- 2016 celebrated 25 years of Dragon Boat Racing in Calgary
- Located at North Glenmore Park
- Racing on the Glenmore Reservoir
- Friday 1pm – 7pm
- Saturday 7am – 6pm
- Sunday 7am – 6pm
- Kid Zone 10am – 3pm
- Held on the second weekend in August
- Website calgarydragonboatsociety.com
- Watch this page for updates as we get closer to the 2018 Festival
Dragon Boat Racing has its historical origins in ancient China some 2000 years ago. The traditional historic boats were paddled with 50 paddlers as opposed to today’s with 20 paddlers. Traditional dragon boat racing continues in China, coinciding with the 5th day of the 5th Chinese lunar month.
Calgary’s Dragon Boat Race & Festival is held each year on the second weekend in August. The Calgary Dragon Boat Society with other organizations in Canada are part of the IDBF which is made of 88 other nations representing dragon boat racing worldwide.
Calgary’s dragon boat races are 500 meters long, held on the Glenmore Reservoir and launched from North Glenmore Park.
A dragon boat team is composed of 22 people. 20 paddlers in pairs facing forward. 1 drummer or caller who faces the paddlers and maintains unison. 1 Sweep or steerer who faces forward and controls the boat from the rear. Dragon boats are 40+ feet long with a dragon head at the bow and tail at the stern.
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Prior to attending the race and festival for the first time in 2016 I had next to no knowledge of it. Having grown up in BC, I believe I saw dragon boats on Vancouver’s news once before but that’s it. I looked forward to seeing the boats in person and learning more.
First of all the Calgary Dragon Boat Society makes it easy to attend with a shuttle from the Grey Eagle Resort & Casino parking lot to North Glenmore Park. Their site suggests using it, and I have to agree. While the festival isn’t the largest, it’s attendance is still beyond what the parking lots can handle. The buses run frequently, I’d guess every fifteen minutes or less.
The festival grounds are spread out with lots of space, separated into two areas. First is the actual race area at the Glenmore Reservoir this is based around the Calgary Rowing Club’s building. Next is the festival grounds at the park, composed of a main stage for presentations and entertainment, a food truck circle, beer gardens and VIP tent, kids area and the race teams tents.
I’d say things are well organized and everything goes smoothly. There is a lot of seating around the stage, but two more rows would be even better. Also as this year was particularly hot, it’s too bad there couldn’t be some more covered areas. Lastly, seating to eat at is lacking. There is the VIP tent however what if I want something from a food truck. Standing in the heat and balancing my plate as I try to eat, or sitting in the hot grass and closing my beverage every time I take a sip to be sure it doesn’t fall over and spill is hardly ideal. If there could be 20 picnic tables under some huge open sided tent all would be remedied. Someone has made sure there are lots of recycling bins, portable toilets and handwash stations.
My guess is there are nearly forty tents for the racing teams to keep their stuff at. This area is a busy hub of activity with teams coming and going and readying themselves. You’ll find teams representing various associations, corporate teams, and the Women’s Breast Cancer Survivors team.
We attended on Saturday (the first day) and before the racing began there we a number of speeches welcoming and thanks people followed by traditional Chinese lion dancing.
There is a schedule posted on the website that I referred to a few times, as I couldn’t find a version posted at the festival. I felt there should have been a large schedule banner at the stage and down as the racing stands. Still there is a loud PA system calling out the races and what’s happening at any given time. This can be heard from the festival grounds as well, so you always know what’s happening on the water.
There was a large assortment of food trucks to choose from, as well as ice cream and old cold treats to combat the heat. We made an effort to bring some cold drinks that I knew my daughter would like, and we wouldn’t have to wait for, and pay a premium for. That being said, I don’t think any of the prices were out of line.
The kids area had two Springfree trampolines and a bouncy castle, as well as face painting. These are also all free, however the trampoline time in brief and the face painting line is long. That being said there’s nothing stopping you from visiting these activities multiple times as we did.
Down at the waterfront the racing is intense, it’s immediately visible that a team must be highly coordinated. A few of the races had clear winners from the start as better teams were immediately apparent. However in one of the races we watched, the competition for second place was intense and exciting. In each race there are four to six teams participating, they first get organized at the dock and then set out. While this is going on the previous race is taking place, and when it ends those teams return to the dock. This way there are always teams either getting into position and racing, or teams coming on and off the boats at the dock.
I enjoy seeing all the team spirit exhibited by the competitors and encouragement from the spectators. It really makes for a great weekend of fun in the sun. I don’t know anyone competing so I don’t have that element to enjoy in the festival however I hope to bring some friends along next year to share in the fun and spectacle.