Experience the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival This Weekend

From Colorado Dragon Boat Festival

Come experience the hottest festival of the summer! We are celebrating the 18th annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival (CDBF). This is Colorado’s Pan-Asian festival that showcases the rich diverse culture and flavor of Asia and the Pacific. CDBF is a FREE family-friendly festival highlighting Colorado’s rich Asian American Pacific Islander heritage at Sloan’s Lake Park in northwest Denver July 28-29, 2018. A window to the Pan Asian world, the CDBF is one of the largest & best cultural festivals in the US. It showcases an array of traditional and contemporary performing arts, cultural customs, cuisine and a marketplace of unique and hard-to-find arts, crafts and vendors, in addition to two days of action packed dragon boat racing. Since its debut in 2001, the festival has grown from 15,000 attendees to more than 100,000 in the last 18 years.

Dragon Boat Racing!

Come watch as our teams participate in the fast-paced dragon boat racing competition with two full days of racing. The colorful Flag Catching- Taiwanese-style boats are back by popular demand. Each Boat will have 18 paddlers, one drummer and one flag catcher. Head to finish line to witness the exciting moment that the flag catcher has to lean out grab the flag to win the race! We will also have the Hong Kong style division. On this slimmer, sleeker boat, they travel faster on the water. Each Boat will have 20 paddlers. The teams competing include 2 boats from Adaptive Adventures and our CU Denver team who recently competed at the Hong Kong International competition in China! Come cheer on your favorite team!

Open the Door to the Asian World

Follow the Gateway to Asia for an interactive and entertaining look at different Asian Pacific cultures and art. Our highlighted country this year is Mongolia! A cultural village element providing an intimate look into the rich customs and history of Mongolia will be featured with exhibits, speakers, cultural displays, and authentic cuisine. We will even have Mongolian performers from the capital city of Ulaanbaatar.

Savor a Taste of Asia and Shop until you Drop

Festival-goers can satisfy their appetite with culinary delights from all of Asia and the Pacific at both of our Taste of Asia Food Court. Food vendors will showcase an abundance of mouthwatering Asian cuisine with 13 countries represented! There is something for every palate. Attendees can also shop to their heart’s content at a Marketplace full of unique, one-of-a-kind arts, crafts and vendors similar to those found in the open-air street markets of Hong Kong, Manila, Seoul or Bombay.

Feel the Asian Beat

Get your toes tapping at the Performing Arts Stage, which will feature both traditional and contemporary Asian and Asian-American instrumental, vocal, choral and dance performances by well-known local artists. Past performances have included: Japanese Taiko drumming by Denver Taiko, Halau Kalama, and Indian-fusion dancers. Come join us for our traditional Japanese Obon Dance on Sunday at 10am. This is an interactive dance you do not want to miss!

Family Fun

Children and families can enjoy Dragonland, a special area that offers entertaining, hands-on educational activities. Kids of all ages have a chance to learn about the diverse cultures celebrated at the festival with interactive performances of Hula, Tai Chi, and our returning favorite, Nataka Magic. NEW is this year! Mark Naryink, PhD, will be educating our attendees on the magic of Cosmological Origami on Saturday at 12:30!

Go Demos & Play

Come join us for our Go Demos & Play. Go is an ancient abstract strategy board game invented in China more than 2,5000 years ago and is still played today. CDBF will be hosting Go Demos and Play throughout the festival.

Cosmological Origami

Come see PhD, Mark Naryink, teach us about the importance of Cosmological Origami. Mark comes in all the way from Spain to share with us this unique breakthrough of origami and science. This will be a part of our Dragonland area on Saturday.

Focus: Sustainability

The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival has always had a focus on sustainability and leave no trace. This year, we will have a recycling workshop in our Dragonland area hosted by Noble Energy and Eco-Cycle. Come stop by Dragonland to learn the difference between compost, trash, and recycling! Together we can keep our planet clean!

Continuing Initiatives for 2018

CDBF continues to partner with local nonprofits through our snow cone, beverage, and merchandise sales.
Each nonprofit is given the opportunity to raise much need funds for their organizations by helping in product sales throughout the festival.
Food eating competitions! The Spicy Ramen Eating Contest is BACK! Along with a new Rice Ball eating
competition. This year there will be a youth competition as well! Ages 13 and up.
CDBF focuses on sustainability and environmentally sound transportation. To reduce the carbon footprint of those traveling to the Festival, CDBF encourages people to carpool or take the light rail to AURARIA CAMPUS where parking is $5. From there hop on the FREE bus shuttle to get to and from the festival. The Festival also encourages the public to take advantage of green transportation options such as B-Cycle, and Bike Corrals at the festival.

Festival Facts

What: 18th Annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, a family-friendly celebration of Colorado’s rich Asian American Pacific Islander heritage
When: Saturday, July 28, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, July 29th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Sloan’s Lake Park (West Side) – 25th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, northwest Denver
Cost: FREE Admission
Parking: Auraria Campus (5th street garage, Cherry & Elm Lot) Parking is $5 at Auraria with a FREE shuttle to and from the festival

Joel Newton

Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.