CELEBRATE ASIAN HERITAGE AND CULTURE AT 19th ANNUAL RHODE ISLAND CHINESE DRAGON BOAT RACES & TAIWAN DAY FESTIVAL
Day-long event features competitive rowing with cash prizes to be awarded, popular dumpling eating contest, and Asian festival on the pier with live cultural entertainment and more!
PAWTUCKET (August 28, 2018) – The 19th Annual Rhode Island Chinese Dragon Boat Races & Taiwan Day Festival is set for Saturday, September 8, 2018 from 9 am-4 pm, at the Festival Pier in Pawtucket, RI. The event is free to attend, and parking and shuttles are located at Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, 175 Main St., Pawtucket (lot entrance off of Roosevelt Avenue).
This signature day-long event, where teams compete for prizes in these Eastern Regional Dragon Boat Association sanctioned rowing contests along the headwaters of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay, is presented by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and part of the annual Pawtucket Arts Festival. Along with the Dragon Boat Races, Festival Pier will offer the family-friendly Taiwan Day Festival showcasing Asian culture.
This year, 28 teams from around the Northeast, both club teams and corporate/non-profit teams, will be competing for large cash prizes. The races continue to use the colorful fiberglass Taiwanese-style dragon boats gifted from the Republic of China (Taiwan) and uniquely incorporates the skill of flag-catching in each race. The course length is 1,000 feet long up the Pawtucket River, with three boats racing at a time. Spectators line the river and fill the grandstand to watch these exciting sprint races. The EXPLORER will also be offering special river cruises for $5 for those that want to get closer to the dragon boat action.
The Taiwan Day Festival presents cultural entertainment with performances from the Chinese Folk Art Workshop, as well as their traditional Taiwanese art & crafts tables. The festival also has a great selection of food trucks, vendors, contests, arts & crafts tables, and interactive activities for children and families.
New for 2018, the festival will host a jump rope contest for a chance to win a plane ticket courtesy of China Airlines to Taipei, Taiwan. Also being held on this day is the popular Chinese dumpling eating contest where the winner will receive a round-trip ticket to Taipei, Taiwan on EVA Air. Space is limited for these contests. Contestants can sign up online at dragonboatri.com or register the day of the event.
About RI Chinese Dragon Boat Races & Taiwan Day Festival
Since 2000, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council has presented Rhode Island’s Chinese Dragon Boat Races & Festival. The event consists of dragon boat races for professional and amateur teams, along with many cultural and artistic events, including the always-popular Chinese dumpling eating contest, aimed at adults and children. With the emphasis on competition and fun, the event makes an entertaining day for participants and the entire family.
The races began when the Council used wooden dragon boats shipped from Hong Kong and gifted by local businessman Louis Yip. In 2003, the Council received the gift of six fiberglass dragon boats from the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) that are now being used in the RI Dragon Boat and Taiwan Day Festival. Today, a full boat crew consists of 20 paddlers, a drummer, and a person at the helm.