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Dragon Boat BC returns home to Chinatown to celebrate the Year of the Dragon: new Chinatown Hub facility to open Spring/Summer 2024

Chinatown Hub opens for a sneak preview this Sunday during the Lunar New Year parade, with red envelope giveaways and a dragon boat on display!

Vancouver, BC – February 6, 2024 – Dragon Boat BC is ringing in the Year of the Dragon by announcing its return home to Chinatown through a brand new facility- the Dragon Boat BC Chinatown Hub, with Phase 1 set to open in Spring/Summer 2024. 

Located at 122 East Pender, this legendary century-old heritage building- at various times, a traditional Chinese theatre, Hong Kong style cafe, local Chinatown news outlet, and homes to Chinese immigrant labourers- is set to embark on its newest adventure as a cultural sport hub for the community.

To celebrate the launch of Dragon Boat BC’s newest project, the community is invited to come down to Chinatown to watch the Lunar New Year Parade, and get an early sneak preview of the Chinatown Hub’s future space this Sunday from 11:00 AM-2:00 PM.

“From the initial spark that brought dragon boat to Canada for the first time at Expo 86 – driven by community organizations and volunteers, many of whom are still here on Pender Street – dragon boat’s Canadian roots are right here in Vancouver’s Chinatown. We are humbled to return home when we open the Dragon Boat BC Chinatown Hub later this year, and especially excited to do so during the Year of the Dragon” said Dominic Lai, Senior Development, Marketing, and Operations Director. 

“Phase 1 of the new Chinatown Hub will create a new indoor training centre, open up access points for anyone to learn about dragon boat, and support Chinatown’s revitalization in a way that bridges culture, sport, tradition, and modernity. This facility supports our high-performance athletes competing later this year at the World Championships, and creates space for community connection and sharing- right where we started over 35 years ago.”

Dragon Boat BC Chinatown Hub Sneak Preview: February 11

During Sunday’s sneak preview, visitors can take photos of Cedar Spirit, a dragon boat built using BC red cedar and carbon fibre; and pieces from Dragon Boat BC’s famed Legacy Collection originally put together by founders Milton Wong and Lieutenant Governor David Lam. Visitors can also join a dragon boat team, as 10 of the 100+ teams paddling out of Olympic Village will run recruitment tables. 

A curated selection of Year of the Dragon and Dragon Boat BC memorabilia will be available for purchase at the pop-up, with proceeds supporting the Chinatown Hub. 

Local chocolate shop BETA5 has also specially crafted a Mandarin Crunch Polygon Bar in honour of the Year of the Dragon, with partial proceeds from the sale of each bar supporting Chinatown Hub construction. The bar is exclusively available for sale online at shop.beta5chocolates.com or at the BETA5’s cafe.

To mark the Year of the Dragon, Dragon Boat BC will be handing out new red envelopes designed to mark the occasion at the Chinatown Hub and during the parade, with custom designs featuring: the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival’s signature dragon motif; and one designed by respected Musqueam elder Debra Sparrow that reflects on the intertwining of Indigenous and Chinese communities over centuries. A dragon boat featuring Sparrow’s design will also be the centrepiece of this year’s Dragon Boat BC’s parade float, as the Lunar New Year parade celebrates its 50th anniversary. Dragon Boat BC is a community partner of the Lunar New Year parade.

About the Dragon Boat BC Chinatown Hub

Phase 1 of the Chinatown Hub will feature a fitness facility supporting a range of cultural sport, specialized machines for dragon boat paddler training, a storefront area to activate the Chinatown streetscape, and an archival display area for visitors to Chinatown to learn about dragon boat’s historic links to Vancouver’s Chinatown. As well, flexible community space for programming will be made available through the Chinatown Hub.

Upgrades to improve physical accessibility and programming fitout will take place over the next months prior to Phase 1 opening in late Spring/Summer 2024.

Phase 1 of the facility is expected to support Chinatown’s ongoing cultural and economic evolution with approximately 30,000 visits a year. After Phase 1 opens in 2024, Dragon Boat BC will start a substantial community consultation period to plan the Hub’s future stages as part of the Dragon Boat BC 2025 Plan. Expected announcements in the Chinatown Hub’s growth are expected in 2025 to support Dragon Boat BC’s 1 million+ annual visits through its suite of programs and events.

Media Details

Lunar New Year programming: more information at dragonboatbc.ca/cny

Chinatown Hub details: more information at dragonboatbc.ca/chinatown

• What: Dragon Boat BC Chinatown Hub Lunar New Year Weekend Sneak Peek
• When: Sunday, February 11, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Where: 122 East Pender Street, Vancouver, BC
• Who: Dominic Lai (Senior Development, Marketing, and Operations Director) is available for interviews between February 6-10 by appointment, and throughout the day on February 11.   

About the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society 

Community, culture, and competition, all in one boat. The Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society (Dragon Boat BC) is the non-profit organizer of North America’s flagship dragon boat festival – the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival and runs Dragon Zone Paddling Club in Olympic Village – Canada’s largest paddling club. 

The Society also produces a series of races, cultural programming, and community initiatives centred around the traditional Chinese cultural sport of dragon boat around BC. Through its all access and youth programs, supported by the Milton K. Wong Legacy Project, the Society makes paddling experiences accessible regardless of any barriers to participation. 

Contact Information

For all media inquiries about the event, please contact

• Ian Zhu
• Marketing Manager
• 604-833-2621 / ianzhu@dragonboatbc.ca