The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival is set to return to Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday, Aug. 8, and Sunday, Aug. 9, celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse, which symbolizes energy, passion, courage and bold transformation.<\/p>\n
One of the largest and longest-running dragon boat festivals in the United States, this year will mark the 34th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. The annual event draws thousands of athletes, spectators, families, media outlets and cultural leaders from New York City and beyond.<\/p>\n
The event is set to kick off with a Dragon Dance Troupe performance by the Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute<\/a>, with a colorful parade leading the dragon boat teams to the main stage. This parade will culminate in the traditional Dragon Eye-Dotting Ceremony, which symbolizes the awakening and blessing of the dragon for competition. Mr. and Mrs. Met will also be on hand during the opening celebration.<\/p>\n Teams will be competing throughout both days of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This will culminate in the challenging U.S. Dragon Boat Open Championship Race on Sunday.\n<\/p>\n This year\u2019s invitational races include the America250 Invitational, the Hong Kong Teak Boat Dragon Boat Movement 40th Anniversary Invitational and the Municipal Invitational.\n<\/p>\n Honoring the original teak dragon boats gifted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York<\/a>, the 40th Anniversary Invitational is meant to recognize the history and enduring relationship between Hong Kong and the New York dragon boat community.<\/p>\n The Municipal Invitational will bring together teams that represent various elected officials and government agencies. Among those being represented in this year\u2019s race are the New York City Comptroller\u2019s Office, the New York State Attorney General\u2019s Office, New York State of Health, the New York City Department of Transportation, the New York City Department of Correction, the New York City Department of Design and Construction, the Board of Elections in the City of New York, the New York City Department of Sanitation and NYC Parks.<\/p>\n Other special races planned for this year\u2019s Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival include the Michael Lau Legacy Race, the David Archer Legacy Race and the Sponsor\u2019s Challenge, as well as Corporate, Health Care, Education, Women\u2019s, HK Family, Non-Profit, Media and Regulated Industry Invitationals.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s festival will also see the return of the Charity Race, with participating teams set to compete while supporting charitable organizations selected by the winning teams. More than $300,000 has been given out to charities in New York City over the years through the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival\u2019s Charity Race.<\/p>\n A wide variety of multicultural artists, musicians and performers will be showcased at the main stage throughout both days of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, with Anny Peng serving as the emcee.<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s performance schedule consists of the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York<\/a> from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., followed by the opening ceremony, including the dragon dance, team parade, eye-dotting ceremony and appearance from Mr. and Mrs. Met, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a Thai dance by Sararum<\/a> from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Cantopop vocalists Echo, Paige, Rin and Vincent from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Valerie Green and Dance Entropy<\/a> from 3 to 4 p.m. and the New York Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Center<\/a> from 4 to 5 p.m.<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s lineup includes the New York Chinese Cultural Center<\/a> from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., international violinist Daisy Jopling<\/a> from 12 to 1 p.m., Mexican Folk Dance from Calpulli Danza Juvenil<\/a> from 1 to 1:30 p.m., \u201cAfromanbo\u201d dance fusion choreography by Carmen Mejia from 1:30 to 2 p.m., Shamisen and Japanese Folk Dance by Manhattan Taiko<\/a> from 2 to 3 p.m., Chinese Guzheng Music and Peking Opera by Chinese Theatre Works<\/a> from 3 to 4 p.m. and the New York Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Center from 4 to 5 p.m. Additionally, the Paw Patrol will be present for photo opportunities from 1 to 3 p.m.<\/p>\n A vibrant international marketplace will be set up for both days of the event, featuring multicultural cuisine, traditional arts and crafts, sponsor activations and community programming. Multiple food trucks will be present, including a\u00a0Cousins Maine Lobster<\/a> Food Truck, a\u00a0Habanero Pibil Mexican<\/a> Food Truck, a Sausage Kings<\/a> Food Truck and a Mister Softee<\/a> Ice Cream Truck. Additional food vendors that will be on hand include Bayside Lemonade<\/a>, YaYa Tea<\/a>, SoHo Chicken and the Hong Kong Street Food Corner<\/a>, with the latter offering traditional Cantonese cuisine and giving customers an authentic taste of Hong Kong.<\/p>\n The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office of New York will have a festival tent set up opposite the main stage. Visitors of the tent can enjoy games, activities and prize giveaways.\n<\/p>\n The non-profit Community Village will be at the event to help connect visitors and families with organizations that can assist them with important local programs, resources and services.\n<\/p>\n Sponsors and community partners for the 2026 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival include the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, HSBC<\/a>, the Bank of China<\/a>, Flushing Bank<\/a> (OceanFirst), Resorts World<\/a>, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital<\/a>, Metropolitan Park<\/a> \/ New York Mets<\/a> \/ Hard Rock<\/a>, Shanghai Commercial Bank<\/a>, Con Edison<\/a>, JPMorganChase<\/a>, National Grid<\/a>, Bank of America<\/a>, Spectrum<\/a>, Citizens<\/a>, Raising Cane\u2019s<\/a>, Paw Patrol, USTA Eastern<\/a> and the\u00a0Hong Kong Tourism Board<\/a>.<\/p>\n Among the media partners for the event are PIX11<\/a>, Sing Tao Daily News<\/a>, Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Inc.<\/a>, the Queens Courier<\/a>, AM Metro New York<\/a>, GoodNews Broadcast<\/a>, the Queens Chronicle<\/a> and Chinamerica Radio<\/a>.<\/p>\n Admission to the event is free. Those interested in learning more about the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival can visit their website<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> or Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n