Cultural Festival
Sunday, June 14th, 2026
12:00PM
John W. Weeks Bridge near Harvard University
FREE EVENT
Performances
Arts & Crafts
Food & beverage
Dragon Boat Racing
Community Tables
Demonstrations
First held in 1979, the Boston Dragon Boat Festival is the first and oldest dragon boat festival in North America.
Event Map & Schedule
Site MAP
Performances
STAGE
12:00PM
Eye Dotting Ceremony & Chinese Percussion
GBCCA & Boston Synchrony Chinese Percussion Ensemble
12:30PM
Opening Ceremony & Dragon Dance Parade
Wahlum Kungfu Academy
01:00PM
Chinese Traditional Music & Yoyo GBCCA
01:30PM
Indian Dance Upasana Odissi
02:00PM
Chinese Martial Arts Wahlum Kungfu Academy
02:30PM
Chorus New Moon International Media
02:50PM
Vietnamese Dance
S.T.A.R. Group Boston & VOVINAM
03:20PM
Ballet Z Principal Dance Academy
03:50PM
Sichuan - Face Change Shuwang Yang
04:00PM
Chinese - Dance Angel Dance
04:30PM
Japanese Taiko Drumming
Odaiko New England
Dragon Boat Racing on the Charles
72 teams vie for bragging rights to be the fastest team in Boston.
Demos
Arts & Crafts Tent
11:30AM/1:30PM
Tai Chi Demonstration
Tai Chi Academy of Greater Boston
12:00PM/2:00PM
Yoyo Demonstration
GBCCA Diabolo Troupe
Community Tables
Arts & Crafts Tent
12:00PM
Starting at 12:00PM and ending ~4:00PM
MassGo
Teaching the game of Go for those who are interested
Charles River Watershed Association
Advocating for the protection of the Charles River
Eastern Bank
Informational booth for the bank.
China National Tourist Office
Information for international travel opportunities
Chinese Cultural Connection
Education through cross-cultural understanding.
Asian Women for Health
Advancing health and well-being of Asian women
Boston Latin School Robotics
Student run club engaging in STEM outreach.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Cancer treatment and research center.
USCPFA-NE
Promoting cultural understanding between the US and China
Boston Bodhi Meditation Center
Promoting meditation for well-being.
Arts & Crafts
Arts & Crafts Tent
12:00PM
Starting at 12:00PM and ending ~4:00PM
Zongzi
Making authentic and decorative zongzi
Traditional Dolls
Made using Chinese macrame, silk, and beads
Paper Crafts
Paper dragon boats, dragons in motion, and year of the horse crafts
Calligraphy
Translating names into calligraphy and hands-on teaching
Face Painting
Fun face painting for all ages
Chinese Checkers & Chess
Teaching these traditional games
History of the Festival
origins
Traditionally held on the fifth day of the fifth moon on the lunar calendar, the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the life and death of the ancient patriot-poet Qu Yuan who lived from 340-278 B.C.
In exile, Qu Yuan wrote poetry expressing his concern for his country and people. In 278, when Qu Yuan heard that his home had been invaded, he drowned himself in the Mi Lo River. The people of Chu rushed to the river to rescue him. Too late to save Qu Yuan, they splashed furiously and threw zhong-zhi (steamed rice wrapped in reed leaf), into the river as a sacrifice to his spirit and to keep the fish from Qu Yuan's body.
PRESENT DAY
Since then, dragon boats have raced in the waterways of China and beyond. The Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival is one of the many festivals that continue to celebrate the tradition and the sport of dragon boat in the United States. Occurring along the beautiful Charles River, the event gives the community a day to come together.