THE 2023 DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL WAS FUN!!

For 2023, we’re excited to announce that the Dragon Boat Festival kicked off on 9/22 with the “Awakening of the Dragons” Ceremony hosted by our friends at the NASWA Resort. This was a wonderful opportunity for teams and supporters to gather to enjoy some festival spirit!

On Sept. 24 we’ll had Dragon Boat races, a flower ceremony for loved ones touched by cancer, and fun for anyone racing or watching!

Dragon Boating is easy to learn, extremely safe, and an activity where men and women compete side-by-side towards the same goal.

Interested in doing it next year? Dragon boats are long, narrow (40 feet long) crafts. The crew consists of 16 paddlers sitting two abreast, a drummer, who sits at the head of the boat and beats out a paddling rhythm for the crew, and a steersperson at the rear of the boat. (We’ll provide a steersperson, if you don’t have someone with that experience.) Regardless of how young, old, big, or little: once a paddler is in stroke, they are contributing to their team! Add the outdoors, the water, the visual spectacle of dragon boating, and you get a perfect activity for friends and family

Absolutely no experience is necessary to participate, and we provide the boats, paddles, life jackets, a time to practice, and the racecourse! While 17 people are required for each team, we recommend about 18-21 participants per team in case someone can’t paddle at the last minute. (Team members can trade off for different laps.) Both men and women participate. The minimum age to paddle is 12 years old.

Participation is Easy – create your team, designate a Captain, have the Captain register your team, and agree to raise a designated minimum amount in donations for Lakes Region Cancer Support Team.