Community, culture, and competition. All in one boat.

The Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society (dba Dragon Boat BC) is the producer of the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, Steveston Dragon Boat Festival, Vessi 500 Championship, Oddball Fall Classic, Burnwater Youth Regatta, Burnwater Spring Sprint, and operates Canada’s largest multidisciplinary paddling club, Dragon Zone Paddling Club.

The Society also produces a series of races, cultural programming, and community initiatives centred around the traditional Chinese 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.

Dragon Boat’s arrival in Vancouver

In response to cultural tensions and as a way of uniting the community, volunteer leaders in the Chinese community and organizations like Chinatown’s clan societies and the Chinese Cultural Centre work together to bring dragon boats to Vancouver at Expo 86, tying in with the theme of transportation. Exhibition races are held at Expo 86, and due to its popularity, are organized in 1987 and 1988 by the community, with the involvement of organizations and volunteers who would later come together to form the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society.

Founding the Society

In 1989, former BC Lieutenant Governor Dr. David C. Lam and prominent businessman Milton K. Wong led the creation of the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society. The Festival was created to show off Vancouver’s growing cultural diversity and to promote racial harmony among Canadians – new and old. Vancouverites were invited to the festival to experience spectacular food, entertainment, arts and children’s programming reflecting Vancouver’s cultural diversity. At the same time, interest in paddling was taking off and more and more teams formed and registered each year.

35 years and counting

In 2018, we celebrated our 30th anniversary by reflecting on our origins in promoting intercultural harmony and dialogue through cultural activities and sport, while looking to the future by promoting a diverse and inclusive society and in promoting paddling sport development across BC. And as we hit our 35th anniversary in 2023, we’re looking towards the future of the organization and embarking on our largest series of expansions and growth projects in our history to date.

As a non-profit organization founded in 1989, we believe strongly in community investment. That’s why we invest heavily into our youth programs and hiring, accessibility programs and infrastructure, and community-oriented outreach and specialty programming. This is in addition to our mandate to promote intercultural dialogue through sport, arts, and culture.

From 2018 onwards, the Society has engaged in a multi-year review and refresh of programming for racers, paddlers, and the community at large to ensure that we can continue delivering exciting and inclusive programming for years to come. This includes a renewed focus on our international racing profile, cultural programming, and asset renewal strategy.

The Society continues its work to present dragon boat in its full form as a cultural sport, with equal footing in both culture and sport, ancient tradition and modern lifestyle, and a multitude of traditions and stories. As part of an overall strategy shift, the Society is currently executing its Dragon Boat BC 2025 Plan to position the organization and community for success and deeper engagement. This involves a series of major capital projects, programming updates, and stronger community engagement efforts. By bringing together community, culture, and competition, we can unlock dragon boat’s full potential together.

1986-1989

January 28, 1986

Six teak boats are unloaded and blessed on the shores of False Creek after being shipped from Hong Kong in preparation for races at Expo 86. This marks the beginning of dragon boat racing in Vancouver.

May 2-October 13, 1986

In recognition of Vancouver’s centennial, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office/Tourism Board donated 6 teak boats to the city. Dragon boat races were run for the first time in Canada at Expo 86.

June 1987

Dragon boat races expand as a legacy of Expo 86, with races being run using the original 6 teak boats gifted by Hong Kong. Local paddlers, various community groups, and a local organizing committee continue to grow the sport in the years following Expo 86.

February 16, 1989

As a result of continued interest in the sport following Expo 86, the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society is founded for the “establishment, maintenance and operation of an annual multicultural festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, including international, national and local competitions in the traditional Chinese sport of dragon boat racing and events and performances…and other forms of culture and entertainment.”

1990-1999

August 1994

As part of an expansion program, the Society loans its teak boats to Victoria to introduce dragon boat to the city as a Commonwealth Games exhibition sport.

June 15-23, 1996

The first International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships are held in Vancouver at False Creek during the second week of the Festival.

June 19-21, 1998

Alcan takes over as title partner of the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival.

2000-2009

June 19-20, 2004

After many years, the Festival moves from its site at Plaza of Nations eastward towards Concord Pacific Place and Creekside Park.

June 16-17, 2007

The Festival introduces, for the first time, BuK fibreglass boats as part of its race fleet. For the first time, the Festival eliminates entry ticket fees and moves to free site admission.

