Iowa winters can be long. And dark. And bitterly cold. But that doesn’t stop us from having fun, and one event that every Iowan should bundle up for at least once is Color the Wind, a massive kite festival that takes place on the frozen, snowy sheen of Clear Lake each February. It’s the biggest, most colorful, most fun winter festival of its kind in Iowa, making it well worth the effort of bundling up for!

The Color the Wind Festival brings together kite enthusiasts from near and far to Iowa to participate in a vibrant, hopeful, promise-of-spring activity: kite flying.

Clear Lake Iowa Chamber of Commerce

This annual festival is held each February in Clear Lake, Iowa. This is a time of year when the weather is still very cold, but it’s also a time of year when folks are ready and willing to bundle up and get out of the house, especially for such a colorful, fun event.

Clear Lake Iowa Chamber of Commerce

And colorful fun is exactly what you’ll find at Color the Wind, the largest winter kite festival in the whole Midwest.

Clear Lake Iowa Chamber of Commerce / Facebook

Expect to spot all sorts of shapes and sizes of kites soaring overhead, including huge inflatable kites flown by professional kite flyers from all over America!

Color The Wind / Facebook Some kites are even choreographed to music.

Admission is free, and food (steaming hot food!) will be available for purchase. Bring a kite of your own or just come with a thermos full of hot chocolate to sip while you watch other flyers at work.

Clear Lake Iowa Chamber of Commerce / Facebook

But make sure to dress your warmest, because it is bitterly cold out in the snow on the ice. And bright - bring sunglasses, even though it is February, to help shield your eyes as you spend the day staring at the sky.

Clear Lake Iowa Chamber of Commerce

Have you ever attended a Color the Wind winter festival in Clear Lake, Iowa? Will you be bundling up and heading that way this February? Learn more at the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce website here. For some other fun Iowa festivals, try these.

Clear Lake Iowa Chamber of Commerce

Clear Lake Iowa Chamber of Commerce / Facebook

Color The Wind / Facebook

Some kites are even choreographed to music.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.

Address: Clear Lake, IA 50428, USA