BKF Parking & Transit

PARK AT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS &
RIDE OUR FREE SHUTTLES TO THE KITE FEST

PARKING AT ALL LOTS IS $15

For preferred access to the Golden Gate Fields Parking use the
Buchanan St. (north) access route.

When traveling south bound on Hwy 80:
the Clevland exit is labled only as "Albany Exit."

When traveling south-bound on Hwy 580:
the Buchanan St. exit is from the freeway's left lane.

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PARKING FEE - $15

PUBLIC TRANSIT:
AC Transit's 51B Bus serves a route that includes Rockridge Bart, Downtown Berkeley Bart and West Berkeley. The 51B weekend schedule every 25-30 minutes. 
51B SOUTH BOUND SCHEDULE   51B NORTH BOUND SCHEDULE
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BICYCLE OR WALK FROM WEST BERKELEY & BEYOND:
Many Kite Fest veterans know that one of the easiest ways to get to the even it park in West Berkekely and walk or bike to the Kite Fest via the pedestrian bridge.
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VALET BIKE PARKING:
Richmond Spokes will again be providing Valet Bike Parking at the Kite Fest. Though not manditory a small donation to Richmond Spokes is always appreciated.
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PARK AT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS & RIDE THE FREE SHUTTLES:
Take the Buchanan / Albany exit from Highways 80 or 580, and go west the the Golden Gate Fields. From there our free shuttle buses will take you to the Kite Fest. Parking is $15 per car and includes free shuttle service to and from the festival. We are excited to have Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) joining our kite festival and providing staff for our Golden Fields Overflow parking area. Please remember to never drink and drive. For more information about MADD you can stop by their booth at the Kite Fest or visit: www.MADD.org
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PARKING IN THE MARINA:
Limited parking is available within the Berkeley Marina and a free shuttle will serve all lots within the Marina. Parking in the Marina is managed by the Berkeley Rotary Club and your $15 parking fee goes to support valuable community programs.

All fee lots within the Marina are operated under contract with the City of Berkeley by volunteers from the Berkeley Rotary Club. For more information about the Rotary Club please visit: www.Rotary.org

Handicap accessible parking options are available free of charge in speical areas near the festival entrance. All vehicles parked in this area must display the handicap placard
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BERKELEY KITE FESTIVAL PARKING ADVISORY:
Please be advised that traffic in the area of the Berkeley Marina may be subject to heavy delays between 10 am and 7 pm during the Annual Berkeley Kite Festival.

Please also be advised that per police and fire safety regulations, parking will be completely prohibited along either sides of major roads in the Marina including University Ave., Marina Blvd, and Spinnaker Way. Vehicle access will also be significantly restricted on Marina Blvd. and Spinnaker Way.

The City will exercise ZERO TOLERANCE for cars parked illegally or on unpaved surfaces. These vehicles damage our land and wildlife. Illegally parked cars will be cited and subject to tow at the owner’s expense. Save money and stress by choosing one of the following parking options listed below. Don’t forget - entrance to the Kite Festival itself is free!
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FREE PARKING OPTIONS:
Kite Festival Attendees are asked to consider free parking east of I-80 and walking/biking across our new Bike/Pedestrian Bridge. Enjoy a scenic view of the SF Bay while walking to our great kite display and festival.
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All pre-orders for the Zero G & the Switch have shipped.

We flew have been a been flying a pre-release Zero G for about a week and we are more excited about this new kite than ever.

Click Here to order your's now!

PREVIEW THE ZERO G IN BERKELEY NOW!

We will have one pre-release Zero G at our Berkeley Marina location for your "hands on" inspection this weekend, April 21-22nd.

Our first shipment will be on the way to us next week, (week of 4-30-12) and with a bit of luck and hard work we hope to have all Zero G Pre-orders on their way to our customers by Thursday or Friday.

We flew a pre-release Zero G this week and we are more excited about this new kite than ever.

Click Here to order your's now!

The Zero-G or Z-G will be here soon!

Our first shipment will be on the way to us next week, (week of 4-30-12) and with a bit of luck and hard work we hope to have all Zero G Pre-orders on their way to our customers by Thursday or Friday.

