ROOSEVELT ISLAND — Kites will take over Roosevelt Island's Four Freedoms Park this week in honor of the United Nations' International Day of Peace.
Kids and adults alike will be able to craft their own kites using stripes, colors, and symbols that represent their personal ideas about peace and freedom. They can then fly them in the park, which sits across the river from the U.N. building.
Kite master Charles Stewart will be on hand to offer advice, and on Saturday, Archie Stewart, a member of the American Kitefliers Association, will give demonstrations.
The event begins on Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m., continues on Thursday during the same time, and finishes up on Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the park. The events are free.
The Four Freedoms Park Conservancy, the nonprofit group hosting the celebration, will provide all the materials, although it will be on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Kites hold meaning for cultures around the world as symbols of peace, innovation and inspiration, according to Nellie A.V. Chaban, director of education and public programs at the Conservancy.
The U.N. General Assembly created International Peace day in 1981 to promote peace and partnership.
