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henty Widuri Yanti, 22-year-old, was amazed as she looked to the sky above the National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta on Saturday. The skies above were filled with a variety of kites ranging from those featuring legendary Indonesian figures to cartoon icons such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Astro Boy.

After watching the flying kites, Chenty and her sister moved to another venue at another corner of the park where children danced vigorously, following the beat of Hindi music on a stage.

Chenty, a college student from Bandung in West Java, said she did not know about the events. '€œBut, I'€™m glad that I am able to visit them all at once,'€ she said, adding that she enjoyed and longed for cultural events in the capital city.

As many as four cultural events '€“ Jakarta International Kite Festival, archipelago art performances put on by Gebyar Budaya Nusantara, International Folk Dance Festival and Jakarta International Film Festival (Jiffest) '€” were being held at the corners of the park from noon to midnight.

As many as 20 countries and 15 Indonesian provinces took part in the 19th kite festival, showing off various kinds of kites ranging from two dimensional (2-D) to (3-D).

Festival committee chairman Sari Madjid said the committee had decided to move the location of the festival, consisting of various activities such as a kite-flying competition and a kite-making workshop for children, from Ancol Beach in North Jakarta to the park this year.

'€œAlthough the wind in Ancol is better, we couldn'€™t attract a large crowd there,'€ she said.

A participant from Germany, 62-year-old Wolfgang Bieck, said for him, learning about kites was an endless journey.

Bieck, who diligently visits kite festivals around the world, said kite flying was not only a recreational activity but was also a way for people to communicate with the Gods.

The kite festival in Bali, for example, is considered an offering to Hindu Gods Shiva, Brahma and Wisnu.

Bieck, an aerial photographer who takes photos of kites, said he met with old friends, made new friends and learned new techniques at the festival. '€œThe festival is also a good cultural ambassador as there are no social barriers here,'€ he said.

Sari emphasized that meeting with international kite fliers would be beneficial for local fliers as they could help open up new markets. '€œThe industry is quite good but kite makers still need assistance from the government to improve their businesses.'€