Dussehra in Mysore is not a single-day celebration. It is a ten-day spectacle, the most theatrical festival in South India, and one of the oldest public celebrations in the world. Since the 15th century, the Mysore Palace has lit up with thousands of lights, processions have wound through the city, and the air above Mysore has crackled with festive energy. Fly360 added a new chapter to that energy: LED kites filling the Mysore night sky.
Dussehra in Mysore: Ten Days of Living History
Dussehra celebrates the victory of good over evil — specifically Lord Rama’s defeat of Ravana, and Goddess Durga’s victory over the demon Mahishasura. In Mysore, the celebrations begin on the first day of Navratri and continue through Vijayadashami. The Mysore Palace, lit by 100,000 light bulbs for the duration, has hosted these festivities since the Vijayanagara Kings established them in the 15th century. Wrestling bouts, singing, dance, and processions draw visitors from across India and the world to Mysore every October.
How Kite Flying Became Part of Mysore Dussehra
The Mysore Tourism Board introduced kite flying to the Dussehra programme as a way to spotlight a dying art form and draw younger audiences to the celebrations. The kite competition is unique in India: all kites are flown at night, illuminated with LED lights, turning the evening sky into a luminous gallery above the Palace. Fly360, recognised as India’s foremost expert in designer and LED kite installations, played a pivotal role as consultant and end-to-end event manager for the kite festival component of Mysore Dussehra.
The LED Kites of Mysore: Engineering the Night Sky
Flying a kite at night requires a fundamentally different engineering approach from daytime flying. The kite must carry a lightweight but bright LED array, powered by a lithium battery pack sized to balance against the kite’s lift coefficient without affecting its flight angle. Fly360 designs these electronics in-house — custom LED strings, bespoke power configurations, sealed against moisture, rated for the wind speeds common in Mysore in October. The result: kites that glow from within, drawing patterns of light across the dark sky that no firework or stage lighting can replicate.
Royal Heritage Meets Modern Aerial Art
The kite flying competition at Mysore Dussehra has attracted national and international visitors since its inception. The event occupies a unique space where a 15th-century royal tradition and 21st-century LED kite engineering meet in the same October sky. Fly360’s custom Durga kites, Ganapati kites, whale inflatables, and decorative designs tie the aerial display to the mythological themes of the festival — creating a coherent visual narrative between the ground celebrations and the sky above.
Fly360 as Tourism Event Consultant and Kite Festival Manager
Beyond supplying kites, Fly360 served as consultant to the Mysore Tourism Board for the kite competition — advising on wind site selection, safety management, competition structure, judging criteria, and crowd management. This end-to-end event management capability is what separates Fly360 from a kite supplier: the team has the operational discipline to design, manage, and execute a festival within a festival, at scale, in front of thousands of spectators.
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Mysuru Dasara is already one of the grandest celebrations in India and adding a kite festival makes it even more spectacular! I attended this event and the contrast of the illuminated Mysore Palace in the background with kites soaring overhead was breathtaking. Fly360 brought incredible diversity of kite designs that I had never seen at our local festivals before. Please come back every year!
Mysuru Dasara is already one of the grandest celebrations in India and adding a kite festival makes it even more spectacular! I attended this event and the contrast of the illuminated Mysore Palace in the background with kites soaring overhead was breathtaking. Fly360 brought incredible diversity of kite designs that I had never seen at our local festivals before. Please come back every year!
Mysuru Dasara is already one of the grandest celebrations in India and adding a kite festival makes it even more spectacular! I attended this event and the contrast of the illuminated Mysore Palace in the background with kites soaring overhead was breathtaking. Fly360 brought incredible diversity of kite designs that I had never seen at our local festivals before. Please come back every year!
The Mysore Dussehra kite competition is growing into a must-attend event and Fly360 deserves a lot of credit for the quality of organisation. My daughter participated in the junior kite flying competition and came second — she is already asking to practice for next year! The competitive element adds so much excitement alongside the cultural festivities. Fantastic event!
The Mysore Dussehra kite competition is growing into a must-attend event and Fly360 deserves a lot of credit for the quality of organisation. My daughter participated in the junior kite flying competition and came second — she is already asking to practice for next year! The competitive element adds so much excitement alongside the cultural festivities. Fantastic event!
The Mysore Dussehra kite competition is growing into a must-attend event and Fly360 deserves a lot of credit for the quality of organisation. My daughter participated in the junior kite flying competition and came second — she is already asking to practice for next year! The competitive element adds so much excitement alongside the cultural festivities. Fantastic event!
I am a cultural event organiser in Seville and I came across this article while researching Indian festivals. The combination of Dussehra pageantry and kite flying is extraordinarily photogenic and culturally rich. Spain has our own Feria de Sevilla which is similarly visually spectacular — seeing the Indian equivalent through this article made me want to visit India during this season!
I am a cultural event organiser in Seville and I came across this article while researching Indian festivals. The combination of Dussehra pageantry and kite flying is extraordinarily photogenic and culturally rich. Spain has our own Feria de Sevilla which is similarly visually spectacular — seeing the Indian equivalent through this article made me want to visit India during this season!
I am a cultural event organiser in Seville and I came across this article while researching Indian festivals. The combination of Dussehra pageantry and kite flying is extraordinarily photogenic and culturally rich. Seeing the Indian equivalent through this article made me want to visit India during this season!
Karnataka Tourism should heavily promote this kite festival as part of the Dasara celebrations — it would attract visitors from across India and the world. The combination of Mysore Palace, traditional processions, and spectacular kites is a tourism gold mine. Fly360 is doing amazing work in bringing high-quality kite events to cultural festivals. More power to you!
Karnataka Tourism should heavily promote this kite festival as part of the Dasara celebrations — it would attract visitors from across India and the world. The combination of Mysore Palace, traditional processions, and spectacular kites is a tourism gold mine. Fly360 is doing amazing work in bringing high-quality kite events to cultural festivals. More power to you!
Karnataka Tourism should heavily promote this kite festival as part of the Dasara celebrations — it would attract visitors from across India and the world. The combination of Mysore Palace, traditional processions, and spectacular kites is a tourism gold mine. Fly360 is doing amazing work in bringing high-quality kite events to cultural festivals. More power to you!
Mysuru Dasara 2025 kite event was the best yet! The 3D animal kites Fly360 brought were absolutely stunning — the giant lion kite was a crowd favourite and was all over social media. The night flying session with LED kites against the illuminated palace backdrop was like a dream. Already counting down to next year!
Mysuru Dasara 2025 kite event was the best yet! The 3D animal kites Fly360 brought were absolutely stunning — the giant lion kite was a crowd favourite and was all over social media. The night flying session with LED kites against the illuminated palace backdrop was like a dream. Already counting down to next year!
Mysuru Dasara 2025 kite event was the best yet! The 3D animal kites Fly360 brought were absolutely stunning — the giant lion kite was a crowd favourite and was all over social media. The night flying session with LED kites against the illuminated palace backdrop was like a dream. Already counting down to next year!