Those in Fort Wayne can experience a unique facet of Chinese culture when the city’s parks and recreation department hosts its seventh annual Dragon Boat Races on Friday, Aug. 4, and Saturday, Aug. 5, at Promenade Park.

Festivities and racing

This family-friendly event, which is centered around parts of traditional Chinese culture, begins with opening ceremonies at 5 p.m. on Friday. During these ceremonies, the Fort Wayne Chinese Friends and Family Association will offer activities, including calligraphy and a photo booth, and conduct traditional Chinese performances. Funk band We Are CheckMark will also perform. 

At the conclusion of the first night, organizers will ignite a floating fire pit on the St. Marys River, accompanied by a fire dance. 

At 10 a.m. Saturday, the first heat of dragon boats will race from the Wells Street bridge to the Harrison Street bridge. These massive, man-powered boats will be accompanied by a drummer to ensure that the paddlers’ strokes are in as near-perfect unison as possible to propel themselves forward to victory against their rivals. 

Proud Tradition

Mayor Tom Henry will participate in an important part of the dragon boat tradition by “dotting the eyes” of the dragon boats with paint, which will “bring the vessels to life” prior to the first race of the competition.

The dragon boats, manned by teams of 21 people 16 and older, will race throughout the day. 

Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Program Coordinator Sarah Umbdenstock said that of the many unique activities that will be offered at Promenade Park during the two-day event, witnessing these teams race each other down the St. Marys River should be at the top of the to-do list. 

“These are huge, basically canoe-like boats that seat 20 paddlers,” she said. “Every boat also has a drummer on it that helps keep time so all the paddlers can stay in unison. And it’s really just something that you can’t see at any other event in the city.

“It only takes about a minute. It’s a pretty short race. But the teams do multiple heats and things throughout the five hours.”

According to UNESCO, traditional dragon boat festivals are organized in various parts of China, generally in celebration of a local hero. 

The organization says the festivals strengthen “bonds within families” and establish “a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature. It also encourages the expression of imagination and creativity, contributing to a vivid sense of cultural identity.” 

Oftentimes, these festivals are accompanied by traditional Chinese cuisine and folk entertainment. 

Promoting our rivers

In addition to Saturday’s races, Promenade Park will also feature several art displays, cultural activities, and kids activities. Three food trucks will also be on site.

This summer marks the seventh year for the city’s dragon boat races and four years since the opening of Promenade Park, part of the larger downtown riverfront improvement project which seeks to revitalize Fort Wayne’s most prominent natural resource. 

Events like the dragon boat races bring attention and awareness to the rivers.

“Any chance that we can get people to come down to the park and see the rivers, you can just see everything that there is to do down there, even outside of the event,” Umbdenstock said.

“Fort Wayne Outfitters is right across the river. You can potentially see the Sweet Breeze boat docked somewhere,” she added. “So really, just the more we can get people down and just see that it can be used recreationally is always good exposure.”

For more information on the riverfront activities,  go to riverfrontfw.org.