Everything you need to know about the 2018 Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival

There’s no doubt the Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival has helped save lives. Over the past 17 years, the annual festival has raised more than $3.1 million for breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC). Last year alone, the festival raised $182,518.58 in donations to the PRHC Foundation.

It’s not too late to make your own contribution by sponsoring a paddler or a team at this year’s festival, which takes place on Saturday, June 9th at Del Crary Park in Peterborough.

To sponsor a paddler or team, or to make a general donation to the festival, visit ptbodragonboat.ca. Use the website’s search function to find one of the 68 Dragon Boat teams or one of the almost 1,000 individual paddlers who are participating in this year’s festival.

As one in eight women — your mother, your wife, your daughter, your sister, your aunt, your friend — will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, donations in support of the Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival are vital. This year’s goal is $188,000, and the festival is just half way there. Your support right now can help the festival reach its target.

Hosted by Survivors Abreast (a competitive Peterborough-based Dragon Boat team made up of breast cancer survivors) and presented by Platinum Sponsor Kawartha Credit Union for the 17th year, this year’s festival will raise funds for the PRHC Foundation to invest in new laboratory automation technology that supports efficient processing of tissue and cytological samples.

The new technology will ensure lab technologists at PRHC can provide pathologists with the materials they need to make accurate breast cancer diagnoses even sooner.

“For a cancer patient and their loved ones, two of the hardest things to deal with are waiting and uncertainty,” says PRHC Foundation President & CEO Lesley Heighway. “Doctors rely on lab results to determine and confirm 100 per cent of cancer diagnoses and treatment decisions.”

But the new technology isn’t just used for breast cancer: PRHC’s lab processes more than 20,000 cancer-related cases every year. Without the lab, there would be no cancer care at PRHC.

The 2018 festival will support the purchase of two new tissue processors for the lab — an $188,000.00 investment. In case you’re wondering, governments fund only a portion of what hospitals need to provide the best possible care to their patients, so hospitals must raise funds to ensure they have state-of-the-art equipment.

While the goal of the festival is to raise funds, it’s also a great day out on the water featuring a fantastic display of passion and endurance as 68 community, junior, competitive, and breast cancer survivor teams race their Dragon Boats on Little Lake throughout the day (see the Race schedule).

On race day, the three Dragon Boat teams who have raised the most funds will be treated like queens and kings. The Dragon’s Lair returns for the top fundraising team, and new this year are the Dragon’s Loft for the second-place fundraising team and the Dragon’s Nest for the third-place fundraising team.

Each location includes a canopy tent where teams can relax, enjoy food and beverages, have exclusive access to the “Pink Potty”, receive swag bags, and more. For the top two fundraising teams, there are even more extra perks, such as the dedicated butler in the Dragon’s Lair!

If you’re planning to head to Del Crary Park on Saturday to watch the Dragon Boat races and cheer on the paddlers, here’s everything else you need to know to enjoy this year’s festival:

Modern Makers Market Vendors Village

As well as the Dragon Boat races, there’s also the Modern Makers Market Vendors Village, where you can browse and choose food items and unique products and services from 27 vendors.

There’s no need to bring your lunch to the festival, as there will be lots of food and beverage vendors at the Vendors Village, including Guilty Pleasures Patisserie (locally made doughnuts and pastries), Reggie’s Hot Grill (fresh cut fries and poutine), Sugar Daddy Sodas (locally made juices), Knots About Pretzels (handmade pretzels), Two Fat Greeks (Greek food on the go), Natas Café (drinks, frappes, grilled snacks), Simply Sandy (healthy baked goods), Peterborough Lions Club (burgers and dogs), and The Night Kitchen (woodfired pizzas).

And for your shopping pleasure, product and services vendors will include Organic Inspirations (bath and cosmetic products), Solid Leather (handmade leather belts), Harmony Healing (custom crystal bracelets), Cutting Edge Greetings (pop-up cards), Grey Willow Creations (jewelry and candles), Pastel Polly (faux tattoos), MTP Vinyl and Glitter (crochet and vinyl products), Strung Out Sisters (string art), Timer and Heart (custom artwork), Skribblz Art (Canadian leisure apparel), Burnin Beads (handmade glass jewelry), Watercolours by Dwayne (artwork), Signs by Sam (home decor/signs), My Weird Friend (adorable weird little friends), Baby Bop Shoppe (baby teething and accessories), Cedar and Co (art/macrame/botanicals/balms), Marie Mae (bath and beauty products), and Kim Berry – doTerra Essentials (essential oils).

Family Fun Zone

New this year is the free Family Fun Zone, with games and other activities for the entire family.

Kids both young and old can experience: giant games courtesy of Boardwalk Games; a selfie photo booth and bubble station; a mini dragon boat race, canoe crafts, and paddle carving station courtesy of The Canadian Canoe Museum; face painting by Facesby2; a kids’ obstacle course courtesy of the Kawartha Gymnastics Club; a dress-up station with early settlers’ clothing and photo cut-out frames by Peterborough Museum and Archives; Zumba and country heat courtesy of the Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre; axe throwing with the Peterborough Axe Club; a scavenger hunt and water safety with the Peterborough Paddle & Kayak Club; bike checkups, info on local bike trails and activities, and secure bike rack parking courtesy of Shifting Gears and the City of Peterborough; and family circuit training with Your Body You.

Other ways to support the festival

You can also visit the One Stop Dragon Shop, just past the bleachers, and support the festival by purchasing branded team shirts, baseball shirts, pullover hoodies, and more.

If you forget to bring your own reusable water bottle, you can also purchase one at the One Stop Dragon Stop to refill at the mobile drinking water station (no disposable plastic water bottles will be sold at the festival).

You can also drop by the Pink Tribute Trent to leave a tribute to someone you have lost; Survivors Abreast members and Hospice Peterborough volunteers will be there to listen and answer questions.

You can purchase tickets for the 2018 Dragon Boat Festival Cash Raffle at the raffle tent. Tickets are $5 each or $10 for three (cash only). The raffle draw will take place at 4 p.m. (you don’t have to be present to win) and features a $1,000 first prize, a $500 second prize, and a $250 third prize. All proceeds that don’t go towards the prizes support the 2018 festival.

Free Shuttle Buses

Parking is limited at Del Crary Park, so the festival has free shuttle buses running all day to and from the park courtesy of Coach Canada.

One shuttle bus will run from the Evinrude Centre (south side), with a pick up at the Wolfe St. parking lot, and another shuttle bus will run from the Simcoe Street bus terminal, with a stop at the King Street parking lot.

The shuttles will run every 20 minutes, with the first buses leaving the Evinrude Centre and the Simcoe Street bus terminal at 7:30 a.m. The final shuttles leave Del Crary Park at 4:15 p.m.

Calendar of events

• 7:45 a.m. – Team Captains meeting at the Volunteer/Waiver tent
• 8:15 a.m. – Awakening the Dragon (Opening Ceremony) featuring “The Dragon” and local dignitaries
• 9:00 a.m. – Morning races begin
• 10:00 a.m. – Vendor’s Village and Family Fun Zone open (until 3:00 p.m.)
• 12:00 p.m. – Flower Ceremony featuring the Peterborough Pop Ensemble and TASS Drumming Group
• 1:00 p.m. – Afternoon races begin
• 3:30 p.m. – Cup Races begin followed by award presentations

All times are approximate.

Race schedule

Morning Challenge (seeded randomly)

Note: the afternoon race schedule will be determined based on the outcome of morning races.