Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival

We came here for the first time on July 19^th, 2015. Street parking was difficult at around 10 am but you can find one if you keep circling.
As we did not know anyone who was competing, we were not too excited watching the races. However, my son had a lot of fun in a tent close to the finish line watching magic shows and circus. There were also a few less entertaining shows in between.
The restrooms were clean and there were no lines.
There were a few food vendors including Panda Express. We went to a nearby restaurant highly rated on Unilocal instead.
We will be be back next year, mostly for the shows.

Nothing says Hawaiian like a good Dragon Boat Festival. Once a year, Long Beach is a host to one of them. Pretty much a racer’s competition and social event. The booths, both shopping and eats are limited but meets only your minimum needs. Since I was born in Hawaii, I always make it to this one just to talk Pidgen with others.

This was my very first Dragon Boat Race! For my first time, I had a blast! There were many things that I was impressed with but there were minor details I’d recommend to make this an overall better experience!
Parking: Try to come early because parking will fill up quickly. I met up with my team at 6:30am at the parking lot near the Boy Scouts building. At that time, there’s plenty of parking. Make sure you don’t park in residential streets and the sidewalk close to Mother’s beach! At the end of the day, I walked back from the racing area to the parking lot near Mother’s Beach. There were many cars parked on the bike lane and VERY single one of them got a ticket!
The Venue: I like how they invited small retail vendors and food trucks to come. However, there was easily a few hundred people walking through. I’d expect more vendors to be present. It would add to the entire experience. BUT, I’m glad Fluff Ice was out there. It was perfect for a hot sunny day. There is also a staging area for mini concerts, so it was nice to watch a few performances in between races.
Restrooms: There were 3 areas for you to use the restroom. I thought it was well organized. There were lines, but they weren’t super long. The stalls were also fully stocked with toilet paper and soap.
The Festival/​Race: I have to commend the organizers of this event. Everyone knew what they had to do and there was no confusion. They even assigned trash monitors to control the area. How smart is that! The area was spotless. Two recommendations, rent some television screens to post results rather than printing them on paper so everyone can crowd around. Also, add some bench space near the marshaling area so people may sit and cheer on their team mates and they take off and return.
Other than that, the event event is amazing! Even if you’re not racing, you can watch all the colorful boats out in the water. Also, you’ll see every team walking around or warming up. Overall, it’s a great event to invite your family. Just bring some sunscreen!

