Last October, the LBI FLY Night Fly took place at Long Beach Township's 68th Street ocean beach in Brant Beach, on the evening of October 11, 2025. This year the illuminated-kite show has moved to Ship Bottom. The LBI Chamber's schedule, posted September 29, puts the Saturday Night Fly Extravaganza on the 22nd to 25th Street beach from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on October 10.
That means the whole 12th Annual LBI FLY Invitational Kite Festival happens inside Ship Bottom this year. The daytime fields cover the 21st to 28th Street beaches on both Friday and Saturday, so the night show lands on the same stretch of sand where the big kites flew all day. If you live in the borough, the festival's footprint is now about eight blocks of beach, and you can cover all of it on foot.
Two Days and One Evening on the Same Eight Blocks
Here's the frame for the weekend, all from the Chamber's posted schedule:
- Friday, October 9: 12 to 5 p.m. on the 21st to 28th Street beaches, with large inflatables, kids' kite making, art kites and an interactive family field
- Saturday, October 10: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the same beaches, with the same lineup
- Saturday night: the Night Fly Extravaganza, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the 22nd to 25th Street beach, sponsored by 3rd Party Logistics Group
The festival is free. The organizers ask for a donation at the Night Fly to help fund the event. The LBI Chamber of Commerce runs LBI FLY in partnership with two clubs that also fly on the beach, Passing Wind Kite Club and South Jersey Kite Flyers.
Last year the day and night halves were in two different towns, with the Night Fly at 68th Street. This year the 21st to 25th Street blocks host both, so someone who walks over at noon on Saturday can stay on the same beach until the lit kites come down at 8:30.
Who Flies Off Which Street
Each block between 21st and 28th Street has its own team, and several have their own sponsor. The Chamber's schedule lists the same layout for both days:
- 21st to 22nd Street: South Jersey Kite Flyers. Kids' kite making runs 1 to 4 p.m. at the beach entrance and is sponsored by Hatteras Press.
- 22nd Street: Air Technical, an event sponsor, plus the kids' interactive field, where Joe Kay of South Jersey Kite Flyers runs Bubble Blasts.
- 22nd to 23rd Street: the Welcome Tent.
- 23rd to 24th Street: the Art Kite Field, sponsored by the Drifting Sands Oceanfront Hotel. It features Team Gibian, which is Ron Gibian, Thad Walton and Steve Anderson, along with Scott and Marilyn Hampton and Kevin and LynneRae Bayless.
- 24th to 25th Street: Passing Wind Kite Club, sponsored by Cannataro Family Partners. It features Rolf Zimmermann, a kite maker and flier from Germany, along with Tim and Deb Allen, Brandon Ross, Jessica Morgan and Cathy Bialuk.
- 25th to 26th Street: the Alaska–Jamaica Kite Crew, sponsored by How You Brewin Coffee Company, with Tim Sorenson, DanaLyn Dalrymple, Kaeson Sorenson and Kevin Sewell.
- 26th to 27th Street: Sleezstaks & Bronx Crew, with Joe Tyler, Peter Keim and Billy Echevarria. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Zack Shore, the brokerage Roberta works with, sponsors this section.
- 27th to 28th Street: The K Club, with Ron, Pauline and Sarah Klopp and Paul and Tina Keeler.
The Chamber's July announcement said this year's fliers come from across the U.S. and Germany. The Drifting Sands, which sponsors the Art Kite Field, is itself in Ship Bottom at 119 E. 9th St.
Friday at 2 p.m. on the Passing Wind Field
Friday has one scheduled launch that Saturday doesn't. At 2 p.m., the festival launches an Alzheimer Awareness Seahorse Kite. Lou Cannataro of Cannataro Family Partners commissioned it, and Rolf Zimmermann, the German master kite maker, built it.
