Queens’ wildly entertaining Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival (HKDBF-NY) is returning this weekend for its 32nd annual iteration! The festival will be held on Saturday, August 3 and Sunday, August 4 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
For 30+ successful years HKDBF-NY, the international and multicultural celebration and sporting event, has attracted more than 40,000 attendees throughout North America. It’s the largest multicultural festival in New York and the largest festival of its kind in the U.S.
The festival keeps up the age old tradition of dragon boat racing to commemorate poet and performer Qu Yuan who drowned himself in the third century B.C. to protest against his emperor’s policies.
Teams consisting of 20 crewmen–including 18 paddlers, a drummer, and a steers person–race across the water in colorful teak boats, custom made by a small coterie of craftsmen in Hong Kong. The boats each weigh one ton and are colorfully painted with a dragon head at the front and tail at the rear.
This year 180+ teams made up of more than 2,000 athletes will take to the water.
The competition begins withThe Chinese Music Ensemble of New York and opening ceremonies on Saturday. The race takes place both days from 9 am to 5 pm and consist of the NYC regular Open, Youth Invitationals, Charity races, Non-Profit Org races, Corporate Challenges, and many more.
Beyond the competition there’s a plethora of Asian cuisine and multicultural performances to be enjoyed by attendees.
A main stage will serve as the platform for performances by the best regional multicultural artists from across the globe, including Hong Kong Vocalist Echo Chan, Violinist extraordinaire Daisy Jopling, Manhattan Taiko drummers, the NY Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Center, Latin Jazz Band Cuboricua, New York Chinese Cultural Center – Dance China NY, and more.
Between performances attendees can peruse booths filled with traditional Asian folk arts and crafts along with a multicultural food court and a several food trucks.
Admission to the HKDBF-NY is completely free, and events will take place rain or shine. The full event schedule can be found here.
📍 Flushing Meadows Corona Park
🗓️ Saturday, August 3 & Sunday, August 4