📅 Saturday, June 13, 2026
🕗 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
📍 Lake Union Park: 860 Terry Ave. N, Seattle
💰 Free admission
📰 Learn more here
It’s off to the races with this year’s Seattle Dragon Boat Festival at Lake Union Park! Dragon boating originated in China over 2,000 years ago. Also known as the Duanwu Festival, dragon boat festivals commemorate the ancient Chinese poet, Qu Yuan.
The Seattle races and festival are hosted by the Seattle Flying Dragon Boat Club and involve 50 different dragon boat teams with a mix of independent, community and corporate divisions. The teams hail from all over the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon and California, with four or five boats per heat completing 250-meter or 500-meter sprints, racing approximately every ten minutes. The boats are carved and decorated to resemble vibrant dragons, and each boat has a drummer onboard, making for an exciting spectator experience.
The festivities kick off with an opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m., honoring both Asian and Indigenous cultures with an eye-dotting ceremony and lion dance featuring the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation.
This year’s water events include the paradragons (paddlers with diverse impairments), as well as a race to recognize LGBTQIA2S+ paddlers for Pride Month, a ceremony to honor paddlers who are cancer survivors, plus additional races throughout the day.
While on land, you’ll get a chance to enjoy taiko drumming, traditional Chinese dancing, Kalahi Philippine folk dancers, K-Pop performances and more. Be sure to bring your appetite and treat yourself to Vietnamese coffee, samosas, crepes, Nepalese dumplings, lumpia bowls, popsicles, plus more sips and bites. You’ll also find vendors and information booths, such as upcycled bags from Refugee Artisan Initiative and details on the Revive I-5 Ship Canal Bridge Preservation Project.
Paddle on!