Cannataro Family Partners sponsors the 24th to 25th Street section, and Zimmermann flies there with Passing Wind Kite Club, so the seahorse is linked to that field through both its maker and its sponsor. Friday's program runs from noon to 5. If you can get to the beach on a weekday afternoon, the 2 p.m. launch is the one time on the schedule that's set apart from the general hours.
Saturday From First Kite to Last Light
Saturday's daytime fields close at 4 p.m. and the Night Fly starts at 6:30. That two-and-a-half-hour gap is the part of the day you'll have to plan around. Here's how it lines up:
- 10 a.m.: fields open on 21st through 28th Street
- 1 to 4 p.m.: kids' kite making at the 21st to 22nd Street entrance
- 4 p.m.: daytime program ends
- 4 to 6:30 p.m.: town-wide sidewalk sale and dinner
- 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: Night Fly on the 22nd to 25th Street beach
The borough's calendar fills that gap. Ship Bottom lists a town-wide sidewalk sale for local businesses on October 10 and 11, overlapping the festival's Saturday.
Dinner is about timing too. Stefano's is at 1814 Long Beach Blvd. It posted a Fall Schedule 2026 that shows it open October 8 through 11 and lists October 11 as the last day of its season. So kite weekend is Stefano's final weekend of 2026, and Saturday between the day fields and the Night Fly is one of its last dinner services until next year.
For the evening, the Chamber says LED and glow-in-the-dark items will be sold at the Welcome Tent during both days and at the Night Fly. Chick's LBI Shop, the festival's official merchandiser, will have short-sleeve and long-sleeve shirts and hoodies, and kites will be on sale as well.
Two Maps, a Block or Two Apart
The festival's FAQ page on lbifly.com and the Chamber's September 29 schedule don't match on a few locations. The FAQ says the main kite fields run from 18th to 27th Street. It puts the Welcome Tent between 21st and 22nd, and it places kids' kite making between 19th and 20th, from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The Chamber's newer schedule puts the Welcome Tent at 22nd to 23rd and kids' kite making at the 21st to 22nd Street entrance from 1 to 4 p.m. on both days. Even the Chamber's own note about LED sales refers to the Welcome Tent "on 21st Street."
The FAQ also says there will be bathrooms on 68th Street in Long Beach Township "for the Night Fly." That matches where the Night Fly was held in 2025, not its 2026 location. The FAQ says it staffs a Public Information Tent with volunteers all weekend. If a kids' activity matters to your plans, check the location there when you arrive.
Several FAQ details are the same either way:
- Your own kite: the open-fly area is on 18th Street and south of 27th Street, which keeps it clear of the professional teams and the large inflatables.
- Parking: free on Ship Bottom and Long Beach Township streets, with a request not to block private driveways.
- Restrooms: portable units at the top of the beach entrances on 19th, 21st, 22nd, 24th and 26th Streets, plus the public restrooms at Ship Bottom Borough Hall on 17th Street.
- Weather: light rain or mist may still allow some flying, while steady downpours or lightning can ground the larger kites. Updates go out on the festival's Instagram and Facebook pages.
The Chamber adds that the schedule may change with the wind and weather. Kites need wind, so the same breeze that makes for a strong Saturday on the fields can also change what flies.
The Rest of Ship Bottom's October
The festival ends Saturday night, and the sidewalk sale runs through Sunday, October 11. After that, the borough calendar's next public gathering is on the bay side. The borough and the police department host their annual Trunk or Treat on Friday, October 23, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Ship Bottom Municipal Ramp on W. 10th St. That's the same ramp that hosts the summer events in Ship Bottom's Thursday guide.
If you're used to the Night Fly in Brant Beach, our look at 68th Street's two beaches covers that stretch of Long Beach Township. This year, the Night Fly will be on the 22nd to 25th Street beach in Ship Bottom from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 10.
If you own near the festival blocks and want to know how a weekend like this fits into your rental calendar, Roberta Brackman can talk through how Columbus Day weekend has played out for Ship Bottom owners. Schedule your free consultation, or start with a look at the Ship Bottom neighborhood page.
