Last week the UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival took place on 8 and 9 June at Salford Quays offering attendees a cultural exploration of an ancient Chinese celebration.
The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
The event commemorates Chinese poet Qu Yuan who is said to have died in the Miluo River, China.
Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor, said: “For me this demonstrates a real representation of the spirit of Salford. I speak on behalf of the entire city and city region when I say we are honoured to host such a unique, inspiring and significant event.”
In Salford the Xinhua Chinese Association introduced the first UK festival in 2012 and has developed the event every year with 2024 being the first time the festival lasted for two days.
The celebrations included cultural performances, authentic food stalls, music, speeches and a dragon boat race involving 41 teams.
The Two-Day Festival
The Xinhua Chinese Association hopes the event will “promote the Anglo-China people’s understanding, exchange and friendship, as well as contribute actively to the multicultural inclusive society, for more peaceful and harmonious communities”.
The Dragon Boat Race
The overall winner from day one for the Amateur Teams was The Belt & Road Association (UK).
Day two was the Professional Team heats where the winning team was Wraysbury Dragons and Waka Ama.
