Houston Community News >> Houston Dragon Boat Festival

5/4/2006 Houston-- The Texas Dragon Boat Association will present its 6th Annual Houston Dragon Boat Festival this Saturday, May 6, at Buffalo Bayou at Allen’s Landing in Downtown (off Commerce between Main and Fannin). The Houston Dragon Boat Festival will begin at 8:30am and last until 4:30pm.

More than 5,000 Houstonians are expected to attend this year's competition. Dragon boats are elaborately decorated 47-foot long vessels crewed by teams of 20 paddlers, one drummer and one steersperson. Corporate, community, youth and cancer survivor teams will race down a 250-meter stretch along Buffalo Bayou as the compete for the revered "Dragon Cup."

Houston Dragon Boat Festival. Photo courtesy of Texas Dragon Boat Association.

Co-sponsored by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, spectators and participants of this free public event celebrate Asian culture as they enjoy the diverse food, music and entertainment provided by the Texas Dragon Boat Association. The Houston Dragon Boat Festival features corporate, community, youth and cancer survivor teams competing for the revered “Dragon Cup”.  Each team is formed of 20 paddlers, a drummer and a steersman, who bring new meaning to “the fast and the furious” as they race down a 250-meter stretch of water.

The Texas Dragon Boat Association is a 501(c)(3) Texas non-profit corporation whose mission is to promote the tradition and sport of dragon boating, increase awareness of Asian and Asian- American culture, and enhance cross-cultural understanding. TDBA organizes the Houston Dragon Boat Festival in downtown Houston each May and the Gulf Coast International Dragon Boat Regatta in Bay Area Houston each October.