By The TimesLedger
The 2001 competition has the largest number of racing participants in the history of the Festival, the organizing committee of the 11th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York (HKDBF-NY) reports.
HKDBF-NY is the largest multi- cultural festival in New York, and the largest of its kind in the United States. For 10 years the celebration and sporting event has attracted a culturally diverse audience of more than 30,000 from throughout North America.
With more than 80 expert teams with over 1.000 participants competing from across the U.S. and Canada, this year’s festival will be impressive for its sheer scale and competition.
Taking place over two days on the site of the 1964 World's Fair, HKDBF-NY 2001 features events for the entire family. An opening day parade on Saturday, Aug. 11, is followed by The New York City Championship Race. On Sunday Aug. 12, the U.S. Dragon Boat Open Championship Race will be held, with the winner receiving a $10,000 cash prize.
Races begin at 9:30 a.m. and events are scheduled throughout each day until 5 p.m. There are also special youth, charity, women’s, and sponsor races as well as traditional Chinese arts throughout both days, including martial arts demonstrations, traditional Dragon dance and musical performances. A brass quintet from the Queens Symphony Orchestra performs at 2 on Saturday, followed by a variety of performances, demonstrations of folk arts and crafts, an ethnic food court and booths staffed by sponsors of the event and many community-based organizations.
Dragon Boat Racing is one of the fastest growing competitive team sports in North America, with Dragon Boat festivals taking place throughout the U.S. and Canada including festivals in Atlanta, Boston, Norwalk, Conn., Vancouver and Toronto.
The festivals roots can be traced to the third century B.C. and commemorate the idealistic poet and reformer Qu Yuan, who, in protest against his emperor's policies drowned himself. The villagers raced in their boats in an attempt to rescue the poet, and to prevent fish and water dragons from eating his body, the locals beat their drums, splashed their paddles, and threw in rice dumplings.
Admission to the HKDBF-NY is free, and it will be held rain or shine.
