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Richmond Dragon Boat Festival to return in 2027

Richmond, BC (February 12, 2026) — Thank you for joining us at the 2025 FreshCo Richmond Dragon Boat Festival! The sunny day matched the sunny energy from the crowds cheering on our teams. While we can’t wait to be back in Richmond again soon, the wait will be just a little longer than usual: due to schedule conflicts with other events and scheduling challenges, the 2026 edition of the FreshCo Richmond Dragon Boat Festival originally scheduled for September 2026, is postponed to August 2027.

This step was only taken after exploring a range of options with stakeholders like the City of Richmond and the Province, while also speaking with racers. Unfortunately, we have determined that no other option was viable in delivering the event.

We want to thank all of our partners and racers for stepping up to make this event a success in the past- and we know with your support, it’ll come back stronger than ever next year. We also want to recognize FreshCo for being title partner since 2023; as their partnership with this Festival comes to an end, we’re grateful for the memories created with their help, and look forward to future collaborations with them at our other events.

If you were registered for this year’s FreshCo Richmond Dragon Boat Festival, we’ll be in touch soon with your team administrators to confirm if you’d like to carry forward your registration to 2027, to another one of our events, or get a credit or refund.

But, still have much more in store. Visit dragonboatbc.ca/race to see our other events in the 2026 race season! We look forward to writing the next chapter of this story with you all in 2027.

About the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society

Community, culture and competition, all in one boat. The Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society (dba 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 – 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. 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.

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Contact Information
For all media inquiries, availabilities, and backgrounder requests, please contact:

Dragon Boat BC Info Desk
info@dragonboatbc.ca

City of Vancouver Civic Engagement and Communications
media@vancouver.ca