The Annual Good Friday Kite Festival will take place on Friday at Horseshoe Bay Beach from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Promoters promise highlights this year will include not one, but two tugs-of-war - in addition to the traditional locals vs. visitors tug-of-war, this year they are introducing a tug-of-war between members of the United Bermuda Party and the public.

There will also be games, a bouncy castle, and face-painting - all available free of charge. Jonathon Trott, president of Spanish Town International, has lined up local entertainment such as the Gombeys and the Tree Frog Trio to perform at the event also.

The kite competition itself is open to locals, residents and visitors. The categories are: Children (ten and under), Youth (11-17), Adults (18 and over), Largest Kite, Smallest Kite, and Best Visitor's Kite.

Kites must be home-made - no plastic or store-bought kites are allowed. Registration for the competition takes place during the festival from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., with judging to start at 1.30 p.m. Winners will be decided by spectators based on rounds of applause.

Staged by the `Leaders of Tomorrow', a division of the New United Bermuda Party, the event consistently attracts record numbers of locals and visitors alike.

According to coordinator Sherri (J) Simmons, the volunteer committee is looking forward to providing the community with a fun-filled day.

"It is a wonderful event that brings people from all walks of life together to celebrate one of the most sacred times of the year and the local traditions that are the bedrock of our Island home."

The tug-of-war between the UBP and the public will begin at 1 p.m.

Good Friday is also the day Belco's Kite Safety Campaign winds up, with the Belco Bird visiting safe kite flying locations around the Island.

Yesterday the Belco Bird presented Rhiannon Fletcher, the 2003 winner of the Belco Bird Kite Safety Poster Competition, with a $500 grand prize donation for her school. Rhiannon is in primary one at the Bermuda High School.

Her poster was chosen as the best overall out of all the entries sent to Belco from the primary one and two students of 21 schools.

Belco has been running a campaign promoting kite safety for 18 years.

Last month Belco Kiteman Cornell Dunkley and a representative from external relations & corporate communications at Belco visited each of the Island's 24 primary schools, allowing 1,500 primary one and two students to watch the Belco Bird Kite Safety slide show followed by an electrical talk and a demonstration of Linesmen's gear.