Enter the DRAGON BOATS
Dragon boats are the basis of the team paddling sport of dragon boat racing, a watersport which has its roots in an ancient folk ritual of contending villagers has been held over 2000 years throughout southern China. While competition has taken place annually for more than 20 centuries as part of religious ceremonies and folk customs, dragon boat racing has emerged in modern times as an international sport, beginning in Hong Kong in 1976. But the history of dragon boats in competition reaches as far back as the same era as the original games of Olympia in ancient Greece. Both dragon boat racing and the ancient Olympiad included aspects of religious observances and community celebrations along with competition. Ok I got that off the Wiki. I’m NOT a Jeopardy contestant so I can’t be expected to keep that sort of data in my head.
Anyway this event happens twice a year (spring and summer) down in Long Beach. It’s a GREAT family fun weekend type event! It’s held Saturday and Sunday and let me start be saying it’s near the beach so parking is a bear! You either need to get there early meaning the butt crack of dawn or you need to be prepared to park quite a ways away and trek in like a pack mule or pachyderm with your blanket, chair, munchies and water etc then find a place to sit that is NOT taken by all the teams! It is TOTALLY WORTH IT even if you don’t bring all that stuff you can just watch a few races, eat and skedaddle. The close parking in the Marina Stadium lot is reserved for the trams with permits BUT if you happen to be with a person that is handicapped you can park in there too WITHOUT a permit! You just need to display the placcard and let the person at the entrance know and they will let you in.
I like to sit by the start because you can see the boats coming down to start the race! It is really cool and you get a pretty good view of all the teams in the race. It is ALSO close to the restrooms. I NEVER use them cuz I rather hold it! I’m just REALLY NOT interested in ACCIDENTLY catching the Ebola virus from a toilet seat should my hovering capabilities fail me! Plus the lines are long and WAAYYY TOO MANY KIDS coming and going UNSUPERVISED and coming OUT LAUGHING and giggling like they were up to NO GOOD! But if you do choose to use them I would advise bringing your own toilet paper IN CASE they run out! And maybe seat covers for kids that don’t quite have that hovering technique down!
There is also a variety of food being sold in case you DON’T want to haul it in with you! The prices are ok and you can get some pretty yummy treats like boba or water which is nice on a hot day and I also saw some chicken bowl, rice balls, etc. Basically all Asian inspired foods and drinks NO BURGERS or hot dig-​a-​dee dogs, but you can get that stuff any day!
Speaking of dogs you can bring your furry friend too! Just keep the little mongrel on a FRICKIN leash no one wants to be attacked or have their crotch or butt crack sniffed if your furry friend has no manners or feels the need to attack. Oh and for Pete Sake BRING POOP BAGS to clean up after your fur baby! It NEVER ceases to amaze me the number of people that DON’T bring POOP bags for their dogs! Would you leave home without putting a diaper on your baby? Probably so if you’re a pet parent that doesn’t bring doggie poop bags. Hoy Vey! But I did see several WELBEHAVED DOGS, ON LEASHES with GREAT pet parents that were such a delight to see!
There is also different performances like DRAGON dancers which I love. They always remind me of Hong Kong in the summer where they have FREE Dragon dancing events. If you can brave the sweltering heat then you LOVE IT! There is also Chinese traditional art demonstrations, Chinese Acrobats, traditional dance, hip hop, music and martial arts performances. SOOOO FRICKIN COOL and enough things for everyone to enjoy.
There are THE RACES of course that start about noon-​ish or so and go until after 4pm. So it is pretty much an all-​day family FUN DAY EVENT! It is ALWAYS GREAT to see lots of peeps out enjoying the NICE day without any fights breaking out or people ackin (yes ACKIN) a dog-​gone fool. I CAN’T STAND that. It just ruins it for everyone else.
So keep an eye out for some sprint or summer time DRAGON BOAT racing in Long Beach. You just might see me out there on a team.

This was my first year participating in the festival. :] The dragon boat races ran from 9am-​7pm on Saturday, July 26^th, and from 9am-​3pm Sunday, July 27^th.
About 100 teams from the local area and international compete for medals and bragging rights. Teams consisted of students, corporate groups, cancer survivors, and regular people just out to have fun! Venders and an entertainment stage can be found at one end of the racing site. This is a great family event because admission is free and there’s something here for everyone to enjoy.
One improvement that can be made is the addition of an announcer for all the races. It’s difficult/​impossible to tell which team is in what boat, especially since teams may have the same colors on their jersey and the mandatory life jackets hide the entire jersey except for the sleeves. I could barely tell which boat held my own team.
Also, the race course can be either 500m or 200m. For a portion of the race you’ll be watching the boats at a distance, unless you run alongside the boats the entire time you won’t have a good view of the whole race. If the boats are neck to neck it’s impossible to tell who won when the boats are just specks in the distance. Again, an announcer would make the races easier to follow. :D

Aww yes, my favorite dragon boat festival! :D
The Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival is one of the biggest festivals held in California that I know of. It’s held annually around the end of July at Marine Stadium Park in Long Beach, CA. It’s a two day event that starts early Saturday and ends mid-​day Sunday.
This is a great event to go to for everyone! If you don’t know what dragon boating is, you’ll have many, many opportunities to watch great teams from all over the world compete. There are teams who come from all over California, and then there are teams from Taiwan and China as well. There are many vendors selling food, drinks, clothing, paddles, pfds, etc. There’s also a stage where many shows take place during heats.
I highly suggest everyone to come check this festival out next year if you’re in the area. You might get sucked into the world of dragon boating! :P

