Colorado Dragon Boat Festival

When: July 26-27

Where: Sloan’s Lake, Denver 
(Sheridan Blvd. and West 17th Ave., Lakewood)

Admission: Free!

The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is a relative newcomer to Denver’s summer festival roster – the inaugural event was held in 2001 – but in less than a decade, it’s become a wildly popular   cultural bonanza. Last year, 5280 Magazine declared it “one of Colorado’s greatest festivals.” This year’s Dragon Boat Festival promises to be the biggest and best yet.

But let’s back up a step first. What’s a dragon boat festival anyway? Its roots go back thousands of years in China, as the Duanwu Festival, which remains a traditional holiday in mainland China and Taiwan. Today, it has spread all over the globe. It is a sports competition with 54 corporate and community teams comprised of some 1,350 competitors plus 80,000+ spectators. These hardy boaters clamber aboard intricate and colorful dragon boats and race their way across Sloan’s Lake in a thrilling race. There’s nothing quite like it in all of Colorado.

Beyond the competition, the Dragon Boat Festival serves as an ethnic celebration of Colorado’s rich Pan Asian American heritage, showcasing diverse Asian cuisine and performing artists. Attendees can also spend some time browsing the unique and hard-to-find arts, crafts and vendors that are more likely to be found in the markets of Hong Kong, Tokyo or Manila.

New additions to the festivities returning from 2007 are the Explore Asia area, where you can meet and mingle with representatives from three local Asian communities and enjoy intimate performances, and Cultural Unity, which focuses on youth culture through hip-hop music, dance and spoken word.

More festival info: www.coloradodragonboat.org
Get more info on Denver's Asian community here!