Siem Reap Khleng Ek Kite Festival

Siem Reap Khleng Ek Kite Festival — Quick Facts

What is it?

experience — Cambodia's "Singing Kite," Flown in the Open Sky

Where?

Siem Reap , Cambodia

Entry Fee

Free to attend

Opening Hours

Held annually, typically in February, over several days

Time Needed

A few hours

Best Time

Late afternoon into evening, when wind picks up and the kites' bow-resonators are most audible

Don't Miss

Hearing a khleng ek's bamboo bow "sing" overhead — a sound unique to this kite tradition

What to See at the Khleng Ek Kite Festival

The Singing Kite Itself

A khleng ek is built around a large bamboo-and-paper body with a small bow-shaped resonator — the “ek” — that produces a humming, mournful tone as wind passes through it. Skilled makers can tune a kite’s bow to multiple distinct pitches; farmers once raised whole fields of them after harvest, filling the night air over the rice paddies with sound.

A Tradition Revived

Kite flying was banned outright during the Khmer Rouge period, and remained dangerous afterward in many rice fields due to landmines. Few kite-makers retain the skill today, and the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, alongside provincial authorities, now runs an annual Khmer Kite Flying Festival explicitly to keep the craft and the flying tradition alive — with khleng ek under consideration for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status.

The Festival Grounds

Recent editions have been staged on the open grounds of the former Siem Reap International Airport, since decommissioned in favour of the new Angkor International Airport further out of town — giving the festival the wide-open sky a kite festival needs, close to the city centre.

How to Get to the Festival

The festival site is on the grounds of the former Siem Reap International Airport, a short drive from central Siem Reap.

Tuk-tuk: The standard way to reach the festival grounds from town
Check exact dates each year — the festival typically runs in February but isn’t fixed to a specific calendar date

Practical Tips

This is a seasonal annual event, not a year-round attraction — confirm current dates before planning a trip around it
Provincial and national kite-flying festivals also rotate through other provinces, particularly border areas, as part of the same Ministry of Culture revival push
Bring sun protection — festival grounds are open and largely unshaded
A genuinely uncommon cultural experience compared to Siem Reap’s temple-focused itinerary

Nearby Attractions

Angkor Archaeological Park — Siem Reap’s main draw, a short drive from the old airport grounds
MGC Asian Traditional Textiles Museum — another living-heritage stop, en route back toward the Angkor ticket centre