Cultural Displays and Pavilions

Dragon boat comes from an ancient Chinese tradition that is equal parts racing and culture, but also a showcase of the local community. Join us on Championship Weekend and explore the interactions between tradition and the current-day multicultural communities that make up our social fabric.


Thanks for kicking off summer with us at False Creek, with 197 teams participating in our biggest race program since 2019. Plus, with our 35th anniversary celebrations going on- including the city’s biggest birthday cake, we couldn’t have asked for a better way to start summer. Be part of the excitement; registration for 2024 is now open at register.dragonboatbc.ca– see you June 21-23! 

As we get set for our 2024 season, please note we will be going through our website to update information. Please contact us if you are looking for information for 2024 at [email protected].


Championship Weekend –  June 24-25, 2023

Chinatown Pavilion  |  TD Main Stage Zone  |  With the support of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

The Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival recognizes the deep roots of the Festival in Chinese tradition and culture. As part of an overall effort to ground the Festival in equal parts culture and sport, we are delighted to work with cultural partners to present the Chinatown Pavilion. 

Activities and Demonstration Times (10:00 AM-6:00 PM)

  • Arts and Crafts: Dragon Boat Festival Theme
  • Buddha Boards: practice your calligraphy
  • Chinese Calligraphy demonstration by Master Jiangang Su (Time TBA)
  • Tea Ceremony Demonstrations
  • Traditional Chinese Incense Demonstrations
  • Hon Hsing Athletic Club Golden Dragon Performances (12:00-3:00 PM)

Indigenous Cultural Pavilion  |  TD Main Stage Zone

The Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival is hosted on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands and waters of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. As part of our efforts to engage with Indigenous communities and to highlight the deep culture of the territories we now occupy, we are pleased to work with local Indigenous artists, elders, and organizations to program the Indigenous Cultural Pavilion.

2023 programming TBA


35th Anniversary Activities  |  June 24, Medal Podium, TD Main Stage Zone

What’s a big birthday without a big party? To reconnect with our roots and celebrate this anniversary, we’re pleased to host two special events on June 24 at the Medal Podium.

Birthday Cake presented by Concord Pacific, 1:00 – 2:00 PM

We’ve got the biggest cake in the city to celebrate our 35th birthday! Join us at the medal podium for a free slice of cake starting at 1:00 PM, made by Chinatown’s The Boss bakery. This cake is presented by Concord Pacific.

Citizenship Ceremony, 10:30 AM-11:30 AM

Join us as we reconnect with our roots as an organization started in Chinatown to bring people together, as we host a special Citizenship Ceremony as part of the 35th Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival.

Wear red and white to get in the spirit of the day, then join us for a special protocol presentation on the TD Main Stage by Squamish Nation’s Eagle Song Dancers at 11:30 AM, as well as the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office International Cup at 12:00 on the race course!


Medal Presentations  |  June 25, Medal Podium, TD Main Stage Zone

Join us starting at ~1:00 PM as the medals are awarded for the 35th Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival in each division and for each Grand Final race!


Dragon Boat Public Art Program  |  TD Main Stage Zone

A special public art program is on display at this year’s Festival, showcasing 9 different artists that created artwork around the theme of community, culture, and competition for the boats being used at the Festival’s races. See the boats race on land, and see the artwork up close on land around the site! Artists include:

  • Bagua Artist Association: Bedecked with Pearls and Glimmering Jade
  • Carmen Chan: Rice and Rain
  • Chairman Ting: Billion Buns
  • Chepximiya Siyam/Chief Janice George and Skwetsimeltxw Willard ‘Buddy’ Joseph: Midnight Lightning
  • Debra Sparrow: A Hundred Years of History
  • Derek Tam: Convergence
  • Joslyn Reid: Good Sport
  • Kari Kristensen: Paper Boats
  • Ocean Hyland: People of the Inlet

Expo 86 Original Teak Dragon Boat Display  |  TD Main Stage Zone by Main Street Skytrain Entrance
With the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto).

See one of the original teak boats used at Expo 86 to launch dragon boat racing in Canada! After being restored in 2017, the boat now returns to Vancouver and False Creek as part of a mobile display to reconnect paddlers to their heritage.

The display will also feature archival clippings from when the boats were originally unveiled in 1986, as well as information on dragon boat’s evolution in Vancouver.


Pre-Festival Activities

2023 Festival Blessing Ceremony  |  Saturday June 17, 1:30 PM  |  1 Athletes Way

An ancient ceremony conducted on the shores of False Creek. Join us as we carry on an important tradition into the modern era.  

The Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society is honoured to invite you to witness an ancient Taoist blessing and eye-dotting ceremony. Be present as our dragon boats come to life for the first time, and the spirit of the dragon is summoned to the water in advance of the Festival. This event is conducted by the International Taoist Church of Canada. Click here to learn more.

  • FREE ADMISSION
  • Creekside Paddling Centre/Dragon Zone Paddling Club, 1 Athletes Way
  • Pay parking lots available under Creekside Community Centre and neighbouring buildings

Cultural programs presented with the support of:

 

 

© 2024 Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society