We flew a pre-release Zero G this week and we are more excited about this new kite than ever.

Click Here to order your's now!

The New Emong Gliding Kite from Flying Wings!

Now is the time the check out the latest in gliding kite technology from Flying Wings.
We expect to have our first shipment in mid April. 

For more info and to place your pre-order go to: Emong

The New Switch is both a single-line and a dual-line kite in one package!

This should be a great kite for families and also for our friends who can't dedide between dual-line and single-line models.

For more info and to place your pre-order go to: Prism Switch

Cold Fusion & Solar Flare

The Zero G from Prism

The genius of Mylasia's Leong Ceewan and Mark at Prism Kites have teamed up to bring us a next generation gliding kite that will blow you away!

For more info and to place your pre-order go to: New Zero G

FREE SHIPPING ON ZERO G PRE-ORDERS!

Available in two amazing graphics: Flame and Cerulean.

Two exciting new products from HQ are revealed at the 2012 Kite Trade Show in Vegas!

Check back here on January 20 for the full scoop on two exciting new kites from Prism Designs.

HQ has announced the rebirth of two classic high-end cellular designs:

The Houterman Box and the Houterman Star Box.

For more info on these new products please go to:

Houterman Box   Houterman Star Box

Kite Trade Show 2012, for all the latest and greatest kite products!

We will be closed Monday through Friday of this week so that we can attend the Kite Trade Show in Las Vegas. We will be meeting with the top kite manfactures and learning about the best new kite products for 2012. As long as it does not rain we plan to re-open in Berkeley on Sunday, Jan. 22nd from 1:30 - 5:00.

Highlights of the show will include:

• New Crossover designs that fly as traditional single-line or dual-line modes.
• A new gliding kite from Prism Designs.
• The return of some classic box kite designs from HQ.

We should be able to get detailed info about the new products up on this site soon.

Park Hours This Week:
Sunday Only:  1:30pm - 5:00pm

Berkeley Kite Fest 2011 Custom is the Micron!

Our 27th Berkeley Kite Festival is just around the corner. The planets are beginning to align, our many volunteers are as busy as bees and my days are getting longer and longer. One thing for sure our BKF 2011 is going to be another amazing show, sharing the diversity of what we do with 25,000+ people over two days. Please join us if you can.

Mark Reed from Prism Designs will be on hand both days on his Prism Demonstration Field. If you have never meet Mark you really should make a point of shaking hands with the mastermind of many of the kite products we all enjoy so much. Bring your favorite Prism kite and Mark will be happy to sign it! 

Mark and his team have made sort of a tradition of building a very limited set of Berkeley Kite Festival Custom Kites (BKF Customs). This year it seamed as though Prism might not be able to do BKF Customs for us this year but thankfully, Mark's Seattle team pulled out all the stops to guide these kites into production and make sure they would be ready on time. When Mark and Justin suggested we do custom Microns, a kite never customized for us before, we jumped at the chance.  The Micron is one our favorite and kites because of its low price, this year's BKF Custom would be affordable enough for anyone looking for a very special special kite.

They arrived last week and it has been killing us that we haven't gotten any images of these amazing kites up on our site. The really do look amazing. For now we will get the mock-ups here and hope we can get some photos up soon.

So here we are, one week from our BKF and the official release of this year's BKF Customs and we are finally ready to share how amazing these new kites look. Each kite is signed by Prism's Seattle crew, come in a beautiful new case as well as line and finger straps. All of the custom fabric was designed by us and printed our friend Ken Konrad at Great Winds Kites in Seattle.

There will are five different customs in all the first three are: Jade Nebula, Red Lava, and Blue Nebula and numbers four and five are Fire Fade and Ice Fade. All signed and numbered no more than 15 of a color were made.

So there you have it, our Berkeley Kite Festival 2011 Prism Customs!

Though final pricing is not set yet, look for them in our on-line store by the end of the week. 

Happy flying!

Visit our Solar-Powered Kite Shop on Wheels
Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day Weekend
at the San Ramon Art & Wind Fest

Please note that though we be at open at our Berkeley Marina Location this Satruday we will closed on Sunday and Monday so that we can take our Solar-Powered Kite Shop on Wheels to the San Ramon Art & Wind Fest. The wind fest is a wonderfull family event and we hope to see many of our regular customers there on Sunday and Monday.

