An exciting, annual summer festival for the past 28 years, if you’ve never checked it out before, this time it’s a must. So much family-friendly fun, with loads of action, food, music on the World Beat stage, and art – and it’s free!
Held at Creekside Park, Concord Pacific Place, at the north end of Vancouver’s False Creek, the 3-day fest of world-class dragon boat racing includes a brand new “Nations Cup” – a race among top teams from Canada, the US and Hong Kong. Also worth catching is the “Survivor Showdown” – a race between the breast cancer survivor team and a new team of men who have had prostate cancer.
Not just about sport, the fests’ live music, interactive art installations, a circus, climbing wall and zipline, make for some serious fun. The Sea to Sky Circus is new this year, with a fire-breathing dragon and another on a unicycle, choreographed by CircusWest with sets from a leading Vancouver film studio. Watch the legend of the first dragon boat race in China over 2000 years ago unfold before your eyes.
Some teams paddle for fun, while others have a purpose. This year a new adaptive team along with the long-standing blind teams, plus a team who have all received organ transplants are participating. Since the teams are fiercely competitive, be sure and try for a spot to watch along the finish line in front of Science World.
For more information, visit the website.
