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Founding edition Summer 2027 · Host country announced soon

Kite Wars

Lanse kap. Koupe fil. Ranmase glwa.

The first World Championship of Haitian kite fighting—bringing together one rulebook, one tournament ladder, and one world title for a tradition enjoyed across generations. Two kites rise, one line falls, and the chase begins. A Haitian pastime presented as a professionally organized international sport.

First bell in
298
Days
00
Hours
46
Minutes
12
Seconds
Register to compete Get a kite — $95 Watch the stream →
6
languages
32
individual lanes
2
classes — solo or crew of 3
$95
entry, kite included
The origin

It started on a hill in Haiti, every afternoon at four.

In Haiti a kite is not a toy, it is a challenge. Children build them from paper, palm rib and thread, and the moment two are in the same sky the game changes: you climb, you cross, you saw. The blade tied into the tail does the work. A line parts, a kite drifts, and the field empties as everyone runs for the place it will land — because whoever reaches it first owns it.

"We tied a blade to the tail and went hunting. When a kite came down, the whole street ran for it."

Founder, Kite Wars · Timl
Read the full story
The blade
A sealed razor, fitted by a marshal into the kite tail. Issued at the line, returned at the line.
The cut
Cross the other line, saw, and hold your own kite up. A parted line is a point and a kill.
The chase
Fallen kites are recovered from the drop zone — and in youth lanes, kept by the finder.
Rules & format

One sky, two lines, four minutes.

Rules & format →
01
Register and pick a class
Individual, crew of three, or both classes at once. Buy the Haitian-styled kite with entry, or bring your own single-line kite.
02
Fit and inspect
Frames, lines and blades are checked and sealed at the tech tent. Unsealed hardware does not reach the field.
03
Fly the heat
Four-minute heats, two to four kites per sky. Cut a line and you advance; touch the ground and you are out.
04
Recover and score
Runners bring down the cut kites, marshals confirm the cut, and the ladder updates before the next bell.
01
The purse

A $17,000 purse in the founding edition

Two classes in the founding edition — individual, and crew of three — carrying the same money, with cash to the top three in each, plus the Razor Cup: a struck trophy that stays with the champion's country until the next edition. Team cash splits evenly, set so a crew place pays just under an individual win per competitor. Enter both classes and both purses are open to you.

First place 01
$5,000
Individual
Team of three $1,667 per competitor
$5,000
The Razor Cup · custom champion kite · 2028 seed
Second place 02
$2,500
Individual
Team of three $833 per competitor
$2,500
Silver blade · 2028 qualifier bye
Third place 03
$1,000
Individual
Team of three $333 per competitor
$1,000
Bronze blade · store credit · both purses open to dual competitors
The Kite Wars World Championship awards a total purse of $17,000 in the Founding Edition. Prize money is guaranteed and will be presented during the Championship Awards Ceremony.
I
Make History

Every championship has a first champion.

Every trophy has a first name engraved.
Every tradition begins with those willing to take the first step.
Every founding edition happens exactly once.

The Founding Edition of Kite Wars is your opportunity to become part of sporting history.

Years from now, people will remember who stood on the field when the first World Championship was decided.

Will your name be among them?

Register for the Founding Edition Hall of Founders
Participate

Three ways in. One of them comes with a kite.

The Haitian-styled kite is built to be re-covered season after season — buy the frame once, change the face. Bringing your own single-line kite costs more, because the kite is the thing we want in the sky.

Early Early pricing holds until the host city is announced, and every entry stays fully refundable until then — book blind, pay the least, walk away free. Prices step up at the announcement and again for the final eight weeks. See all three phases
Early · best value
Official Kite Package
$95 includes entry
Early bird to 28 Feb 2027 · Regular $120 from 1 Mar · Late $145 in June
·A Haitian-styled fighting kite, yours to keep
·Re-coverable frame — change the face each season
·Individual bracket place and ladder ranking
·Safety kit, sealed blade issue, marshal fitting
Buy kite + entry
Early · own kite
Bring Your Own
$130 entry only
Early bird to 28 Feb 2027 · Regular $155 from 1 Mar · Late $180 in June
·Single-line kites only — no dual or quad line
·Costs more than the kite package — by design
·Tech inspection and blade fitting at the tent
·Same bracket, same purse, same ladder
Register my kite
Early · crew
Team of three
$285 per crew
Early bird to 28 Feb 2027 · Regular $355 from 1 Mar · Late $425 in June
·Three competitors, three lanes, one shared clock
·Crew name and colors on the bracket board
·Kites added per competitor — $95 each, or $130 to fly your own
·Shared purse, split evenly on the podium
Register a team
There is a fourth way in
Enter as an individual and in a crew of three for $380 — one kite, two brackets, both purses open to you. Schedules are built so your draws never clash.
Compare all four
Design your own kite face — +$35
Upload artwork, a flag, a face, a shop name. Printed on the cover panel and shipped fitted to your frame.
Start a custom kite
Destination & travel

Come for the bracket. Stay for the country.

The host is in negotiation with a national tourism ministry. Travel packages, partner hotels and things to do open the day the city is named.

Destination guide →
The field
Where the bracket flies
A wide, treeless plain with dependable afternoon wind and room for a roped spectator perimeter.
Partner hotels
Beds near the wind
Blocked rooms at three price points, walking distance to shuttles, with competitor rates through the store.
Eat
Tables worth the detour
A short, honest list — market stalls, wine cellars, the place the marshals go after the last bell.
Do
Two days either side
Day trips, old towns and museums, so the trip is a holiday with a championship in the middle.
Store

Kites, covers, and things to wear on a windy field

Shop everything
Haitian-styled fighting kite
Frame + one face$95
Replacement cover faces
Pack of three$28
Kite Wars field cap
Embroidered$32
Koupe Fil tee
Heavyweight cotton$36
Sponsors & partners

Put your name on the sky.

A founding edition is a rare thing to be first on. Read the sponsorship packet online, or download it.

Read the packets All tiers
Local
Field
$2,500
Logo on site and one lane banner, a named youth lane, ten spectator passes.
See what's included
Most visible
Bracket
$25,000
Featured logo across site and broadcast, a named bracket, hospitality for twenty, 200 youth kite packs.
See what's included
Title
Presenting
$100,000+
Title billing on every asset and stream, purse matching, a custom field activation, category exclusivity.
See what's included
Kite School

Learn to build it, then learn to fly it mean

All lessons →
Build8 min
Build a Haitian kite from paper and palm rib
The frame, the bow, the bridle — the way it is done on the hill, with a printable template.
Fight9 min
The cut: angle, tension, and when to give line
Why sawing beats pulling, and how champions win the crossing before the blade touches.
History11 min
Kite fighting from Port-au-Prince to Lahore
The same game, invented separately on four continents, and how the rules differ.
Media & press

Under one sky, with blades on

Gallery & press kit →
Stay in the wind

Be told first when the city is named

Host announcement, qualifier calendar, kite drops, travel packages. Roughly monthly, never noisy.

Or write to the host desk: host@kitewars.com