Organisers are celebrating a strong first outing for the inaugural Ōhope Beach Festival, held over the weekend at Māhē Reserve and along the beachfront.

The two-day event delivered a packed programme of free, family friendly activities that celebrated culture, creativity and Ōhope’s coastal setting. From kite flying and sand art, to go-karts, yoga and adaptive surfing, the festival drew steady crowds across both days, and left organisers buoyed by the community’s response.

Whakatāne District Council events adviser Linda de Klerk said the festival had been intentionally planned as a “soft launch”.

“But the response was fantastic,” she said. “Children were smiling from ear to ear as they enjoyed the spectacular kite displays, flew their own kites, took part in sandcastle competitions, sand art, go-kart rides and more. The weather also turned it on for us, making it the perfect day to enjoy Ōhope in all its glory.”

One of the weekend highlights was the professional kite flying display.

Ray and Rosemary McCully, who have been involved in kite festivals for 35 years, rated their experience flying kites at Ōhope for the first time as among their best.

“The day makes it into our top five kite-flying days, alongside a Tasmanian beach, Marseille beach and Ōtaki Beach,” Ray McCully said.

“The off-the-sea wind was near perfect. We came intending to fly some of our newest kites and those featuring Māori legends but ended up doing something new for us – flying one kite from each of seven design categories. That sparked a lot of discussion with spectators.”

Kite sales during the festival also raised $1200 for the Whakatāne Life Saving Club.

Papamoa-based sand and land artist Kenrick Smith said it was “awesome to be part of the festival”.

“We had perfect weather and lots of beach to do sand art on,” he said.

Smith created a large Ōhope Beach Festival logo in the sand and ran public sand art lessons.

“I had lots of people join in, and all the mandala-style circular designs around the logo were created by members of the public during the three lessons I ran.

“The kites were cool to see, too. I look forward to the next one.”

Sunday’s programme continued the relaxed, inclusive vibe, with community yoga sessions at West End, adaptive surfing lessons, conservation workshops with Halo and a range of interactive activities for all ages.

Ms de Klerk said organisers were already looking ahead.

“We’re excited to build on this for 2027, with the aim of making Ō Festival an iconic annual event for locals and manuhiri, celebrating our special place in Aotearoa.”

The festival was supported by Trust Horizon, BayTrust, Whakatāne District Council and Radio 1XX, with backing from Ngāti Hokopu and sponsors.