Dragon Boat BC Chinatown Hub – 122 East Pender – Opening Spring/Summer 2024

Visit the Chinatown Hub on February 11 to get a sneak peek of what’s coming later this year!

Dragon Boat BC returns home to Chinatown. Over the past few years, the Society has worked on the Dragon Boat BC 2025 plan, with capital investments in race quality fleets, strategic investments in stabilising key events around BC, community investments through new grant programs to support youth and Para teams, and cultural investments to raise up local culture.

Through the process, we returned time and time again to the fact that our team- and the community we serve- needs a space to grow. And, we reflected on how dragon boat in Canada started in Vancouver’s Chinatown by community organisations and volunteers. Despite us being started in Chinatown, we weren’t there.

It’s time to change that. We’re excited to unveil phase 1 of our plan to create a space at the intersection of culture and sport for everyone. We invite you to join us at the historic Chinese Theatre building at 122 East Pender, as we get set to open Phase 1 of the Dragon Boat BC Chinatown Hub in Spring/Summer 2024!

What’s in the Chinatown Hub?

Phase 1 of the Dragon Boat BC Chinatown Hub, opening in Spring/Summer 2024, will be a multipurpose space, including features like:

• Indoor weight training area for dragon boat teams and paddlers
• Dragon boat ergometer facility for testing and training
• Video review and team meeting open lounge area
• In-person Dragon Boat BC info desk servicing for registrations, rentals, and questions
• Storefront for dragon boat paddling equipment and clothing
• Cultural exhibition area for rotating selection of dragon boat artefacts and items from our archives

Who will be able to use the Chinatown Hub?

During the soft launch of Phase 1, access to the Chinatown Hub may be limited to a small number of teams from the community on an application basis, to allow our staff time to build up familiarity with our new operating protocols and train new members of our team. Once Phase 1 is fully open, all dragon boat teams participating in Dragon Boat BC events will be able to use the Chinatown Hub through passes or booked time slots, depending on which model we use in operating the facility. The fitness portion of the Hub is not expected to be open to the general public right away due to demand, but the Hub’s info desk, cultural displays, and retail portion will be open to the public.

The Hub will begin with limited hours, before expanding over time depending on demand patterns.

What’s the timeline?

As Phase 1 of the Chinatown Hub requires some construction, we are estimating a grand opening date in Spring/Summer 2024. However, sneak previews and community consultation events will be held throughout the Spring, starting with the first sneak preview on Sunday February 11 as part of our Lunar New Year celebrations marking the Year of the Dragon. Join us and see the plans for the area, give us your thoughts, and learn about some of the teams recruiting for the season!

After Lunar New Year, we’ll be holding community consultation sessions during construction at the Chinatown Hub to get feedback on this phase of the facility’s development- as well as potential future phases- prior to the Hub fully opening.

Pending permit issuances and construction completion, we expect Phase 1 of the Hub to open in Spring/Summer 2024. Future phases will be announced in due course after the Hub begins to grow and take on its own life.

Why Chinatown?

Dragon boat in Canada began in Vancouver’s Chinatown, and it’s the right thing for us to do to go back to our roots. Plus, with the Hub being a 10 minute walk to our Olympic Village dock facilities, it’s a convenient walk or bike away for paddlers. It also sends a strong show of support for Chinatown during a period when there are challenges for the neighbourhood, but also helps build traffic and support local businesses in a direct way every day that the facility’s open. Finally, Dragon Boat BC’s growth over the previous few years have seen our attendee and participant numbers exceed pre-pandemic numbers, and the Chinatown Hub provides us with the space to properly service our million-plus visits annually.

How do I get involved?

As the Hub gets developed, we’re looking for partners to help us in building up this part of Chinatown! Please email us at info@dragonboatbc.ca with any questions you have, or to learn more about the facility.

If you’re a team looking to learn more about the Hub, please email us at info@dragonboatbc.ca for a private walkthrough of the space, subject to appointment availability and construction timelines. We look forward to seeing you in Chinatown soon!