‘Spectacular, death-defying’: Lion Dance championship makes debut in Edmonton

The Canadian National Lion Dance Championships in Edmonton on Aug. 23, 2025. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton)

Saturday saw the opening ceremony of a fierce competition with the Canadian National Lion Dance championship, hosted by Edmonton for the first time ever.

It’s the third Lion Dance championship in the world, with 35 “lions” competing for two days in a row with routines that co-founder of the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society Sandy Pon called “spectacular and death-defying.”

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“Lions are a symbol of courage. They fight for you. They protect you. When you have them in front of your house, they ward off evil and bad energy. So they always bring good luck,” Pon said.

Teams in the U16 division took over the streets of Kinistinâw Park on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Sunday, teams in the 17 and over division will be competing.

Pon said the event hosts teams from all over the world.

“It’s kind of intimidating,” said Edmontonian dancer Mandy Vong. She said her team has been practicing every single day in the lead-up to the competition.

“I just like the lion’s personality, it’s cute,” she added. “It depends on the dancer, but the lion is fierce, cute and a little bit silly.”

The championship is the second part to Edmonton’s Dragon Festival, which began Aug. 15 and runs until Sunday. It saw the return of the Dragon Boat Races at Louise McKinney Park last weekend.

Surrounding the Lion Dance competition is Taste of Chinatown, an open-air market where visitors can try dishes from local eateries and check out family-friendly cultural activities.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Galen McDougall