The 30th Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival 2022 is on Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadow Corona Park, Queens on Saturday-Sunday, July 30-31, 2022. Free.
This is a Chinese heritage festival, but the Chinese Diaspora is everywhere in the world, so this is really a multicultural festival. Latins can be Chinese descent too and the culture is familiar to many East and Southeast Asians. We share many things and the best New York City is one where we celebrate each other!
There is an MTA Shuttle Bus to the festival from Mets-Willets Point Station (7) from 8am to 6pm.
There is a food court. Do try the traditional rice balls.
30th Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival 2022
The teams show how American this is:
- HSBC
- NYCB
- Con Ed
- Verizon
- Northwell
- UA3
- JP Morgan
- NY Titan
- Morgan Stanley
- East Dragons
- FDNY
- City Hall
- Queens BP
- NYS DOH
Saturday, July 30 Events
Dragon Boat races run from 9am – 5pm. Festival events runs from 10:30am – 5pm.
Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk roams the festival telling dragon tales for families and children from 11am – 4pm.
- 10:30am – Chinese Music Ensemble of New York plays traditional Cantonese music. Some European, Arab and African instruments are related to traditional Chinese instruments.
- 11:30am – The Opening ceremony includes a dragon eye dotting ceremony by Lion Dance NY.
- 1pm – Cameron Sean raps “Please Don’t Hate.”
- 1:15pm – The Chinese Theatre Works Co. performs with Giant Puppets.
- 2pm – Violinist Daisy Jopling rocks Classical, Gypsy, Irish, Tango and other music.
- 3pm – Gigs & The Professor Orchestra performs.
- 4pm – NY Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Association demonstrates Kung Fu.
Sunday, July 31 Events
Dragon Boat races run from 9am – 5pm. Festival events runs from 11am – 5pm.
Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk roams the festival telling dragon tales for families and children from 11am – 4pm.
- 11am – Chinese Music Ensemble of New York plays traditional Cantonese music. Some European, Arab and African instruments are related to traditional Chinese instruments.
- 12pm – Cameron Sean raps “Please Don’t Hate.”
- 12:15pm – The Chinese Theatre Works Co. performs with Giant Puppets.
- 1:30pm – International Dance Hour features three dance companies:
- Dance China NY performs Chinese dance and Beijing Opera.
- Banat el Samara performs Egyptian Belly Dancing.
- Junko Fisher dances traditional Japanese dance.
- 2:30pm – Terry King’s Drifters sing 1950s hits like “Stand By Me” and “Spanish Harlem.”
- 3:30pm – Manhattan Taiko drummers do traditional Japanese Taiko drumming.
- 4pm – NY Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Association demonstrates Kung Fu.
Origins of the Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival tradition began in Hunan Province which is inland from Hong Kong in Southern China. It was originally a festival honoring water spirits. The dragon is a metaphor for the powerful forces of nature. It’s one of the ways that people all over the world used to explain things.
In Chinese tradition, many festivals are attributed to the death of some great person. Over time the festival became associated with Qu Yuan. He was an advisor to a Chinese leader during the Warring States period (481-221 BCE). Qu Yuan warned the emperor not to trust another leader. The emperor ignored him and sent Qu Yuan into exile. Hearing that the other leader overthrew the emperor, Qu Yuan drowned himself in sorrow.
Many other stories have been blended into the tradition over time.
Dragon Boat Festival Traditions
It’s said that Qu Yuan became a water spirit when he died. To keep the spirits happy, you feed them. People do this all over the world. Qu Yuan’s friends would throw rice into the water, but it was always taken by a water dragon.
The story goes that Qu Yuan later appeared to the people and suggested they wrap the rice in bamboo leaves so the dragon wouldn’t eat it. This is the origin of the festival’s rice-ball throwing tradition. They are rice dumplings called “Zongzi” in Mandarin. By the way they are delicious.
Looking at these rice balls reminds us of Puerto Rican pasteles and Mexican tamales. They use different starches, but are a similar form of food. They are also often used for celebrations.
Rice is the main starch in East and Southeast Asia. It is grown in flooded fields, so water is important. The annual flood cycle is also vital to farming. A very ancient human concept is that to get something, you must give up something. So people throw a little rice to the water dragons to hope for a good harvest. We all do things like this, or at least we used to. By the way, in China, the festival is held in May near the summer solstice when rice is planted.
Today, there are dragon boat festivals all over the world.
