Birch Bay Kite Festival, Splash Days make seasonal return

Update: Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 has canceled Splash Day on Friday, June 20 due to rain in the forecast. Splash Day has been rescheduled to August 1. 

School will soon be out, and there’s no shortage of activities for Blaine and Birch Bay families to start the first weekend of summer with Splash Days and the Birch Bay Kite Festival.

Splash Days will turn downtown Blaine into a miniature water park on Friday, June 20, and then the Birch Bay Kite Festival will provide a weekend of entertainment at Birch Bay State Park on Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22.

“It will be entertainment, activities and enjoying a day in Birch Bay,” said Danielle Gaughen, executive director of the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce, which is hosting the kite festival.

Splash Days will make its cool return from noon to 2 p.m. at 3rd and Martin streets in downtown Blaine. Event hosts Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 (BBBPRD2) and the city of Blaine will stop traffic in the area as sprinklers, splash zones and food trucks move in. The June event will be the first of two Splash Days, with the second held on Friday, July 18.

While the Birch Bay Kite Festival officially kicks off on June 21, an evening poker run will have participants biking and golf carting around Birch Bay in search for the perfect poker hand 5-7 p.m. June 20. Registration will open for the family-friendly poker run at birchbaychamber.com/pokerrun.

Kites will fly high during the kite festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 21 and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 22 at Birch Bay State Park, 7290 Birch Bay Drive.

On Saturday, BBBPRD2 will host youth activities and games from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) will hold a story time at 11 a.m. and noon, local musician Michael Dayvid will perform from noon to 2 p.m., a juggler will perform 1-3 p.m., and a big bubble show will be held 2-4 p.m.

On Sunday, the WCLS will hold a story time at 11 a.m. and noon, and a juggler performance 1-3 p.m. The WCLS will also host kite-making and crafts during both days of the festival, and there will be free kites for children while supplies last.

The state park requires a Discover Pass for parking. Passes can be checked out at public libraries or purchased for a $10-day pass.

Those opting for public transit are in luck. The Whatcom Transportation Authority will operate a kite festival shuttle both days of the festival. The shuttle will depart from the American Legion every 40 minutes, starting at 11 a.m., and loop through Birch Bay before dropping off passengers at the state park’s bp Heron Center.

For more information on the kite festival and shuttle, visit birchbaywa.org/birch-bay-kite-festival. Anyone who would like to volunteer may also sign up on the festival page.