June 21-22, 2008

The Alcan Dragon Boat Festival is rebranded as the Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival, in time for the Festival’s 20th anniversary.

December 2009

As part of a brand evolution, the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society begins using the day-to-day trade name of Dragon Boat BC, with the full Society name used in international/national projects or formal purposes.

2010-2014

February 12, 2010

Dragon boats and paddlers from the local community are featured in one of the penultimate legs of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games Torch Relay on False Creek, as the Olympic Flame approached BC Place Stadium for the opening ceremony.

August 2010

The Society launches the Steveston Dragon Boat Festival in Richmond, BC. The Festival is now one of BC’s largest dragon boat festivals.

June 2011

The Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival moves from Creekside Park to the newly completed Olympic Village neighbourhood on the south shore of False Creek.

March 2012

In memory of Society founder Milton K. Wong, the Society creates the Milton K. Wong Legacy Project in support of youth programs, and  Concord Pacific CEO Terry Hui donates 8 BuK boats to the Society to honour his commitment to inclusivity.

June 2013

The Society celebrates its 25th anniversary with events, and expands its paddling programs at Dragon Zone Paddling Club to include introductory programs, community programs, and competitive programs.

June 11, 2014

The City of Vancouver approves the construction of Creekside Paddling Centre after outspoken paddlers, supporters, corporate partners including Concord Pacific, and local residents lobbied for months to build a permanent home for paddling in False Creek.

October 5, 2014

A catastrophic fire at the Society’s paddling club destroys a significant portion of the Society’s small boat paddling fleet, paddling equipment, offices, archives, computers, and records.

2015-2019

November 12, 2015

The Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival is rebranded as the Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival.

April 30, 2016

Phase 1 of Creekside Paddling Centre opens, with the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society being the main tenant.

Funded by the City of Vancouver and with a $1 million donation from Concord Pacific CEO Terry Hui, the state-of-the-art and fully accessible facility features space for dragon boat, kayak, canoe, outrigger, and SUP paddling programs.

May 2, 2016

Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival Founding Partner Concord Pacific takes over as title partner of the Concord Pacific Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival, North America’s largest and most competitive dragon boat festival.

June 17-19, 2016

The Concord Pacific Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival moves back to Concord Pacific Place, Creekside Park, and the waters of False Creek, while welcoming international teams for the Festival’s first ever International Cup.

January 1, 2018

The Concord Pacific Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival is rebranded as the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival in time for the landmark 30th anniversary.

February 13, 2018

The community boathouse (phase 2) for Creekside Paddling Centre is approved as part of the City of Vancouver’s long term North East False Creek plan, developing Vancouver’s newest neighbourhood and a major part of the remaining Expo lands.

June 22-24, 2018

The Society celebrates 30 years of its signature event, the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival. Over 200 teams from 9 countries/territories participated in this landmark festival.

2020-2022

March 1, 2020

Alexis Gall takes over as General Manager of the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society from Ann Phelps, who had been in the role for 20 years.

March 16, 2020

The Society temporarily closes its facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, restarting operations in phases starting June 1, 2020.

June 19-21, 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival is cancelled for the first time in its 32 year history.

February 12, 2021

To continue the spirit of dragon boat through the pandemic and mark the Lunar New Year, the Society launches “Paddles Up! The Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Exhibit” at the BC Sports Hall of Fame, featuring never-before-seen archival records, a range of dragon boat artefacts, and the Society’s Legacy Collection of commissioned art. The exhibit ran until December 19, 2021.

September 18-26, 2021

The Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival returns to Vancouver, and spreads out across multiple sites with exhibits, documentary presentations, additional cultural festivals, and explorations of our community.

Dragon boat racing returns to Vancouver for the first time in over 2 years during the Festival on Championship Weekend, and the Indigenous Cultural Pavilion and Chinese Cultural Pavilion are debuted as pilot programs to reconnect the Festival to its cultural roots.

June 11, 2022

The Society announces its largest ever capital investment to date- 18 brand new dragon boats- with the support of the Province of British Columbia and Concord Pacific. To celebrate the occasion and the full return of dragon boat to Vancouver, 9 local artists were commissioned to create unique artwork for 9 boats, reflecting local culture, while including influences from Chinese and Indigenous communities.

The Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society acknowledges its work takes place primarily on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands and waters of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.

© 2024 Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society