Dragon Boat races return
Teams compete in Queens for annual racing festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park
The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival invited 20 teams to compete. Photo by Dean Moses
BT TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | AUG. 6-12, 2021 15
BY DEAN MOSES
The dragon boats are back
in Queens!
Water racers competed on
July 31 and Aug. 1 in time attack
trials one week before the
iconic Dragon Boat Festival
— a more than 30-year tradition
celebrating international
culture and sportsmanship in
New York — returns to Flushing
Meadows Corona Park.
The Hong Kong Dragon
Boat Festival began in New
York in 1990 and has grown
exponentially since that time,
transforming into a multinational
sporting event that
brings competitors from all
over the world.
After a one-year hiatus due
to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
dragon boat races and multicultural
festival will return in
a condensed, one-day format
on Saturday, Aug. 7, from 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. The July 31 and
Aug. 1 time trials decided the
qualifying teams for Saturday’s
races.
Henry Wan, chairman of
the Hong Kong Dragon Boat
Festival’s board, told amNewYork
Metro that this year’s
revelries will focus on three
major issues: the reopening of
businesses, addressing Anti-
Asian and other hate crime
issues and promoting vaccinations/
public health and safety.
“We are a nonprofit, so we
have to serve the community
when it is needed. We decided
to do something this year, it’s
important that we get back to
normal,” Wan said. “We are
an outdoor, open-air event,
and we are very careful, and
we can only admit those who
are fully vaccinated or have a
negative COVID-19 test within
72 hours.”
Wan shared that the festival
will be held in two controlled
locations: the fenced-in Boat
House for the races as well as
the enclosed Model Airplane
Field by Meadow Lake. With
the ability to check-in attendees,
the event is free and open to the
public, per proof of vaccination
or negative COVID-19 test.
While capacity will be
limited, the occasion will
still host presentations on the
main stage to showcase traditional
Chinese arts, music,
dance and other ensembles.
Additionally, instead of hosting
a food court, there will be
food trucks, as well as booths
staffed by sponsors and other
community organizations.
About 20 teams who were
faithful supporters of the festival
were given personal invitations
this year to compete.
During the time attack, these
teams were able to gather together
for a day of practicing
their alignment, speed, form,
and overall gauge their abilities
on the long wooden boats.
For Jackson Koo, the Dragon
Boat competition has been
a long-standing tradition for
himself and his team from
Con Edison. Although he was
disappointed that last year the
event was canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, he looks
forward to seeing his friends
and competing once again on
Aug. 7.
“The team looks forward to
this multicultural event every
year. Throughout the difficult
year we’ve had, it’s just great
to be outdoors and to see each
other,” Koo said, sharing that
he has been participating in
the dragon boat competition
for 18 years.
Diversity, camaraderie,
teamwork and plain old fun
are some of the many attributes
competitors and attendees
use to describe the dragon
boat competition — and it’s
what keeps them coming back
every year.
Reach QNS Editorial by
e-mail at editorial@qns.com
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