Dragon Boat Races Darling Harbour | Chinese New Year Celebrations

The mythical dragon commands the wind, the mist and the rain, surging through the skies and the seas as part of the Chinese New Year Festival, Celebrating the Lunar New Year.

For more than 2,000 years, Dragon Boat racing has had a special place in Chinese culture, with 12-metre long boats battling it out to the pounding of drums. The first races were held to commemorate Qu Yuan, the great warrior poet, who drowned himself in a river as a protest against political corruption. Today, the race represents patriotism and group integrity.

Get up close to all the action on the 90 metre viewing pontoon as these spectacular boats race through the waters, each with a carved dragon head and tail, a hull painted with dragon scales, and paddles to represent the claws.

Location: Cockle Bay Wharf

Cost: FREE

Also - Eye Dotting Ceremony

Come and be part of a unique Taoist ceremony that blesses the waters to ensure a safe weekend of racing and awakens the dragon by dabbing red paint onto the eyes of each boat’s figurehead

When: Saturday 28th February

Time: 9am

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