Memorial Day Weekend Hours and Locations:

IN BERKELEY:
Thursday & Friday: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Saturday: 1:30pm - 7:00pm

SAN RAMON ART & WIND FEST:
Sunday: 11:00am - 5:00pm
Monday: 11:00am - 5:00pm

Quad-line ParaStunter Foil was added to our store today!

The ParaStunter Quad Line offers high performance four-line flight in an affordable, nearly indestructible quad-line foil. Complete with quad handles, Spectra lines and carry case, The ParaStunter Quad Line is a great value for beginners to advanced quad-line pilots.

    •    Super-fast and responsive 56" wingspan.
    •    Frameless parafoil design means nothing to break in a crash.
    •    Shaped ram air inlets keep wing from collapsing in gusts.
    •    Ready to fly with 85' x 100# spectra lines & quad handles.
    •    Stuffs into a cloth bag take anywhere connivence.

To see the Quad-line ParaStunter in our store click here: Quad-line ParaStunter

New 6.5' Family Delta Kites

Easy to fly and loads of fun, you can't go wrong with these top quality kites. Add a few of our amazing Transition Tails and you will have a sky show in a bag. Our Trans Tail Delta Kite Combos will put you on your path to being a sky decorator of the highest order. Spring is here so go outside, fly kites and have fun.

View our Premier Delta Kite in our store here: New Delta Kites

View our Transition Tails in our Store here: Trans Tails

The Snow Flake kites that were featured in the Starbucks TV commercial arrived this week.

They range from $39.00 to $89.00 and look great! Look for them in our online store some time next week.

See all four of these kite fly in the amazing Starbuck Commercial that aired over the winter holidays.

(first video is the commercial and the second is a behind the scenes video)

Look for these in our online store soon...

March 19th, 2011

New Laima is in stock now and ready to ship. Click Here to Order Now!

And the really good news it that we are extending our special pre-order pricing till the end of March. Order now and save $16.00!

Please note that it looks like yellow will be the first color to sell out.

From the creator of the very successful Aerobe/Wala kites comes a beautiful new kite. The Laima Gliding Kite glides gracefully in low or light wind conditions. While the innovative adjustable "V" fitting makes it easy to tune the Laima to your tastes for freestlye flight.  

¨       Graceful Indoor Flier

¨       Packs to Just 27” for Travel

¨       Outdoor Flight in Winds up to 8 mph

TOM’S NOTES:
The name Laima, comes from the goddess of luck and fate in the Lithuanian and Latvian mythologies. This goddess is similar to the Hindu goddess Lakhsmi. Looks like fate or Laima will find it's way into many kite bags this season. 

Click Here for Three Videos!

We are excited to have the DoubleTree & Executive Meeting Center as the Official Hotel of the Berkeley Kite Festival. The Doubletree is a resortclass hotel located a mere stone’s throw from the Festival site. With the DoubleTree name comes those world-famous, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, still warm and offered free at check-in! Festival veterans all say the DoubleTree is the best place to stay to get the full Berkeley Kite Fest Experience. 

There is a Special Kite Festival room rate for festival guests. If you booking your reservation on-line, the Group/Convention Code is “KIT”. Be sure to enter the code in the "Group/Convention Code" field in order to get the festival rate. The cut off date for the discount rate is July 7th.

For reservations call 800-243-0625 or to book on line go to: DOUBLETREE GROUP KITE FESTIVAL RATE

For our Kite Festival Home page go to: BERKELEY KITE FEST HOME

See you at the Kite Fest!

Just got our first big shipment of the beautiful new Rev B-2 Series Kites from Revolution Kites. They look amazing.

Stop by this weekend to check them out, or you can see them in our online store here:

New Rev B2 Series Kite

Tom McAlister

I am sorry to report that BASKL's President has just informed us that due to weather uncertainty, the league has canceled this workshop which was scheduled for Sat. Feb. 26th, in Berkeley.

