Come Friday, the skies over the Sabbalpur diara will dazzle with thousands of colourful kites as the fifth edition of the Patna Kite Festival begins.

From security measures to free kites and amenities including food stalls, the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC), which is organising the festival, has lined up a number of services to welcome revellers at the sandbar in the middle of the Ganga.

BSTDC officials said that 100 kites would be distributed free on the inaugural day, while 50 kites will be offered on the remaining four days. Around 50 open canopy tables will also be put on the sandbar.

"The kite festival would be inaugurated at 12noon on Friday by tourism minister Anita Kumari," said Rakesh Mohan, general manager, BSTDC. "We have completed all preparations for the fest. Apart from kite flying, cultural programmes would also be held daily between 12noon and 3pm,"

Professional kite fliers have been a special attraction of the annual kite-flying event. Mehul Pathak, a professional kite flier from Gujarat, will exhibit his skills at the festival. A few other professional kite fliers have also come from other states.

Officials said the festival will start every day at 10 in the morning and conclude around 5pm. "The district administration has identified 15 country boats, which would take people from the river bank to the sandbar," said a senior BSTDC official. "Apart from an enthralling kite-flying experience, people can also savour the delicacies at snacks huts."

Since 2010, the BSTDC gives the sandbar, surrounded by the Ganga and the Gandak, a fresh look to attract visitors, mostly during winter. The first kite festival of Patna was a two-day event - January 14 and 15, 2011 - held at Sabbalpur diara. The fest was inaugurated by chief minister Nitish Kumar, who has attended the kite festival every year except 2015.

The sandbar, situated around 2km from the banks of Ganga at Kali Ghat near Patna University, is developed as a tourism hub under the aegis of the state tourism department's Sabbalpur Diara Island River Project.

The weather, however, might play a spoiler this year. The Met office has claimed that the skies are expected to remain partly cloudy or hazy over the next two-three days. Shallow fog cover can also be expected till 9am. The wind, however, would be suitable as the Met officials have claimed that it is expected to blow at an average speed of 10-12kmph, sufficient to keep the kites flying high.

"Skies over most parts of Bihar are expected to be partly cloudy under the influence of a western disturbance over north India and an anti-cyclonic circulation over Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh," said R.K. Giri, senior meteorologist at Patna meteorological centre. "The two systems would lead to moisture incursion in the atmosphere but there are minimal chances of rainfall in Bihar."

The Met office has predicted that maximum temperature would to be around 25 degrees Celsius and minimum around 11 degrees Celsius over the next five days.