the Most Notable American Dragon Boat Festivals
In 2023, Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 22 (Thursday). In the coming June, the heat of dragon boat races will continue to rise.
Dragon Boat Festival is one of the four top traditional Chinese festivals, along with the Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, and Mid-Autumn Festival.
Over the past 40 years, the sport of dragon boat racing has grown beyond the Dragon Boat Festival’s official holiday celebration on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month every year. Today, there’s a full summer race schedule spanning from February through October in cities across the United States.
Here’s a look at six of .
1. Portland Rose Festival Dragon Boat Race Established in 1989, the Portland Rose Festival Dragon Boat Race is an annual cultural event hosted by the Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City Association. The event features as many as 96 dragon boat teams from all over the world who race in Taiwan-style dragon boats.
2. Boston Dragon Boat Festival Established in 1979, the Boston Dragon Boat Festival is the first and oldest such festival in North America. It has grown from a small neighborhood event to the largest Chinese American cultural event in New England, drawing more than 20,000 participants and spectators annually. 3. Colorado Dragon Boat Festival Established in 2001, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival now attracts more than 125,000 guests to its annual two day event. The races are a popular and free family summertime event that focus on cultural education, leadership development and athletic competition.
4.Kansas City International Dragon Boat Festival The Kansas City International Dragon Boat Festival represents cooperation, friendship and trade between Kansas City, Mexico and China. The festival’s dragon boats are gifts from China to “The Society for Friendship with China” of Kansas City and were the first shipment opening a trade route from Shanghai, China, to Lazaros Cardenas, Mexico, to Kansas City, Missouri.
5. The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York Established in 1990, the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York provides audiences with traditional Chinese foods and performances, and hosts over 120 dragon boat teams from across North America, making it one of the largest dragon boat festivals in the United States.
6. San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival Established in 1996, the San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival hosts more than 120 teams from around the world and has grown to include cultural activities, creative arts, exhibits, live performances and immersive experiences for both kids and adults in a family-friendly space.