The 2026 Color the Wind Kite Festival, scheduled for Feb. 21 in Clear Lake, has been canceled due to unsafe ice conditions along the shoreline.
After monitoring conditions in partnership with local safety officials, Event Director Trish Fundermann and the Color the Wind committee determined the ice is not stable enough to safely host the event.
“They tested from shoreline to about 40 feet out, and that's where it's very dangerous," Fundermann said. "There might be a nice depth of ice, but the top 3 to 4 inches is very soft ice. It's just not safe.”
Organizers explored moving the festival onto land, but said Federal Aviation Administration regulations requiring kite flying to be at least 4 miles from the airport — along with space, parking and electrical needs — made relocation impossible. Because the ice is so thin near the shore, people and vehicles carrying gear can't reach the thicker ice farther out on the lake.
“It's very disappointing," Fundermann said. "We put a lot of our heart and soul into all of our events that we do, and we do it for the visitors and the people, and we never want to cancel, because sometimes it ends up being more work to cancel than what we put into it."
The festival, known for its large, colorful kites flying over the frozen lake, has only been canceled four times in its 25-year history, including two years ago due to low ice levels caused by warm weather. Iowa is currently experiencing a snow drought and has seen several days with above-average temperatures for February.
Organizers said they are now looking ahead to next year, hoping for safer ice and better weather conditions to bring the beloved winter tradition back to Clear Lake.