I’m giving this event 5 stars because it is my favorite dragon boat race out of all the races the UC Davis dragon boat team participates in :) I’ve only been here once and that was the Summer of 2012. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to go an participate in this race. Not only is this a race, but it is also a festival with lots of booths that sell food, clothes, gears, and many other things that have to do with dragon boating.
This is one of the biggest races/​festivals of the West Coast and teams from all over California (middle schools, high schools, colleges, cancer survivors, masters (40+ yo), and companies like Kaiser) come to Long Beach to compete. Even international teams like Germany, Netherlands, and China come all the way to SoCal to compete as well.
This is a 2 day event in the summer and it usually goes from around 7:00am — 5:00pm for both days. The first day is usually races for seating/​semifinals while the second (last) day is for the final races. All the volunteers here at the event are very helpful and friendly and they make sure that the site is very clean and organized for all paddlers.
I love how this event is located in SoCal because the weather here in the summer is amazing especially for a sport like dragon boating.
Great memories were made and friendships were built while having a great time racing with other teams.
I can’t wait to race again/​for my last time this coming Summer of 2013. If you are in the area, come out and watch and support UC Davis’ Davis Racing Dragons! (DRD)
:D

Needs a PA for play by play
Otherwise, it is boring

Some years ago, I saw this video:

We’ve been meaning to go, but something would always come up instead.
Finally made it over to there this year.
I’ve been wanting to see the Mothers’ Beach section of the Marine Stadium too.
We lucked out with the parking.
Found a great spot in the Mothers’ Beach lot.
It’s metered parking in there. 15 minutes per quarter.
Just a short walk over the bridge to the venue.
As spectators, we had so much fun!
We had to walk through the warm-​up area and it was so interesting to see where the many teams came from and how diverse the competitors were. Diverse in not only ethnicities, but age also. Lots of mixed age teams. Very cool!
Vendor-​wise, there were some food & miscellaneous booths. Not as much as most festivals, but that’s okay because the focus should be on the races.
The hubby got himself a nice festival T-​shirt.
There was a small stage set-​up and we saw a bit of a martial arts demo.
We thought it’d be hard to get a good spot for watching the races, but there was plenty of room all along the waterway.
Started out seated in a covered area, but wanted a better view so we just moved to a curb right by the last leg markers. Most exciting spot because that’s where the teams made their moves to take the lead.
The teams passed by us on their way to the start line. We amused ourselves by predicting the winners. The hubby got it right each time.
Since we only had 6 quarters for the parking meters, we just watched four heats.
Time was up before we knew it.
This is an exciting sport!
Once the race begins, they speed by yelling out the strokes and beating their drums.
Those of us on the sidelines can’t help but envy all the fun they’re having out there!
Walking back to the car, we took note of how well-​used this water stadium and park is.
There’s so much to do!
Lots of kayak-​ers, stand up paddle boarders, boats going in and out from the docks, swimming, etc.
The Mothers’ Beach section was fantastic. Perfect for a family who wants the beach experience, but wants it in a safer wave-​free, less crowded location.
Good amount of play equipment for the kids.
The restroom situation is pretty nice too. I wouldn’t kick up my usual fuss about having to pee in a park restroom.
Overall, good entertainment.
We’d definitely want to come back since it’s somewhat local.
Next time, we’ll make sure to have more quarters for the meters!
This festival was as much fun as the video promised!

This is a great event for paddlers and the public to watch and enjoy the sport of dragon boating. Besides the races there are some small shows throughout the day to keep you entertained.
The first day includes races for seating and semifinals; while the second day is all about the Final races. The volunteers were great and the site was very clean.
Great weather, exciting races, and a diverse group of people.
Come here if you get the chance.

I have been to the race for 8 years now… each year it has been getting better and better.
Lately they have been training better steers people because race starts have been better.
Also its better to race in CLEANER water than sewage or literally CRAP water.
Suggestions are to have a rope attached to the back so that when it gets windy the people holding the boats are not making the boats shift more than necessary.
Better announcing system and better starts.
ALSO LARGER TENTS FOR TEAMS OUTSIDE OF THE MARSHALING AREA… ESPECIALLY IF THE RACE IS RUNNING LATE AND WE CAME ON TIME OR EARLIER!

Perfect day!
Fun to watch.
Lovely colors and team solidarity. Loved the diversity within teams.
Affordable stands with hats, food, etc.
Yaaaaaaaaay restrooms!

