Grabenstetten Kite Festival

Grabenstetten Kite Festival — A Sky Full of Colors

When the autumn winds blow freshly across the Swabian Jura on the last weekend of September, the Fliegergruppe Grabenstetten-Teck-Lenninger Tal e.V. invites you to the traditional kite festival. From September 26 to 27, 2026, Grabenstetten airfield will be the stage for the 19th edition of a festival that attracts kite fans and families from all over the district of Reutlingen and beyond. You will experience a weekend full of colorful kites, an aviation atmosphere, and hands-on activities — free of charge and for all ages.

Kites of All Shapes and Sizes

In the sky above the airfield, you'll see single-line kites in classic diamond and swallow shapes, stunt kites performing precise aerobatic maneuvers, and spectacular three-dimensional large kites shaped like whales, crocodiles, octopuses, and geckos. Experienced kite flyers from all over southern Germany travel with their collections — from small children's kites to 20-meter-long show kites. You can also bring your own kite and launch it on the designated flying area.

Hands-On Program for Children and Families

The kite festival is explicitly family-friendly. Children can romp around in the bouncy castle, craft their own small kites or airplanes at the model-building station, try out controlling a sports or glider aircraft in the flight simulator, and — the highlight — take a ride in a real glider for an introductory flight over the Swabian Jura (for a small donation to the club). The members of the flying group are available to answer questions and explain what soaring with updrafts and thermals means.

Food and Atmosphere

The club members provide visitors with cool drinks, coffee and cake, sausages, fries, and vegetarian options. The kitchen is open Saturdays from 1 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. The atmosphere at the airfield is relaxed — you sit among gliders and motor planes, watch takeoffs and landings, and at the same time look up at the colorful kite-filled sky. On good weather days, it's a perfect family outing; in case of too much wind or rain, the program will be adjusted.

Grabenstetten and the Lenninger Tal

The municipality of Grabenstetten, with around 1,700 inhabitants, is located on the edge of the Swabian Jura, in the district of Reutlingen in Baden-Württemberg. Grabenstetten is famous for its Falkensteiner Höhle (Falkenstein Cave) and the Falkensteiner Höhle hiking trails. The airfield is situated on the Albtrauf (edge of the Swabian Jura), with a wide view into the Lenninger Tal and beyond the distinctive Teck Castle to the Swabian Forest — a spectacular backdrop for a kite festival.