If you still need some help learning to fly on Saturday (and it is not raining), please drop by our Solar-Powered Kite Mobile and we will do our best to help you out. Weather permitting we will be open in the park from Noon (a bit earlier than usual) till 5:30.

Keep you fingers crossed that we get some sunshine this weekend!

Tom McAlister

• Learn to fly a dual or quad-line aerobatic kite for the first time.
• Get amazing tips to refine you kite skills.
• Learn line management skills.
• Find our about BASKL's regular competitions or...
• Just get more from you new kite hobby.

BASKL is a friendly group who stand ready to help you get to most out of your aerobatic kites.
Don't be shy, just come up and say Hi!

The workshop will set up on the same part of the park where the Berkeley Kite Festival takes place.
Click here for maps and directions to the park. This page also show the operating hours for our Solar-Powered Kite Shop in the Park.

We hope to see you on the 26!

Tom McAlister

• Two frames.
• Three piece leading edge for compact travel.
• Beautiful cloth.
• Cool New Tornado Logo.
• Good things Come in Small Packages.
• Awesome!
   

Check out the video of John Barresi and TK flying the B2 last week in Florida. Watching it took me way back to the early nineties when John would put literally hundreds of hours on his Rev II out in Berkeley. 

The new B2 gives the Rev II a much needed update and it is sure to be a hit. This kite is going to be a blast in Berkeley's strong summer winds!

 Look the B2 Signature Series Revolution in our store now! 

Order your new Liama now and take full advantage of our special pre-order pricing and save $16.00

We expect to have our first shipment in early to mid march and your credit card will not be charged until we ship.

Special pricing will end when our first shipment arrives!

From the creator of the very successful Aerobe/Wala kites comes a beautiful new kite. The Laima Gliding Kite glides gracefully in low or light wind conditions. While the innovative WCS (weight control system), makes it easy to glide and perform agile aerobatic maneuvers in low winds, the Laima flies stably in winds less than 8 mph.

¨       Graceful Indoor Flier

¨       Packs to Just 27” for Travel

¨       Outdoor Flight in Winds up to 8 mph

TOM’S NOTES:
The name Laima, comes from the goddess of luck and fate in the Lithuanian and Latvian mythologies. This goddess is similar to the Hindu goddess Lakhsmi. Looks like fate or Laima will find it's way into many kite bags this season. 

Click Here for Three Videos!

We will open at 1:30 and stay open as long as the weather holds up.

Happy New Year!...

Free Shipping Offer Through Dec. 21st!

Click here for Prism Tensor Sale Info

Get your Prism Tensor 3.1, 4.1 or the Monster 5.0 at our lowest prices ever.
We are overstocked on all three sizes to you help us reduce our inventory and you get an amazing discount! 

Tensor packages make a great way to get into power kiting with a quad-line / dual-line convertible control bar, safety leash and quick release, all set up and ready to fly. 

Click here for Prism Tensor Sale Info

At these prices they won't last long!

(limited to stock on hand) 

Place an order totaling $75.00 before
the end of November and we'll ship it free!

Offer ends Dec. 1

Spins Like a Barrel of Fun in the Sky:
When you want a bit more action from your single-line kite, look no further than our Roto-Box Spinning Kite. Everyone from toddlers to seniors will be wowed by this kite’s kinetic action. It spins like a barrel and is a barrel of fun! The Roto-Box Kite is imported from our favorite German manufacture. Includes: flying line & deluxe cloth storage bag

• Spins as it Flies
• Premium German Quality & Design
• Magical in the Sky
• Great Bedroom Decoration
• Extra Swivels Included with Each Kite

See it here: Roto-Box Kite

Standard Prims 4-D

Highline's Custom 4-D's

For only a few dollars more than a standard you can own one of these beautiful customs!
Just 12 of each color were made.

See all the info and a great video of the Acrobatx in action at: Acrobatx

And thank for your patience.

EVENT MAP & SCHEDULE

Leave you car at home at home and let our "BART to SHUTTLE to FESTIVAL" program make your trip the Kite Fest breeze

Or use the Ample free parking at North Berkeley Bart. Then hop on our FREE shuttles for a painless ride to the Festival It will blow you away!