I pushed boats every summer. It taught me everything I know today about hard work and skin cancer. Come out to see cool races, awesome entertaining acts, and vendors!
You can’t hate on it being free! Two days of fun every year!

I’ve attended this event for 6 years now and the 2010 event was great. Dr. Chen knows how to put on a dragonboat festival!
With over 100 teams (including some from Canada and China), we had 6 (and sometimes 7) lanes of dragonboat racing in various categories – men (open), women, mixed – in 500 meters and 200 meters – as well as coporate, high school, college, and breast cancer teams. Kudos to race organizers for using «twitter» to track times for marshalling for races.
Dragonboat racing is a great spectator sport! For the people who are not paddling in the races, the event is free. There is also free entertainment on the center stage along with vendors of arts, crafts, jewerly, clothes, etc. and food.
Improvements for future: This year, we had new bathrooms (individual stalls in real buildings) which was great but we had fewer bathrooms, causing longer lines. We also noticed a lot fewer volunteers help load the boats than previous years.
Come early to find good parking (residential) or be prepared to walk several blocks. Wear sun screen, sunglasses, and a hat. This is a great family event too.

One of the biggest Dragon Boat Races and Festivals on the West Coast. Most teams in California come out to complete, ranging from: grade school, high school, colleges, companies, amateur teams, cancer survivors, masters (40+), grandmasters (50+), and more. The 2010 year was also the inaugural year for the blind start team, which was comprised of blind paddlers as well as sighted paddlers with blindfolds on.
There are also international teams that compete — from Canada and even China! It goes from the early morning (8:30am) to the late afternoon (5ish), and the races are either 500m or 200m (sprints).
What is most exciting about the 500m races are how strategies matter much in team paddling, as a team that is in the lead in the beginning or middle can still be overtaken by other teams that boost toward the end.
There is no admission fee, and anyone is welcome to check out the competition. There are a few food booths, vendor booths, exhibit tables, and sometimes giveaways from the city or various companies. There is also a main stage with various performers — dancers, musicians, magicians, eating contests.

it sucks i do it every year!!!
Yeah you can see me race this thing every year!!!
I’m not joking!!!
I’m a dork!!!

This is one of the larger international dragon boating events — paddlers from Asia even come to race here!
Race organization has gotten better and better, especially since the first time I joined. They actually come close to starting the teams on time.
The event also boosts shows and vendors for people to enjoy. This is a free event! The only difficult thing is to find parking.
It’s such an incredible adrenaline rush the whole time leading up to your race. I paced for a corporate team for three years and every year I thought the excitement of a race would fade. It does not, even with new members. If you can join a team, you’ll definitely feel the love from teammates — this is a group effort, you’ll realize it real fast. ;)
Depending on the level you plan to join, your practice times vary — ours were usually Sunday mornings, but I know a lot of teams practice on Saturdays as well.
This is a great sport — regardless of age (yes, they have «baby paddler» races! — kids with half sized paddles!) — very cute.

great event if you are into the obscure sport of dragon boat. all of the teams get pretty energetic, especially before a race, and the venue is great because your team will get a tent on the beach to set up food and seat their families.
for observers, there is kind of a lack of good food booths (what, its 8am and no one is selling coffee?). i think the best spot to observe is around the finish line.

A lot of my DieselFish (
) teammates consider this one of their favourite races of the year… and as a first time competitor in this race in 09, I can totally see where they’re coming from.
The race is well organised, the atmosphere is fabulous for competitors and they are considerate to the homeowners near the race site (I get it that it hurts when your million dollar home’s backyard is invaded by 2,500 screaming dragon boaters for a whole weekend).
Only criticism is that besides the races and one performance tent, it probably isn’t the most entertaining of festivals. As this event is put on by the International Cultural Exchange Assoc, I’d have loved to have see more Asian cultures represented on stage.
Regardless, a top notch event for competitors — and a huge weather difference (refreshing difference) from the NorCal racing I’m used to.
Cannot wait for next year’s!

Huzzah! If you rowed Crew in college or know someone that did this is on a whole other level. The 2006 ViewSonic Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival will be held at Marine Stadium in Long Beach on July 29 – 30, 2006. Bring a camera and take cool pictures. Like these
.