Image: Dragon Boat B.C. / Over 1,500 racers representing 56 different teams will converge on Harrison Hot Springs this weekend as the 2024 Harrison Dragon Boat Festival returns to Harrison Lake this weekend.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Harrison Dragon Boat Festival

Harrison Dragon Boat Festival returns this weekend featuring 1,500+ racers from B.C., Pacific Northwest

Jul 24, 2024 | 7:10 AM

HARRISON HOT SPRINGS — Dragon boat racing is believed to have originated on the banks of rivers in the valleys of southern China more than 2,000 years ago as a fertility ritual intended to bring good luck to the upcoming crop season.

Crews seated in pairs inside canoe-like vessels paddle to compete in races over typical distances of 250 metres, more or less, in what is an adrenaline-pumping, team-building exhibit of power and collaboration.

Following several years of pandemic-related interruptions spanning 2020 to 2022, and a subsequent relaunch in 2023, over 1,500 racers representing 56 different teams will converge on Harrison Hot Springs this weekend as the 2024 Harrison Dragon Boat Festival returns to Harrison Lake this weekend.

The community is welcome to attend the free event as dragon boat races get underway at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning, July 27 and continue through to the mid-afternoon.

New for 2024, the festival is also bringing extra excitement to the area as one of B.C.’s most prestigious kung fu clubs, Hon Hsing Athletic Club, performs a traditional Chinese lion dance along the lagoon at noon. The festival is also pleased to continue to support the Agassiz-Harrison Community Services Food Bank, with food or cash donations accepted on site at the canoe by the Festival info tent. This year’s festival marks the second time the event has returned post-pandemic, with team participation numbers recovering to pre-COVID numbers for the first time since 2019 after multiple pandemic related cancellations followed by its relaunch in 2023, organizers say.

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Dragon Boat B.C. says the festival is expected to support local economic impact through welcoming visitors to experience Harrison through its range of accommodation providers and small businesses. This unique event is the only dragon boat race in the region, and is supported by Oddball Workshop, the Province of B.C., and the Village of Harrison Hot Springs. The Harrison Dragon Boat Festival dates back to 2004, and has been organized jointly post-pandemic by the Fraser Valley Paddling Club and Dragon Boat B.C.