Get ready for Ottawa's annual DragonBoat Festival!
We are currently looking for volunteers to help us at this event. Please contact us if interested.
DATE: June 23rd-June 26th
PLACE: Mooney's Bay Park
What is it, you ask? Here's some brief information:
The Festival
- North America’s largest dragon boat festival
- The Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival began in 1994
- A non-profit festival with free admission to the public
- 75,000 Attendees
- 5,000 Paddlers
- 200 Teams in competitive, corporate, and community categories
- 1,500 Medals awarded
- 15 Challenge Cup categories
- Breast Cancer Survivor Challenge and traditional Flower Ceremony
- Races every 10 minutes
- 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 22 athletes including 20 paddlers, 1 drummer and 1 steersperson
- 500 Volunteers
- Free public parking at the Canada Post parking lot
- Free bike parking available on site
- Free Concert Series: Past performers include Sam Roberts Band, The Sheepdogs, Arkells, Stars, Down With Webster
- Free Family Fun: Children’s area featuring award winning family entertainment
- Multicultural Performances: Including live music, cultural presentations, and ceremonial activities
- Food vendors featuring spectacular cuisine and delicious desserts
- Exhibitions, Artisans and shopping opportunities
- 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
- 2005: the Festival became the first carbon neutral festival in North America. Partnering with Tree Canada (that's us!) Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation to plant 2,287 trees, absorbing 364 tonnes of carbon.
- 2007: Festival initiated a full recycling program.
- 2010: Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival became the first Ecologo Certified festival in the world under its standards for Events. EcoLogo provides assurance that an event bearing its certification mark meets stringent standards of environmental leadership. The festival continues to meet the Program’s strict criteria in a variety of categories including material, waste, energy, and transportation.
If you're interested in volunteering, please contact us immediately.
For more information: http://www.dragonboat.net
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