Walgreen's Richmond International Dragon Boat Festival Set for This Weekend

RICHMOND, VA – The James River will be filled with paddling teams racing each other for the prestigious title of Walgreens Richmond International Dragon Boat champions on Saturday, August 6 at Rocketts Landing. Great White North, a company based out of Toronto, Canada, and Sports Backers are joining forces to put on the seventh annual event.

Teams of 20 synchronized paddlers, along with one person steering and one drummer, race 500 meters up the river in 40-foot canoes decorated to look like traditional Chinese dragon boats complete with dragon heads and tails. With registration closed, there will be 42 teams participating ranging from local banking, media, and insurance companies to Dragon Boat clubs from Charlotte, Raleigh, Baltimore, Annapolis, and Washington, D.C.

In addition to the races, there will be food, beer, and other merchandise for sale, as well as giveaways and promotions from Walgreens and associated vendors. There is also a full slate of cultural performances from the Organization of Chinese-Americans – Central Virginia Chapter, starting at 10:30am and running throughout the festival. Spectators, and media, are welcome, and street parking is available, as well as event parking. Below is the schedule of events for the day.

Schedule

7:00 a.m. – Team Check In/Captain’s Meeting

7:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies

8:00 a.m. – Racing begins

10:30 a.m. – Cultural performances begin

4:00 p.m. – Racing ends

For more information, visit http://www.sportsbackers.org/events/richmond-international-dragon-boat-festival/.

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