Kite Fliers
Kerry and Lucy
St Dennis Jonkman
Kerry and Lucy have been passionate kite flyers for nearly 30 years. They seize every opportunity to get outdoors and soar their colorful creations.
Over the past two decades, they’ve taken their hobby to new heights by crafting their own kites, transforming their collection into a vibrant array of ground displays and sky-bound aquariums.
One of their favorite aspects of kite flying is the wonderful community—they’ve met the most amazing and friendly people at festivals across Canada.
Fred and Donna
Taylor
Kites, banners, and bubbles! Donna and Fred Taylor bring their creativity to life through their vibrant displays.
Their passion has taken them to festivals across Canada, the USA, and even overseas. Based in Port Colborne in Ontario’s picturesque Niagara Region, they harness the breezes of Lake Erie to showcase their collection.
As active kite makers and wind garden designers, most of what you see in the sky or on the ground is their own creation. At festivals, look for their spectacular show kites, stunt kites, and colourful banners.
Steve and Phyllis
Franklin
Steve and Phyllis Franklin from Cambridge, Ontario, have been passionate about kiting for six years.
They love traveling to different places with their kites, spreading joy and watching the happy faces of kids and adults alike.
Steve and Phyllis are thrilled to be a part of Brampton KiteFest. They can’t wait to share their love of kites with everyone!
Peter Jung
Peter Jung is a local kite flyer from North York, Ontario, known for his vibrant and large kites.
You can often spot him at various parks around the GTA, especially Woodbine Beach, with kites featuring beloved video game and cartoon characters like Super Mario Bros and Hello Kitty. Watching these characters come to life in the sky never fails to bring smiles to the crowd!
Ted Shaw
Ted Shaw’s love for kite flying began in childhood, with simple paper and wood kites that often soared away to unreachable heights. His passion was reignited when a friend introduced him to two-line stunt kites, eventually progressing to four-line kites. In 1999, he joined the Great Lakes Kitefliers Society (Western New York, Buffalo-Niagara area), discovering a vibrant community of fellow enthusiasts.
Preferring single-line kites for their sociability, Ted enjoys flying at Gratwick Waterfront Park on the Niagara River in North Tonawanda twice a month and often in Canada. His favorite kites are large, soft inflatables, with his biggest kite spanning 252 square feet and featuring a hundred-foot tail. At events, he loves to engage the crowd by letting children and adults fly small kites and explaining the various types on display.
Ted honed his kite-making skills at workshops in Ontario, learning to sew kites from ripstop nylon and carbon fiber spars. He values the camaraderie of these sessions, where kite makers gather to share techniques and ideas.
While he enjoys local events, Ted also participates in large kite festivals along the East Coast, meeting flyers from around the world. Social media has expanded his network globally, connecting him with a diverse and passionate group of kite enthusiasts.
Don Brownridge
Don often says, “I will go where the wind takes me.” This philosophy not only guides his travels but also determines the kites he will fly each day. His selection ranges from hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind designs to large, whimsical inflatables, like his impressive 26-meter long octopus.
Always prepared, Don pulls from his inventory of low to high wind kites to match the day’s conditions. His journey in kite flying began in the 80s with the reformation of the Toronto Kite Fliers. Since then, he has been busy creating new kites, organizing, and participating in numerous local and international kite festivals.
Don is looking forward to the Brampton Kitefest. See you there!
Karl Stephen Fernandez
Karl Stephen Fernandez was born in Kalibo, Aklan in the Philippines and moved to Toronto, Canada in 2010. While his lifelong passions include music and aviation, kite flying has become a joyful and creative outlet that brings all his interests together, blending design, engineering, performance, and play.
Karl enjoys flying kites and sharing his love of kites with others. Whether he is testing a new design or helping others get their first kite in the air, he finds something magical in the way a simple kite can lift spirits and bring people together.
With dreams of one day becoming an airline pilot, Karl sees kite flying as another way to explore the skies, one kite at a time.
Kevin Reynolds
Kevin Reynolds, from Canandaigua, New York, has been flying kites for as long as he can remember. He often says he “never stopped,” having grown up with kites as a regular part of his life.
In the early 1990s, a friend handed Kevin a homemade stack of small stunt kites. That moment sparked his interest in making his own kites, and though it would be years before he finally sat down at a sewing machine, the idea had taken root. After flying many store-bought kites, it was a kite-making workshop in 2008 with the New York Kite Enthusiasts that truly launched his journey as a builder. His first project—a simple 4-foot bol—was the beginning of a deep passion for kite crafting.
By 2011, Kevin was entering the American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals in Wildwood, New Jersey, where he took home multiple awards as a novice: first place in both Soft and Flexible Kites and Sky Display, second in Rokkaku, and third in Novice Overall.
Kevin is a regular flyer across the border and enjoys sharing the sky with his Canadian friends. He looks forward to filling the skies over Brampton with color, movement, and joy.
Geoffrey Maher
Geoffrey Maher has flown kites around the world, from the beaches of Australia and Canada to the mountains of the Himalayas and the deserts of Tibet and the United States. He has flown in over 20 countries, enjoying both performing and relaxing with his collection of single-line kites, which range from 1 to 30 meters in size.
His colourful creations feature sea creatures, ancient arthropods, reptiles, and birds. Geoffrey began flying kites as a child with the help of his father and grandfather, using paper bags and fabric from the family’s textile business.
Later in life, his love of photography reignited his passion for kite flying. With the right kite and wind, he began capturing unique images from above using kite aerial photography.
Now based at Conestoga Lake, Ontario, Geoffrey continues to build and fly kites of all shapes and sizes. For him, kite flying is about more than the wind — it’s about creativity, connection, and the joy it brings to those who stop to look up.
…and More!
Each day of the event, a fantastic lineup of professional kite fliers will dazzle you with their unique and breathtaking creations. With a variety of kites soaring high, no two days will be the same.
Come and experience the magic in the sky—you won’t want to miss a moment!