Victoria’s Inner Harbour is set to host the annual Dragon Boat Festival with pre-festivities beginning Aug. 9 and over 40 teams hitting the water for a day of racing on Aug. 10.
Festivities are all free for the public to attend, beginning with a Friday night (Aug. 9) outdoor screening of Kung Fu Panda at 8:30 p.m. at the festival’s Main Stage. On Saturday, the Main Stage will host the Esquimalt Singers and Dancers and alt-rock band Carmine.
Traditional chinese performances will be held on the festival’s Patio Stage on Saturday, including a rare Sichuan face-changing performance, lion dances by Wong Sheung Kung Fu Club, performances by Chinese Dance Victoria and shows by the Victoria Chinese Opera.
Food trucks and a pop-up bars hosted by Vancouver Island Brewing will be on site.
Dragon boat racing first arrived in Victoria in 1994 as part of the Commonwealth Games, with the inaugural Dragon Boat festival being held in 1997. The races have been held annually with the exception of 2020 and 2021 when festivities were paused during the pandemic.
Leading up to the festival, event sponsor Fairway Market will be selling lanterns as part of the Lights of Courage campaign to support the BC Cancer Foundation.
