In Celebration of the “Year of the Dog,” the Board of Directors of the 28th Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York announced that this free multicultural festival and sporting event will be held Saturday, Aug. 11, and Sunday, Aug. 12.
The festival events consist of several Special/Invitational Cup races.
The Municipal Invitational race, featuring various teams from our elected officials, Mayor De Blasio, Queens Borough President Katz, Congresswoman Meng, and Assemblyman Kim’s office were invited to field teams as well as the NYC government agencies NYPD, NYFD, DEP, and Parks Department.
Other special races include the Hong Kong Family Invitational, The Health Care Invitational, A Senior’s Invitational, Women’s Invitational, Media Challenge and The Educational Invitational.
This year’s Corporate Invitational looks to be a good one, with 10 corporate teams joining us to race for their companies.
The much anticipated Charity race goes off this year with 12,500 in the kitty to be split among the competitors designated charities. The Festival will be at Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, rain or shine, 9 am to 5 pm on both days. Admission is free.
HKDBF-NY, an international, multi-cultural celebration and sporting event, the largest multicultural Festival in New York and the largest festival of its kind in the U.S.
It keeps up the age-old tradition of Dragon Boat Racing in colorful, custom-made teak boats, which are virtual works of art gliding on water. Custom made by a small coterie of craftsmen in Hong Kong, weighing one ton each, colorfully painted with a Dragon head at the front and Dragon tail at the rear, the boats are piloted by up to 20 crewmen, including 18 paddlers, a drummer and steersperson.
For 27 years, HKDBF-NY has attracted a diverse, multi-cultural audience of more than 50,000 attendees throughout North America. With a record number of teams participating 200+ well-trained teams, involving more than 2,500 participants competing from across the U.S. and Canada, this year’s festival is expected to be notable in its scale and fierce competition.
The festival takes place over two days on the site of the 1964 World’s Fair, featuring events for the entire family.
The opening day parade is at noon on Saturday, Aug. 11. The U.S. Dragon Boat Open Championship finals will be held Saturday/Sunday, with the teams vigorously competing for their share of the cash & prizes.
Racing starts at 9 a.m. and events last throughout the day until approximately 5 p.m. each day, rain or shine. Other festival events consist of the NYC Regular Open, corporate youth, charity race, Non-Profit Organization’s Invitational and sponsors challenge, a photo contest as well as presentations on the Main Stage of traditional Chinese arts, martial arts demonstrations, the traditional Dragon dance, musical and other diverse performances and demonstrations of folk arts and crafts.
Master storyteller Jonathan Kruk joins us again.
An International food court, and booths staffed by sponsors of the event, many of whom will be giving away promotional items, and many community-based organizations participating help make for a unique, action-packed, multi-cultural, New York weekend.
The tradition of Dragon Boat Racing is an annual Chinese rite commemorating the idealistic poet and performer Qu Yuan who drowned himself in the third century B.C. to protest against his emperor’s policies. The locals raced in their boats in an attempt to rescue the poet. To prevent fish and water dragons from eating his body, the locals beat their drums and splashed their paddles. This was the beginning of Dragon Boat Racing.
Parking on-site is limited, festival goers can park at CitiField and take the special MTA shuttle with your MetroCard or use correct change.
Please take the MTA or shuttle bus. Directions to the Festival by bus/subway.
Again this year we’ve worked with the MTA to ensure easy and safe transportation to the Festival site.
Directions to the Festival by car – take the Long Island Expressway to Van Wyck Expressway to exit 11 south, then stay on service road to the Park. Parking is severely limited.
