Five things about the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival

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A sure sign summer is officially underway in Vancouver is the return of the hugely popular Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, North America’s top dragon boat fest.

In advance of the event, which runs June 22-23, we’ve rounded up five things to know about the festival in Vancouver:

Where does it happen?

Festival events are held at Concord Pacific Place, Creekside Park, and False Creek (across the street from the Main Street SkyTrain Station). Races run every 10 minutes starting at 8 a.m. on June 22.  Admission is free.

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Who will be here?

Last year, 130,000 spectators attended the festival. This year, 6,000 racers and 250 entries from across Canada, the U.S. and overseas are expected to be competing.

Are there events off of the water?

At Creekside Park and False Creek there will be Indigenous, Chinatown and Pride pavilions, 25 food trucks, a 100-booth artisan market, kid’s zone, and bike valet and tuneups.

Entertainment is top notch as the TD Main Stage at Creekside Park will host 16 local acts.

On June 22, the music starts with a performance from the Cindy Yang Dance Academy at 1 p.m. The day closes at 8 p.m. with the pop outfit Hey Ocean.

Sunday, June 23, the action starts at 11:30 a.m. with Ricecake Drag ‘n’ Dim Sum. The last act to take the stage is the R&B duo Manila Grey at 7 p.m.

Check out the full list of performers HERE.

Is there anything new this year?

Light Up the Night, Vancouver’s first public drone show celebrating the first weekend of summer, takes place on June 22 at 9:30 p.m. The Concord Community Zone, with family friendly activities at the finish line, is open June 22-23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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