2012 Colorado Dragon Boat Festival at Sloan’s Lake Park in Denver
Colorado Dragon Boat Festival Fires Up Crowds
Dragon Boat Festival 2012 Denver, Colorado at Sloan’s Lake Park!
12th Annual Event Draws Spectators to Denver July 28-29, 2012.
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival (CDBF) is a FREE family-friendly festival in Denver highlighting Colorado’s rich Asian Pacific American heritage. This diverse festival is the only one of its kind in the United States and offers something for everyone.
Opening Ceremony – Rare Double Dragon Dance
What child doesn’t love dragons? Just wait until you see the look on the faces of your children when they see not one … but TWO elaborate 75-foot-long dragons performing an intricate intertwined dance to awaken the spirit of the dragons within the race boats. This opening ceremony, which kicks off the festival,will be held from 10:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 28.
During the pageantry of the opening ceremony, the race teams take part in a parade that is similar to the Olympics, only each team is encouraged to show as much spirit as possible, as they represent their communities and sponsoring organizations.
Dragon Boat Races
Sports enthusiasts will enjoy two action-packed days of dragon boat racing from morning until evening. Dragon boating is more than 2,000 years old and steeped in tradition. The sport has grown into an international competitive event, with dragon boat races held all around the world. At the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, the sport has grown from 16 teams the first year to almost 50 competing in various divisions in the 2012 festival.
First-Ever Dragon 5K Run/Walk
New this year to the Colorado Dragon Festival is the Dragon 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, July 29 at 8:00 a.m. This event further strengthens the festival’s commitment to celebrating athletic competition and healthy lifestyles.
Entertainment on Main Stage
Whether you are into sports or not, there is plenty more to HEAR and do. The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival features the best music of the local Asian communities on several performing arts stages. Here is the schedule for the Main Performing Arts Stage:
Saturday, July 28
| Noon-12:30pm | Filipino-American Community of Colorado (FACC) |
| 12:30-1:00 | NatyaSangam Dance |
| 1:00-1:30 | Pacific Pride and Island Hearts |
| 1:30-2:00 | Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu |
| 2:00-3:00 | The Cheapsuits Blues Band with Michaela Rae |
| 3:00-3:30 | Hype 303 |
| 3:30-4:00 | Rose Wang |
| 4:00-4:30 | Mark ‘Ehukai Kahalekulu |
| 4:30-5:00 | Great Wall Chinese Academy |
| 5:00-6:00 | Cultural Unity Sampler |
| 6:00 pm | Japanese Obon Dance w/ Denver Buddhist Temple Minyo Kai Dancers |
Sunday, July 29
| 10:00-10:30am | Christina Yeh Dance Studio |
| 10:30-11:00am | Thai Harmony Traditional Arts Ensemble |
| 11:00-11:30am | Denver Taiko |
| 11:30am-Noon | Mudra Dance Studio |
| Noon-12:30pm | Gamelan Tunas Mekar |
| 12:30pm-1:00 | National Martial Arts Academy |
| 1:00-1:30 | Jr. Wahines Polynesian Dance Troupe |
| 1:30-2:30 | Wendy Woo |
| 2:30-3:00 | ARCINDA |
| 3:00-3:30 | Kenny Lee Young |
| 3:30-4:00 | Manea Porinesia |
| 4:00 pm | Begotten Band |
New in 2012: Band Stage
Over the years, it has become clear that there are a lot of talented Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders making music in the area–so many that, this year, a new stage called the Band Stage has been dedicated to bands playing various Asian styles. That includes not just traditional music and dance from Asiancultures, but also the music of the Asian American generation: rock, folk, funk, R&B, blues, punk, and a little bit of jazz.
Dragonland: Kids Dance Party and Dragon Water Balls
There is also a new performing arts stage in Dragonland where children will be able to learn hip-hop moves, Chinese traditional dances,Bollywood-style grooves, and much more. In addition, traditional Asian stories will be shared and mixed martial artswill be demonstrated.
Another first at Dragonland in 2012 is Dragon Water Balls. These transparent hollow balls allow festival-goers to walk, jump, flip, crawl, roll, or just float on both water and land without getting wet.
In addition, children always look forward to the popular arts and crafts activities, such as making dragon masks, getting their faces painted, and receiving temporary tattoos. There can participate in Asian-inspired games and enjoy performances by Richard Nakata the magician and Bongo the Balloon Man. Plus, the Denver Zoowill display real animals from the Chinese Zodiac.
The Marketplace
The marketplace at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is packed with vendors offering unique and hard-to-find arts, crafts, toys, fashion, and other gifts. Furthermore, you can visit booths where you can learn about various nonprofit organizations. But that’s not all …
Taste of Asia
One of the ongoing highlights of Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is the Taste of Asia Food Court. If you are a foodie, you’ll love being able to eat your way across Asia and the Pacific Islands …without ever leaving Denver.The Taste of Asia Food Court showcases some of the area’s best Asian restaurants, as well as the culinary talents of organizations and individuals who prepare a weekend’s worth of dishes for your enjoyment.
Wellness Village
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival also focuses on health and fitness. After all, participants in the athletic competitions need to be physically fit. The festival’s Wellness Village, which just opened last year, offers free health screenings and the opportunity to learn about health tips and options from select vendors and festival partners.
This year, a popular attraction from past festivals, Find Zen, will be found in the Wellness Village. Find Zenfeatures demonstrations that focus on the many Asian traditions that promote healthy lifestyles and ways to reduce stress – from yoga and meditation to tai chi and feng shui.
Draggin’ After a Long Day?
Whether you are racing or just strolling all day throughout the Dragon Boat Festival grounds, after a long day, you will be glad you don’t have far to go to get to the Hampton Inn Denver-International Airport. Even if you live in the area, what better time for a weekend getaway? You can literally rest assured that you will get a clean room with a comfortable bed and a hotel staff that can’t wait to wait on you!
Hampton Inn Denver-International Airport
At the Hampton Inn Denver Airport, you get deluxe service without the exorbitant price tag. You can come back from the CDBF and refresh yourself in the indoor swimming pool or soak in the bubbling hot tub. In the morning, you can work out in the fitness center and then read a free newspaper or watch the news on the flat screen TV in the breakfast room while enjoying a delicious complimentary breakfast.
Pet-Friendly
The Hampton Inn Denver-International Airport believes everyone in the family should enjoy your time away, and they welcome your pets to stay with you in your room.
Suite Shop Coming Soon
The Hampton Inn Denver-International Airport is just about to begin renovations. They will soon feature a Hampton “suite shop” on site. The shop is open 24 hours a day, so you can pop in anytime to purchase candy, munchies, ice cream, soda pop, fruit drinks, medicine, hygiene products, TV dinners, and more.
We’ve got a whole boatload of reasons for staying with us at the Hampton Inn Denver-International Airport. To find out more, log on to www.hamptoninndenverairport.com. For reservations, please call: 800-884-5796.
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