Get the dragon spirit fired up!

Early Saturday morning the recreational semi-competitive races commence. The race schedule is randomly drawn with teams racing three lanes across the river for 500 meters. Each team is scheduled for two races, morning and afternoon. The combined race times are collected for every team entered, compiled to seed the teams in Sunday’s competitive divisional categories. The fastest teams will compete in medal rounds in their category, while other teams race for placement status.

At noon the festival’s cultural opening ceremonies take place featuring the Booming Tree Taiko Drums and the traditional Lion Dance. The Chinese Lion Dance dates back over 1,000 years and is an integral part of the Chinese culture. The lion itself is regarded as a guardian creature to force away evil spirits. Over the years it is known to promote good luck and prosperity. For this reason the Lion Dance may be performed at special occasions and celebrations.

Following the cultural performances the fun begins with non – competitive 250 m challenge races. Each year

This year, EDBFA is introducing the 2K Charity Race. The 2K race will occur on Saturday once the regular race schedule is finished; this is an entertaining and challenging race to wrap up the first day of races!