promise.

06

Photographers: shoot wide and close.

The full beach scene is beautiful, but some of the best images are details — kite tails in the wind, faces looking up, color against gray-blue sky, kids carrying handmade kites across the sand.

SECTION FIVE

What else to do in Lincoln City that weekend.

The Kite Festival can anchor the weekend, but it does not need to fill every hour. Leave room for the tide, the weather, and the mood of the day.  Lincoln City is often better that way.

Browse local shops

Wander downtown for coastal goods, books, and small finds. The Lincoln City Outlets are a few minutes north for bigger lists.

Finders Keepers floats

Lincoln City hides handcrafted glass floats along its public beaches year-round. A festival weekend is a fine excuse to look.

A scenic 101 drive

Pull-outs, viewpoints, and overlooks line Highway 101 in both directions — five minutes south or north is enough for a postcard moment.

A quiet stretch of sand

The best Lincoln City moments are still the long ones: a tide line, the sunset, and walking out with no agenda after the festival winds down.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Make the kite festival a full coastal getaway.

With the festival scheduled for June 27 and 28 at Chinook Winds Casino Resort, visitors should plan ahead, arrive early, and dress for real coastal conditions. Once you're there, the experience is simple in the best way: sand underfoot, ocean air, and kites filling the Lincoln City sky.

 For guests of the Inn at Spanish Head, the weekend can be both lively and restful. Spend the day at the festival, then return to an oceanfront stay where the coast feels close, quiet, and unhurried.

let the wind carry you. let the coast inspire you.

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