The California Dragon Boat Association presents the 24th Annual Kaiser Permanente Northern California International Dragon Boat Festival at Lake Merritt, Oakland! Cheer on the fleet of colorful 40-foot dragon boats as they race to the beat of Chinese drums.

This two-day, admission-free festival brings a weekend of world-class dragon boat racing, spectacular cultural performances, delicious food, a variety of clothes and crafts vendors, and kid-friendly activities in Dragon Land where games and arts & crafts await.

The Racing
At the heart of the festival is the race excitement, with nearly 100 dragon boat teams representing local corporations and non-profits as well as competitive teams from across the globe. Come watch your favorite Bay Area corporations, community groups, and novice teams battle it out on the water.

The Opening Ceremony
Don’t miss the Opening Ceremony on Saturday at 11:30 AM, where Buddhist monks will perform a traditional blessing and eye dotting ceremony to awaken the dragons for a weekend of racing. The Opening Ceremony also features lion dancing and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir singing the National Anthem.

Cultural Performances
Experience the nimble lion dancing, rhythmic and powerful Taiko drummers and enjoy the offerings of our many talented dance and cultural music groups. There is also a magic show, vocal performances, and acrobats. Visit the festival entertainment page for the lineup.

Dragon Land for Kids and Families
Dragon Land is an entire kids zone, filled with arts & crafts, games & prizes, obstacle courses, science experiments and more. You can make a dancing dragon, create giant sunglasses, decorate your own medal, or work with Junior Center of Art and Science staff to design and race a boat made with recycled cork and rubber bands. You can also play a variety of free games with prizes, climb in a real dragon boat, get your face painted or a temporary tattoo, and much more!

Details
Saturday and Sunday, September 28 & 29
10 AM to 5 PM
Lake Merritt, Oakland

Information on how to get to the festival can be found here.

Visit the SF Dragon Boat website for updated information.