Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival will celebrate a quarter century of paddling for cancer care this summer, marking 25 years as one of the region’s signature fundraising events.
The 25th anniversary festival takes place Saturday, June 13 at Del Crary Park, once again featuring dragon boat races on Little Lake alongside artisan and food vendors, a family fun zone, a beer garden, and more.
Registration for teams opens at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday (February 25) at ptbodragonboat.ca, with the first three teams to register winning a complimentary dragon boat lake practice.
Organizers say the milestone anniversary will be reflected not only in celebrations, but in the event’s fundraising goal. This year’s target is $325,018.01 for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation — a 25 per cent increase over last year.
In a media release, festival chair Michelle Thornton explained the goal’s specific figure carries symbolic meaning, including that two in five Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, that one in eight women will face a breast cancer diagnosis, and that .01 per cent of men will also be diagnosed with breast cancer.
“But most importantly, what’s raised here, stays here,” Thornton said, noting the funds support cancer care close to home. “We all know someone who has been affected by cancer and, by paddling together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of family, friends, and neighbours in our region.”
Hosted by the Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Team, Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival was first launched in June 2001 as Liberty Mutual’s “Day on the Water,” becoming Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival the following year.
Since then, the festival has become a favourite community event to kick off the summer season and has raised more than $4.9 million for breast and other cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).
Last year alone, the festival raised a record-breaking $400,104.01.
Survivors Abreast president Janice James said the team, founded in 1999, has always focused on breast cancer awareness and raising funds for the PRHC Foundation.
“We know first-hand the importance of the work the PRHC Foundation does and their continuing mission to bring the best cancer care the world has to offer, right here to our hospital,” James said.
Lesley Heighway, president and CEO of the PRHC Foundation, called the 25-year milestone “an absolutely remarkable testament to what a community can achieve when we all come together for a cause that touches so many lives.”
As all funds raised by paddlers and donors are donated to the PRHC Foundation, the festival relies on sponsors to cover expenses in creating the best experience possible for participants. That includes Kawartha Financial Services (formerly Kawartha Credit Union), which is marking its 25th consecutive year as the event’s presenting platinum sponsor.
“This milestone reflects a shared legacy of compassion, community spirit, and support for local healthcare, and we are proud to continue standing alongside the many teams, volunteers, and partners who make this event such an enduring force for good,” said Kawartha Financial Services president Norah McCarthy.
Organizers say plans are already underway to commemorate the 25th anniversary on festival day, as Peterborough once again gathers on the shores of Little Lake to paddle in support of cancer care across the region.