Limited additional parking is available at Spenger's Restaurant at 4th St. & Hearst

Fee parking is also available within the Marina for $10, courtesy of the Berkeley Rotary Club and Seeds.

CLICK HER FOR FULL PARKING ADVISORY

http://www.highlinekites.com/brands.php?brand=Revolution-Kites

The Berkeley Kite Festival is considered by many to be the home of the Octopile and massive octopus kite ascensions have been a trademark of the event for many years.  We are excited by the prospect of the record returning Berkeley.

Check back with us soon for an update on SOLO, the World's Largest Octopus Kite's performance details at this year's Berkeley Kite Festival.

There is a Special Kite Festival room rate for festival guests. Remember to ask for the “Special Kite Festival Rate”. If you booking your reservation on-line, the Group/Convention Code is “KIT”. To get the festival rate you must make your reservation by July 16th. For reservations call 800-243-0625 or to book on line now go to: DOUBLETREE GROUP KITE FESTIVAL RATE.

For more info go to: DISCOUNT LODGING INFO:

See ya in four weeks!

Tom

Place an on-line order of 69.00 or more, before Friday July 9th, and you get $5.00 off! 

And it is even better than that because as long as your order totals $69.00 or more you get $5.00 off each item in the order!

That's right, there is no limit to how much you can save. For example, if you order three 25.00 items like the Prism Flip, you will save $5.00 off each kite. Your total savings... $15.00! Order five Flip Kites and save $25.00! There is really no limit to how much you can save. BTW the Prism Flip Kite make an excellent gift item... ;-)

Just use the coupon code shown here: fourthofJulySpecial

After entering your shipping information there is a place to enter the code.

You will see the discount deducted from your order before you pay. :-)

And yes, it OK with us if you share this code with friends and family, just make sure they know when it expires.

(Please note that all orders placed this week will not ship out untill Monday July 12)

Hope everyone has a great 4th of July Week!

Let us know what your favorite colors are.

Watch Connor's Video

We will be closed Fourth of July Week from 7-2 to 7-9. (that's Fri. - Fri.) 

Mail Order processing will also be closed during this time.

All orders placed by 12:00 Noon Wed., (Pacific Time) will ship on Thursday.

Orders places after 12:00 Noon Wed., will not be processed until Mon., 7-12. 

Thanks for your patience, we wish you a wonderful Fourth of July

BKF / PARKING IN THE MARINA

If you have parking questions, here is a link to the our Discussion Forum.

PARKING FORUM

After two great days of kite flying we will board the Empress Hornblower Dining Yacht on Sunday August 1st, for a magical dinner cruise, awards banquet & silent auction on the San Francisco Bay.

An Empress Hornblower dinner cruise typically costs $100.00 or more but as a Berkeley Kite Festival VIP you can join us for only $59.00 per person. That’s almost half off the regular price! The Empress sails directly from the DoubleTree Hotel Dock. 

CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!

Then tell him to... "GO FLY A KITE!"

(Help us get the word out by right clicking on the E-Flier below to share it with your Friends and Social Networks.)         


Right click the small image above for e-mailing or texting to your Dad.
Don't forget to tell him to "Go fly a Kite."

We hope the site and the connected forum will be of service to our local community.

Here are just a few types of things you will find here:

• Use our WIND CONDITIONS link to check out wind conditions on the Bay Area.
• Share tips on you favorite kiteflying spots in the fourm.
  
• Talk about the Berkeley Kite Festival and other local events.
• Share you knowledge with other kitefliers.
• Found a great new restaurant or want to share news about and old favorite?
• All of this and more are fair game in the forum so please join us.
  

The on-line store side of the site will be a work in progress and I should be getting most of my products up on the site over the next several months. Please be patient with me as I am deep in the planning and preparation process for our upcoming Berkeley Kite Festival and with each passing day the festival seems to consume more and more of my time.

Thanks to all of you who have supported Highline Kites over the years. One of the best parts of the Berkeley Kite Festival for me is seeing, even if only briefly, the many volunteers and customers and touched my life over the last 27 years. Has it really been that long!

Cheers & Go Fly a Kite!

Tom McAlister