Dragon Boat Races
Fort Wayne Dragon Boat Races
August 1 & 2, 2025
The fun begins on Friday night with the Dragon Boat Opening Ceremony, featuring live music, local food, traditional dancing, and floating fire pits. We are back at the action on Saturday morning where the competition begins! Additional activities include local food, kids' activities, and more. All events at the race site are free and open to the public; registration fees apply for competing teams. 
Check out Parking Options at Visit Fort Wayne.
Take a look at previous Dragon Boat Races using the new Dragon Boat Pictures link!
Interested in taking part in this year's Fort Wayne Dragon Boat Races but not sure where to start? Attend this informational session where we will be covering all things Dragon Boats-what it is, how to create a team, event schedule, and more!
Dragon Boat History
Dragon Boat Racing is a rapidly growing sport that combines rich Chinese traditions, competition, team building exercises, and fun. Often, dragon boats are emblazoned with bright colors, dragon scales, which includes a dragon head and tail. Typical dragon boats are 46’ long and feature 20 paddlers, 1 drummer, and 1 steersman. During the course of the race, the job of the drummer is to keep an effective beat in order to synchronize the paddlers. Races are usually between 200-2000 meters and can last up to 10 minutes.
Many of the traditional Chinese elements are still practiced today, such as beating of the drums and throwing rice into the river. A common practice for many Dragon Boat Race opening ceremonies includes a practice known as “Awakening the Dragon”. Before each race, the dragon eyes are dotted. It is believed that once the eyes are dotted, the dragon will come to life. We are fortunate to have the opening ceremonies performed by the Fort Wayne Chinese Friends and Family Association.
2025 Race Results
The 2025 Race Resultsavailable in August.
If you would like to keep up in real time, download the Dynamice Dragon Boat app.
2025 Dragon Boat Sponsorship Opportunities
We are currently developing new sponsorship opportunities for the 2025 Dragon Boat Races. If your business or organization is interested in participating in the 2025 event, please contact: Riley Hollenbaugh at 260-427-6248 or via e-mail: Riley Hollenbaugh.
Ready to sign up for future Paddling opportunities? Complete the Paddles Up on-line form today!
2024 Dragon Boat Team photos are featured below:
Did you SEE the Dragon at the 2024 Races? If you missed it, look for it to be featured at the 2025 Dragon Boat Races!
Learn MORE about the upcoming Dragon Boat Races!
Read the Dragon Boat Races blog for more insight and a brief itinerary of what will be happening Saturday and Sunday!
Make sure to read the Summer Events at Promenade blog to learn more about this awesome event!
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Thanks to Rob A. from Cleveland for this photo of a shot of the finish of the final race!
