Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival

Ancient Chinese tradition meets the Nation’s Capital. Combine the excitement and competition of dragon boat races, multi-cultural food and entertainment and community spirit and you have a colorful two-day event that attracts 5,000 paddlers and over 65,000 spectators.  Below is a brief overview of the Festival.  This year's festival takes place June 22nd-24th.

For more information please visit the Festival website: http://www.dragonboat.net

The Festival

• North America’s largest dragon boat race festival.
• The Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival began in 1993 with the assistance of the Hong Kong Canada Business Association
• 2012 marks the 19th Annual Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival
• Original Founders are Frank Ling, President of the Asian Heritage Month Society, Warren Creates, Head of Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP’s Immigration Law Group and Mike Chambers, President of the Canadian Olympic Committee
• Executive Director John Brooman
• Represented by Ottawa’s three largest media groups: CTV, CHUM & The Ottawa Citizen

Logistics

• A non-profit festival with free admission to spectators
• Held at Mooney’s Bay Park on Riverside Drive in Ottawa
• 75,000 attendees over 3 days
• 450 volunteers
• Free downtown parking and shuttle service, with bike parking available on site

Onsite Entertainment & Activities

• Multicultural performances including live music, cultural presentations, and ceremonial activities
• Roving entertainment
• Children’s area featuring award winning family entertainment
• Beer Garden
• Food vendors featuring international cuisine and summer desserts
• Exhibitions and shopping opportunities

Dragon Boating

• Part of a larger Chinese cultural tradition that goes back 2,400 years
• Began in South East China as a fertility rite to avert misfortune and bring rain by worshiping the dragon
• A Dragon Boat is a slim 44’ racer with a dragon’s head at the bow and a tail at the stern
• Each Dragon Boat holds 20 paddlers, a drummer and a steersperson
• 190 teams participate including both corporate and community groups
• New race every 9 minutes
• 15 Challenge Cup Categories
• Breast Cancer Survivor Challenge and traditional Flower Ceremony
• 1,500 medals awarded
• Approximately 5,000 paddlers
• Paddlers from across Canada, from as far west as British Coloumbia and as far east as Halifax, NS