Franklin Park will host its annual Bike and Kite Festival this Saturday (May 18) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Boston tradition, which has grown to attract crowds of more than 1,000 people to the Playstead Field where they can enjoy picnicking, kite flying, bicycling and activities for all ages.

“Back in the 70’s I remember my brother Daoud teaching us how to fly a kite,” said Debbie Washington, who grew up in Boston. “It was myself and his two children, so excited about the technique and the art of flying. Those were the days of our lives!”

This year, the event boasts more than 20 community partners, food vendors, and opportunities to buy a kite. After-school programs from Lena Park Community Development Corporation’s Fablab will have handmade kites by students in the program on display. Attendees will enjoy active games from Playworks New England, park walks with Appalachian Mountain Club’s Outdoors Rx, and a special BPS countdown to Kindergarten biking/ walking track for ages 5 and under.

Attendees are encouraged to bike to the event in the park and join “Ride and Kids” for a family friendly group ride and scavenger hunt beginning in Dudley Square at 10 a.m. See roxburyway.com/events to sign up.

The festival, which is free, is hosted by the Franklin Park Coalition which has served as the community voice of the park since the 1970s.; One of its successes was the creation of a bike plan for the park, one of the only city greenspaces that allows bicycles on its paths.