Dragon Boat Festival returns to city after years away 

The Dragon Boat Festival paddled its way back to Louise McKinney park after a short hiatus due to the pandemic.

After a couple of lost years post-pandemic, Edmonton’s Dragon Boat Festival has paddled its way back to Louise McKinney Park. 

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Teams will taking to the water on Saturday and Sunday, and the celebrations will continue in Chinatown’s Kinistinâw Park. 

President of the festival’s association Mark Lashmar says everyone is excited to be back with the family-friendly paddling and cultural event. 

“We were set up in Leduc for a bit, and now we were asked to come back to the city ,and we were more than happy,” he said in an interview on Saturday. 

Dragon boat racing itself is found in traditional Chinese culture. Originally, boats adorned with dragon heads were meant as a fertility rite and a way to encourage rain and a good harvest. 

Lashmar added that the next step for the Edmonton festival is to keep growing with local and provincial participants. 

“It’s an amazing feeling … being outside and being in the sun,” he said. 

More information can be found on their website. 

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Brandon Lynch