Dragon boaters to fill False Creek for annual festival this weekend
A heat wave won't be the only sign this weekend that summer has begun in Vancouver.
The Pacific Concord Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival in and around False Creek this weekend, with races beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday morning, and going every 12 minutes for most of the next two days.
"There are 22 people on a dragon boat: 20 paddlers, there's a steersperson and there's a drummer," said Anita Webster, the festival's communications director.
"And in the races, the boats are decorated with dragons tails and heads, as they were done in ancient China to celebrate the fertility festivals and encourage good crops
"It's a very ancient sport."
Last year's festival was marked by a chartered vessel entering the race course and endangering paddlers.
Around 180 teams — ranging from corporations, high schools, cancer survivors, and competitive teams from Asia and Europe — will compete in a variety of skill levels.
But regardless of expertise, Webster says the most important thing for any group hoping to succeed this weekend is precise teamwork.
"It's about the ability to keep time and to listen to the drummer and to pull that boat through the water," she said.
"There's no most valuable player on a dragon boat team. No most valuable paddler."
Races start near the Cambie Street bridge and end at Science World. Admission to the entertainment areas around Concord Pacific Place and Creekside Park are free to the public.
