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Oakland Dragonboat Festival

More than 40 dragon boat crews compete on Lake Merritt Sunday
By - posted 8/16/2015 No Comment

Over 45 dragon boat crews from the western United States will descend on Oakland’s Lake Merritt from 9 am to 3 pm on Sunday, August 16, 2015 to battle out who will pre-qualify for the International Dragon Boat Federation’s World Championship in Italy.

Oakland Dragonboat Festival
Sunday, August 16, 2015 | 9am to 3pm
Lake Merritt, Oakland
FREE

Over 20 years ago, the first dragon boat team in the U.S. was started in Oakland by the Oakland Fire Department. Today that racing spirit is kept alive by the City of Oakland’s very own competitive dragon boat racing team, the Oakland Renegades. Each day several boats will compete against each other creating a colorful spectacle on Oakland’s beautiful Lake Merritt.

What is Dragon Boat Racing?
Dragon boat racing is based on power, speed, synchronization, and endurance. The boats themselves are colorfully decorated with ornately carved dragon’s head at the bow, a tail in the stern, and a 40-foot-long hull painted with dragon’s scales. The dragon’s “claws” are the 20 paddlers propelling the boat to the pace of the seated drummer at the front and kept in line by the steersperson at the back, steering with an elongated oar.